An examination of how employers and employees may be encouraged to adapt to changing economic conditions through innovation and cooperation rather than conflict indicates that the system of dispute resolution in the United States contains substantial disincentives to resolving disputes through negotiation and substantial incentives to resolving…

Designed to expose high school students to an alternative method of conflict resolution, this lesson revolves around the Indian movement for independence from Great Britain and the principles of non-violence advocated by Mahatma Gandhi which helped make that movement successful. The activities presented are designed to fit into a general world…

This study was conducted to develop a scale that assesses perceptions of self-efficacy in potentially stressful situations for chemically dependent adolescents. Adolescent subjects (N=100) currently receiving treatment for chemical dependency were given a 20-situation questionnaire, the Adolescent Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES). Students were…

Free-form games are applicable to a range of problem-solving situations. This document discusses gaming as a procedure for organized study of the complex problems entailed in confrontations and crises. The major focus of the booklet is on the various forms of this game type, the kinds of problems to which it is best adapted, and some approaches to…

Of the many specific situations in which the exercise of suasory influence may be necessary to assure that a decision making group meets its analytical responsibilities, five appear to be particularly important. These are circumstances in which (1) a group is violating accepted procedural norms, (2) an authority figure or high status group member…

Public relations as strategic communication is one possible theme for an introductory course in public relations. This perspective focuses attention on messages (their content, timing, media, and so forth) as strategic responses to the audience and the situation. It provides a defensible rationale for including certain relevant topics in the…

While it is not the intent of the paper to portray the rural school jurisdictions as completely riven and incapacitated by conflicting interests, a very strong implication emerging from studies of these school systems is that "integrative" management policies and strategies are needed to counteract the fragmentation which has been…

This manual presents a proposal to reduce arbitration or negotiation impasses and to accommodate conflicting interests by selecting a permanent neutral to monitor labor relations both during the term of the agreement and during contract negotiations. Part 1 describes the role of the permanent neutral during the term of the collective bargaining…

In "creative listening" sessions, participants alternately present their ideas (for fixed periods of time) and listen silently to the other participants. This paper examines the value of this method as an aid to problem solving and offers suggestions for teachers serving as mediators and participants in creative listening sessions. It describes…

Marriage counseling of couples in groups is based upon principles and techniques of both group counseling and marriage counseling, and in rationale and methodology combines the two. It can be a useful and constructive form of marital therapy. (Author)

To date, the focus of research has been to demonstrate the link between interpersonal problem-solving skills and adjustment. Little attention has been given to the study of how specific interpersonal problem-solving abilities evolve or to age-related changes in overall ability. White students (N=30) identified as socially well-adjusted,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the school choice behavior of Collegeville parents who lived within three optional attendance zones and who were sending their children to the Collegeville schools for the first time. Subjects were 48 mothers in such families. Interviews were intended to determine the following: (1) whether parents who were…

Because the existing provisions for communication between the administration and faculty of Emerson College had been ineffective, in 1978 the responsibility for contract negotiations was delegated to faculty and administrative teams. The key contract issues identified by the administrative team consisted of revising a clause pertaining to faculty…

Social Conflict and Negotiative Problem Solving is an instructional system currently under development by the Improving Teaching Competencies Program (ITCP) of Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). In accordance with the Resource Allocation Management Plan (RAMP, 1975) of ITCP, this report presents a plan of evaluation activities for…

Conflict is defined by the authors as a struggle over scarce status, power, and resources. They discuss the role of communication as one of the several strategies leading to conflict and as a potential strategy leading to conflict resolution. First, there is tacit communication, wherein the participants are engaged not in face-to-face interactions…