COMS 560
ShaVon VanBuren
12/05/14
Journal Activity 18
Cahn & Abigail 11 - Work with it #1 - p. 263
Mediation is where a third party comes in to foster communication between parties that can not agree on
ideas or demands. The mediator’s role is to help the parties comes to a mutual agreement. I do not believe that a
mediator is needed in this situation. Children have conflict with their parents often. The girl is 13 years old and
therefore underage and must follow the rules her mother has set. If a mediator was to come in as the third party
for this situation they would bring the mother and daughter together and provide a list of rules for how the
mediation process works. The mediator will then allow the mother and daughter to both take turns describing
their issues and disputes without disruption. The mediator will then try to find common ground between the
mother and daughter to and build an agreement. Once this agreement has been agreed upon it is drawn up and
signed.
Journal Activity 19
Cahn & Abigail 12 - Work with it # 1 - p. 291
A. This person has encountered identity conflict
B. The group is in the storming phase
C. Roles have created conflict in this scenario because the narrator felt alienated from the group
D. The person in this scenario chose the passive aggressive strategy.
E. The avoidance/accommodating strategy would have been a more positive and productive strategy for
the conflict.
Journal Activity 20
Cahn & Abigail 12 - Discuss it #1 p. 291 - Journal Activity 21
The narrator began to encounter issues when he or she was promoted and became a supervisor and was
now in a leadership position above their friends and co-workers. The narrators now creates and controls the
work schedules of the employees and must be fair in letting people have the off days they have requested.
This conflict is called instrumental/task conflict. This scenario is in the forming phase because the narrator
is still trying to figure out her place among her former friends. The structure of the group has now changed
and the narrator is now one of their leaders. The narrator chose the strategy of collaborating because they
chose the option that would give everyone a chance to have the dance off they would like. Not everyone was
happy or satisfied with this strategy because it only gave them a chance to have the days off they requested
and not a guarantee. The better strategy for this scenario would be avoiding/accommodating.
Cahn & Abigail 12 - Think about it. P. 290, # 1-6 - One sentence each
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COMS 560
1. I have seen task –related conflict a few times amongst group project members who were not able to
choose their own members.
2. I have used the avoiding strategy previously in a conflict amongst a group of friends and found out
that in order to maintain the friendship a conversation and the conflict issues needed to be brought up.
3. My role in groups usually are maintenance and task roles.
4. I have seen issues related to diverse members in groups in my workplace and also in group projects in
school.
5. A work life balance is very important to the mental and emotional wellbeing of a person. I balance my
personal life and work by planning. Planning and making to do list is the key to minimize conflicts as
much as possible between the two.
6. I have never been involved in workplace bullying or had issues with it in my former job as a
supervisor.
Journal Activity 22
Cahn & Abigail 13 - Work with it #1 - p. 315
Human beings are men women and children of the species homosapiens who walk upright with mental
development and free will with the power for empathy. Human beings are created from God, made in his image.
Journal Activity 23
Cahn & Abigail 13 - Apply it. #4 - P. 315
In my personal conversations I don’t say many essentially violent phrases. I often say “shut up” in a
joking manner or “whatever”. I do not literally mean for that person to shut up nor am I trying to
disregard what they are saying. I personally believe that it is very hard for people to change their
language habits. It forces us to be mindful of the words we choose to use.
Journal Activity 24
Borisoff & Victor “D,” p. 146: Focus on gender-related issues in personal and professional interaction.
Write a short reaction to the statements or brief answers to each of the six statements.
1. The glass ceiling will always exist as long as women make less money compared to their male
counterparts. The barrier was changed over the decades as there are increasingly more women in
leadership roles in many companies such as Yahoo, Facebook and Pepsi co.
2. With technology we are able to connect to information, people and their viewpoints around the
world to learn new information then ever before. Through social media websites like Tumblr and
Twitter people are able to vocalize and educate other on gender differences. They are easy platforms
to create open dialogues about many issues including gender differences.
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COMS 560
3. I believe that ones personal appearance can positively or negatively affect ones professional life.
Regardless of how we like it, ones appearance is the first thing that is noticed about them. From how
they style their hair, if they wear heavy or unfaltering makeup to grooming and wardrobe. For some
women who are very attractive it can lead to conflict amongst co-workers who have assumptions
about how they obtained their job or promotion. A women’s personal appearance can also sometimes
lead to them not being taken seriously in the workplace.
4. Sexual harassment policies affect how co-workers interact with each other. These policies will make
people think about the jokes and gestures they make as well as the content of their conversations.
5. According to the law encyclopedia website Nolo.com, “ if a business is covered by Family and
Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the employee is eligible for leave, you must allow the employee to
take up to 12 weeks of leave to care for a new child” This leave is unpaid and must be taken within
the first year of the child’s life. If paid maternity leave I offered to women it must also be offered to
men. In America it is the social norm for women to take maternity compared to men. Because of this
men may get more resistance from their employer when asking for maternity leave. It may impact
how their supervisors or managers view them.
6. Leadership is leading or organizing a group to work together effectively. Leaders inspire, empower
and teach others. I believe that this definition applies equally to both sexes.
Nolo Law For All. (2014) Leave Policies in the Workplace FAQ. Nolo Law For All.
Retrieved from: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/leave-policies-workplace-faq-29088-
5.html
Journal Activity 25
In celebration of your accomplishments in finishing the class, label this one as FREE! You don’t need to
do anything else. I guess I am getting soft. You will receive full credit for the assignment.
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