“An ‘us versus them’ mentality”: Experiences and outcomes of conflict between teachers and parents

Conflict between teachers and parents, while not widely studied (e.g., Dodd, 1998; Russo, 2006; Zaretsky, 2004), is prevalent enough to warrant recent legislative action in the state of Indiana (McCollum, 2009). Moreover, parent-teacher conflict has not been studied in relation to conflict style of teachers, professional identification, intent to leave, job satisfaction or perceived organizational support, which this study examines. While results of the current study did not indicate statistical significance, open ended responses indicated that teachers did experience many memorable instances of conflict that warrant further research, especially in the area of perceived organizational support. Additionally, the current study allows the opportunity for future research and valuable insight for policy-writers

A decision you can live with: Third party experiences with family conflict during end of life

The importance of end-of-life discussions has been brought to the attention of the public, the medical community, and the government. This study sought to explore the roles and experiences of individuals who are highly involved with family discussions, using organizational conflict processes as a lens. The data consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews with nurses, patient advocates, clergy, chaplains and administrators (n = 78). These organizational members constitute naïve third party conflict practitioners because they are engaged in the work of managing conflict but typically lack of training in formal dispute resolution. The participants use four Rs in managing conflict with families – refocusing, reframing, referring, and reconciling. These styles focus on the family and the patient, and participants suggest that strategies that are obliging or accommodating are more appropriate than collaboration, avoidance, or compromising. These findings challenge traditional notions of collaboration as the most effective conflict management strategy in organizations. This study also identifies some of the problems embedded in end-of-life situations that may cause difficulties for the family and medical staff. Furthermore, the study suggests that mandating end of life documentation may not be an effective strategy; instead, policy should mandate support funding and conflict resolution training for healthcare professionals

Reframing, Refocusing, Referring, Reconciling, and Reflecting: Exploring Conflict Resolution Strategies in End-of-Life Situations

Many problems can occur between family members at the end of a patient's life, resulting in conflict that others-the nurses, patient advocates, clergy, and social workers involved in the case-must resolve. This article explores the strategies used by those individuals to resolve conflict. Using grounded practical theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, qualitative interviews (n = 71) revealed how they manage family conflict at the end of life. The management styles include reframing, refocusing, referring, reconciling, and reflecting (the "5 Rs"). These strategies provide a conflict management typology for those who work with families during end-of-life situations

The relationship between conflict, anticipatory procedural justice, and design with intentions to use ombudsman processes

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the role of anticipatory procedural justice, seriousness/type of conflict, and design of ombudsman processes with intentions to use ombudsman processes to resolve disputes.Design/methodology/approach – The study was a 3 (type of conflict with three scenarios nested in each type)×3 (design of ombuds system). Subjects read scenarios and filled out Likert type survey items related to seriousness of conflict, anticipatory procedural justice, and intentions to use ombuds processes.Findings – Perceived seriousness and anticipatory procedural justice were significantly related to intention to use ombuds process, but design of ombuds process was not.Research limitations/implications – This study was limited to scenarios of academic conflict. Research should be extended to experienced conflicts and conflicts in other contexts.Practical implications – Potential users of ombuds processes are more concerned with principles of fairness and justice than the specific elements of how dispute systems are designed. While the design of a system needs to insure disputants perceive it to be fair, institutions concerned with resolving disputes between/among members should be more concerned with having a system than about promoting specific details about the design of that system.Originality/value – This study advances both the study of ombuds processes/design and anticipatory procedural justice. This study provides unique findings related to both the design of ombuds processes and the conditions under which disputants might utilize the process. Additionally, procedural justice is demonstrated to be useful in forming decisions about use of processes, not just evaluations after processes have been used

Reframing, Refocusing, Referring, Reconciling, and Reflecting: Exploring Conflict Resolution Strategies in End-of-Life Situations

Many problems can occur between family members at the end of a patient's life, resulting in conflict that others-the nurses, patient advocates, clergy, and social workers involved in the case-must resolve. This article explores the strategies used by those individuals to resolve conflict. Using grounded practical theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, qualitative interviews (n = 71) revealed how they manage family conflict at the end of life. The management styles include reframing, refocusing, referring, reconciling, and reflecting (the "5 Rs"). These strategies provide a conflict management typology for those who work with families during end-of-life situations

Promoting the Michigan Organ Donor Registry: Evaluating the Impact of a Multifaceted Intervention Utilizing Media Priming and Communication Design

There are currently more than 100,000 individuals waiting for an organ transplant. Organ donor registries represent the easiest and most concrete way for people to declare their intent to donate, but organ donor registries are vastly underutilized. This study reports a campaign intervention designed to increase the rate of joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. Grounding intervention development in the theoretical principles of media priming and communication design, the intervention took place in two waves in three counties in Michigan. Each intervention consisted of a media component, point-of-decision materials, and an interpersonal component. Increases in registration rates of 200 to 300% in each intervention county, compared to stable statewide trends in registry rates, provide evidence of highly successful intervention efforts. The rate of registry increase in intervention counties was approximately 1,900% higher than statewide on a per capita basis