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Organizational Conflict: A Guide to Theory and Practice explores communication and conflict in contemporary organizations. The authors challenge readers to think critically about the role of conflict in organizational life and the ways in which conflict is enacted within organizations. The text begins by establishing a philosophy for organizational conflict that is paradoxical, complex, communication-centered, and contextual. This framework allows students and professors to begin with a concrete set of issues to apply as they explore each topic throughout the text. Case studies integrated into each chapter provide the concrete experiences from which to explore issues and theories and challenge readers to engage in their own analyses.Features &BAD:amp; Benefits:'You Make the Call' case studies: Blend theory and practice to challenge readers to apply the concepts being discussed and to think critically about conflict-relevant communication processes Are integrated into each chapter with a 'teaser' introduction to the case at the beginning of each chapter. Discussion questions are provided that can be answered by integrating chapter information with the scenario.'New' topics: Full chapters on work-life conflict and on-line conflict reflect the contemporary nature of the text Unlike many books on the market that cast conflict in a solely negative light, this text explores that conflict can be not only dysfunctional but functional, not only disempowering but empowering Multicultural perspectives (e.g., race, gender, ethnicity, class, status) are embedded throughout the text and are not relegated to one stand-alone 'diversity' chapter
About the author
Claudia L. Hale (Ph.D. & M.A. [speech communication], University of Illinois; B.S., Texas Tech University) does research and teaches in the areas of interpersonal communication competence, conflict management, dispute mediation, negotiation, and intercultural communication. Before coming to Ohio, she taught and held chair positions at: Iowa State, Northern Colorado, Denver, and Eastern Illinois. She is or has been a member of the following journal editorial boards: Communication Education; Communication Monographs; Western Journal of Speech communication; International Journal of Conflict Management; Journal of Language and Social Psychology; Journal of Social and Personal Relationships; and Management Communication Quarterly. She is widely published in journals, has contributed various book chapters, and presents at numerous conferences/conventions.
[NOTE: Hale is well established in the discipline and this will be her first textbook; she has been recommended as an author prospect by key people in the discipline (e.g., Julia Wood; Bill Eadie; Kathy Miller). She and I are also discussing her writing two more texts-one on advanced interpersonal./relational communication and one on children's conflict. Wadsworth is hot after her as well.]
