Interpersonal communications at core of conflicts' escalation in organization. The interplay of interpersonal communication escalation, people's habitus and psycho-sociological processes are more important than contextual factors

Aysylu Valitova (1) , Dominique Besson (2)

1 South Champagne Business School
2 LUMEN - Lille University Management Lab - ULR 4999

Management of conflicts is an important, maybe central, question in people's management at work. The management of conflicts is obviously related to multiple techniques. But the latter do not always give enough attention on communication between people. We construct a conceptual frame of conflicts centered on interpersonal relations' dynamics. This frame articulates interpersonal incongruent positioning in the meaning of the Palo-Alto school , perception processes, individual trajectories (Bourdieu's habitus as developed by Lahire), psycho-sociological (Groups' dynamics) processes. Sociological and cultural factors are also considered. This model is applied to the case study of a conflict in a Community Center in France. The study shows how the interpersonal communication on one hand and the identity-related collective phenomena on the other hand, build interlink sequences which explain the conflict escalation. This case illustrates how relational interlink and psycho-sociological processes at the individual as well at the interpersonal and group levels become out of control. These dynamics construct a "complex of situation" and results in a social conflict where finally all protagonists are losers.

Mots clés: Interpersonal Communication Conflict Social identity Habitus (Bourdieu) Psychosociology of organizations; Interpersonal Communication; Conflict; Social identity; Habitus (Bourdieu); Psychosociology of organizations

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Aysylu Valitova, Dominique Besson. Interpersonal communications at core of conflicts' escalation in organization. The interplay of interpersonal communication escalation, people's habitus and psycho-sociological processes are more important than contextual factors. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2024, 34 (1), pp.3-27. ⟨10.1108/JOCM-04-2017-0131⟩. ⟨hal-04398360⟩