Creative Conflict
Here is my pre-flection on the art of creative conflict. Creative conflict can be defined as confronting others in ways that produce growth. It has the same concept to the art of constructive conflict. Anyway, creative conflict requires critical, constructive, honest, open confrontation. It is quite difficult for many because it disrupts easy explanations, it challenges values, and it often places people under public scrutiny. Personally, I don't like negative energy that can easily be generated from any kind of conflict and people sometimes can't see the positivity that will come out from creative conflict. All they see is the conflict itself in front of them and that can be disasterous. However, once we get pass the point of negativity of conflict, the rewards of creative conflict include clarity and learning. Each side comes to better understand how and why the other side feels as they do. And each becomes more clear about their own values and ideas in relation to the views of others. Everyone becomes more involved in and more knowledgeable about the issues. Since good solutions depend on accurately defining problems and on avoiding jumping to conclusions, conflict can increase the quality of problem-solving by helping us see the whole picture. Conflict becomes truly creative when, in addition to heat, fighting generates light and energy to find new options. Creative conflict can be seen in real life examples such as criticism, constructive criticism. In the article "Your route to the top constructive criticism" of London's Management Today, the author was talking about advice on getting to constructive criticism in management. The steps to the successful ending include: 1. Instil trust. 2. Know your aim. 3. Think right place, right time. 4. Set the scene. 5. State what went wrong.
http://moe.ic.highline.edu:2080/pqdweb?index=4&did=923046461&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1172664358&clientId=1894

Here is my reflection on the art of creative conflict. This art can be defined as confrontation that produce growth.
The benefits of creative conflict included:
- Demonstrates that diverse stakeholders are involved
- Uncovers interests
- It can deepen or widen understanding
- Generates more options for all parties involved
- Can build group confidence
To achieve creative conflict, the parties involved needed to :
- Value and incorporate diversity
- Create a safe environment for difference
- Leave labels at the door
- Agree to disagree when there's no common ground
- Focus on the present and the solution
- Allow some venting, but limit the reactions
- Use self discipline in expression of anger
- Be well prepare
- Make no lasting enemies
After the lecture, we watched the documentation called " Woolworth's Lunch Counter". The four main historical figures in the documentation applied the concept of creative conflict like being well prepare and using self discipline in expression of anger as they practice non-violent disobedience against the segregation in 1960's. For example, the four young men that started the revolution in North Carolina were thinking that they'll be thrown in jail for sitting at the lunch counter for white people. Also, they used non-violence as their weapons. Instead of beating up the people at the lunch counter to take out their anger, they just sit at the counter and refuse to leave just because they're black.

Application:
Last week, I was working with a group of different people in sociology. We were supposed to discuss our topics of research. After a few minute, we ended up discussing about gender and gender roles, which is related to sociology. There were quiet a few different opinions and viewpoint about gender roles in our little group of five people. However, with the art of creative conflict, we valued diversity and incorporate it as we discuss the topic. We also excluded labels from our conversations. Just because a guy said he think women should stay at home and raise children doesn't mean he's sexist. We didn't just label people just because of the way they think. We ended up having a great discussion and everyone walked away with something valuable. The discussion absolutely deepen our understanding about one another and each other's viewpoint, which helped build the group confidence.

Social Capital

Here is my preflection on the art of social capital. First of all, the definition for the art of social capital is the advantage created by a person's location in a structure of relationships. It explains how some people gain more success in a particular setting through their superior connections to other people. For example, I've once heard of an example that represent the art of social capital. When PSEC needs a sociology teacher, the staff at PSEC asked the people they know like their collegues or their friends to see if they know any sociology instructors that would want to work at PSEC. The people that know the friends or collegues of PSEC staff would be part of the social capital. Because they know people, that is why and how they landed the job. Networking in one of the most often used example for social capital. factors as social networks, levels of participation in civil life (as a citizen) and levels of trust within communities are all associated with social capital. My source of media is an article about 'KING MEMORIAL FUND RAISING STEPPED UP: Foundation issues nationwide challenge to reach $80 million goal.' The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation is calling on corporations, foundations, individuals and professional athletes to meet its goal of raising $3 million for the planned structure during Black History Month. Because King Memorial Foundation is well-known and supported by many famous figures, the goal will be reached based on social capital.
http://eurweb.com/story/eur31348.cfm

This is my reflection on the art of social capital. The definition of social capital is the collective values of all social network and the inclination that arise from these network to do things for each other. The slogan for social capital is basically "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT'S WHO YOU KNOW!" There are a variety of capital like economic capital, physical capital, political capital and presented at PSEC, the human capital. In order to achieve success, you need contact to a certain social network. For example, social capital at PSEC happens when different committees come and work together to build one PSEC community. Inside of social capital existed specific reciprocity. It's basically something like "I'll do this for you if you do this for me". It can easily fall apart when one failed to fulfill their part. For example, you have to buy me lunch for a month if you want me to give you rides everyday for a month. Specific reciprocity requires negotiation and can be quiet impersonal and need no sympathy toward one or others.
There's also general reciprocity. It's simply doing someone a favor without having anything in return. It often occurs between friends or family members or someone you trust or know very well. It strengthen and represent stronger bonds in social capital. Inside of social capital existed bonding and bridging. Bonding is social capital within a group. Bridging is building network across groups. We need both to create lots of social network.

Application: Since social capital is all about "It's not what you know, it's who you know", it's about connections with people. I always want to pursue psychology and so I constantly try to express my interest to people who want to listen. One of the staff at PSEC, Terry has a strong background in psychology. When I tell him i'm interested in psychology, he immediately said that he would be more than happy to hook me up with one of his friend psychologist and therefore, I could get an internship over the summer. Without Terry, I would have a truly hard time trying to get an intership from a professional psychologist. Hey, it's all about who you know, not what you know.