MBA506 Thinking Styles - Conflict Management: Paxman Brand Analysis

This paper provides a comprehensive conflict management evaluation, analyzing the dynamics between Jeremy Paxman and Russell Brand in a BBC Newsnight interview. It identifies the initial purposes of each participant, assessing whether they were oriented towards conflict escalation or resolution. The analysis delves into the stories each participant constructed, highlighting instances of vilification and perceived threats. Furthermore, the report examines moments where opinions overshadowed factual basis, leading to ineffective communication. The evaluation concludes by suggesting alternative strategies for both Paxman and Brand to manage themselves and the interview more effectively, emphasizing the importance of active listening, empathy, and a focus on shared understanding to achieve constructive dialogue. The paper also includes a transcript analysis and applies conflict management principles to the interview scenario, offering practical insights for improved conflict resolution.

Running head: CONFLICT MANAGEMET EVALUATION
Conflict Management Evaluation
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Executive Summary:
The paper analyzes the conflict management process in a generalized manner, reporting the
general understanding of the conflict management evaluation in every place like work, home, or
more. The paper also focuses on the principles that are required to follow in order to come to a
resolution from any conflict by applying it in practical life. The assignment also includes a
transcript analysis of an interview of Brand taken by Paxman that has served to be an example of
a scenario that occurs when conflict resolution fails to take place.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Conflict Management Evaluation:...................................................................................................3
Understanding of Conflict Management:....................................................................................3
Principles:....................................................................................................................................5
Practical Application:..................................................................................................................6
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................7
Transcript Analysis:.........................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction:
Disagreement in any method or opinion leads to conflict. It is not compulsory that
conflicts would be linear in nature. Conflict management is a circumstance where the involved
parties’ goals, needs and values are seen to interfere with each other in a place where each person
has their own different opinions and priorities (Nunspeet et al. 2015). It is important to manage
conflict in a workplace or other place of interest since the management of conflict would
accommodate one idea and opinion with other, it would reveal creativity while going through the
process of problem-solving ideas. The conflict management helps in bringing out the negotiation
ability of an individual and that helps in the achievement of good results (Liu, Li and Nauta
2015). The paper intends to explain the principles relation with conflict management evaluation
and its practical application on the basis of an interview between Jeremy Paxman and Russell
Brand about the opinion differences that Brand has from a normal political tradition (Saeed et al.
2014). The paper would also evaluate the possible ways in which this interview should have been
conducted.
Conflict Management Evaluation:
Understanding of Conflict Management:
Conflict management is such a task that must be taken care of before the situation
worsens in any workplace or other areas of concern. The management would assert and address
problems before it turns into a serious issue between the involved parties that would possibly
lead to great ramifications (Nordin et al. 2014). This process of management would enable the
authority to get to know the perspective of both the parties involved and get to know the

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unwilling party’s point of view in a clarified manner (Lederach 2015). Not only does the
management lets to clarify the issue, conflict management would also enable the parties to get on
about their work without holding any type of grudge with one another or any grudge against the
company. If the issue seems serious, it will be escalated to higher person of interest so that it can
be handled well and the evaluation would lead to conflict resolution.
There are various ways to resolute conflict, one of which is the act of compromising; it
shows the creativity of the individual and his ability to solve problems in a dignified manner.
Conflict management evaluation allows other people to put their opinions in the light which in
turn is enlightening the commitment that the parties’ posses for the issue that has made them
form an opinion which is so different from one another (Chenhall, Hall and Smith 2016). The
interview that has been taken into consideration for the analysis of conflict management
evaluation is between Russell Brand and Jeremy Paxman, where the interviewer Paxman is
interrogating comedian Brand as to why he has a different view of politics than the others and
what is the reason behind his refusal to vote; a right that is valuable for every citizen of the world
(Wallensteen 2018). The whole interview was full of a series of question and counter question,
arguments and counter arguments which created a visible conflict between both the parties.
It has been duly noted that there was no presence of the endeavor to resolute the arising
conflict and a clear laxity was seen while handling the frustration and conflict along with zero
desire to end it. The interview ended with no such provision of any type of solution which would
help to cure conflicts of similar category outside the video screen, out in the real world (Teague
and Roche 2012). One party is seen to jump into conclusion before even letting the other to
express his views on the matter being discussed. What the video provided was the difference of
opinion that two kinds of people normally possess and none of the party was compromising to

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actually understand the perspective of the other party (Lewicki, Barry and Saunders 2016). If
both of the men would have tried to listen closely to each other’s point of views and tried to
understand the reason behind the formation of such opinion and acted accordingly, the interview
would have been better in terms of giving a powerful insight to two sides of a political belief.
Principles:
Conflict management is a process that is applied in all arena of life, be it colleague to
colleague, employee to supervisor in a workplace, sibling to sibling or spouse to spouse at home,
or even friend to friend, or citizen to citizen at external places (Caldas, Broaddus and Winch
2016). Potential disagreement is something that is omnipresent in all human beings that can take
place in a workplace or in someone’s personal lives or any other places where debates and
discussions goes on (Folger, Poole and Stutman 2017). Learning how to negotiate in a conflict
improves productivity, happier relationships and delivers solution, this act reduces stress from
the lives of the people hence it is significant to abide by the principles to be able to manage a
conflict.
In order to manage conflicts, the process leads to crucial topics of conversation; this is
usually avoided by most of the people since they fail to identify the core of the conflict that
would lead to crucial conversations resolving conflict (Gilin, Leiter and LeBlanc 2015). It is the
first principle to be able to identify the core and have a conversation that is full of difference of
opinions; difference of opinions is a primary element of crucial conversations. However these
conversations have high emotions at stake thus it becomes sensitive to be able to go through the
process in cautious manner.
The next principle is the way to handle the process of ongoing crucial conversation.
Crucial conversation is so deep and insightful that it is a common fact that it will lead to an

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outburst to a point when it will be too much to take in anymore for one of the parties; in such
cases it is better to avoid this type of conversation (Emil and Terje 2012). When such
conversation is handled poorly because of the immediate addressing of issues, the avoidant
behavior of a person will lead the conflict full of anger as well as anxiety (Spaho 2013).
Therefore it is vital to handle it in such a way that the conflict management leads to a positive
outcome.
The next principle that follows is that one should have a clear insight of the desired
outcome that he/she wants from the conflict management conversation (Saundry et al. 2014).
Only then the conversation to resolution would be on the right track. To achieve resolution, a
good sense of self-assessment is necessary and the acceptance of one’s own area of weakness;
otherwise the management process would be a hoax.
Practical Application:
Figure: different approach to conflict management.
Source: website
Approach Avoiding Accommodatin Compromisin Competing Collaborating

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g g
Characteristi
c Behavior
Cautious
withdrawal
from
conflict.
To place more
emphasis on
goodwill than
the urge to “win”
the argument.
To come to
terms with a
solution where
each party is
partially
satisfied but
not completely.
Stands
firmly on
one’s own
view point
and refusing
to
acknowledge
any wrong.
Accepts the
potential
problems that
conflict can
lead to.
Practical
Application
Scenario
where a
worker
backs down
from having
a crucial
conversation
about the
negative
impacts of
monetary
incentives
on
employees.
A scenario
where an elder
sibling accepts to
play the role of a
soldier and let
the younger
sibling play the
commander.
A negotiation
between a
supervisor and
a worker about
an appraisal
that is solved
with an amount
acceptable by
both.
A real life
case in the
interview of
Brand with
Paxman,
where both
the parties
refused to
play lower
than the
other in
terms of
their own yet
different
opinions.
Scenario
where three
captains of
different
teams accept
to collaborate
and let the
injured player
go with other
two uninjured
players from
the other
teams in order
to have a fair
play.

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Conclusion:
It can be concluded that conflict management is a process that is of absolute necessity to
reduce stress and increase productivity in workplaces. However, it is not only a workplace where
conflict is found, conflict can take place anywhere with any one in any aspect of life. What is of
significance is that the involved parties should follow the principles of conflict resolution and
follow it to resolute the crucial conversation in order to avoid the nesting of grudge for one
another or for any authority. The principles of conflict management evaluation are helpful when
it is applied practically in their real lives or else the conflict would rise to take on a huge issue
that could have been avoided at the right time. There are different kinds of approached towards
the resolution of conflict, some of which are assertive and some are not useful in resolution at all;
if anything, the competing tendency of a human would worsen the situation for both the parties.
As an example, the interview between Paxman and Brand has been chosen to show an example
of the characteristic behavior of competence and the futile impact that it puts on an issue.

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Transcript Analysis:
1. “Jeremy Paxman: Russell Brand, who are you to edit a political magazine?”
The interview started with the mentioned question from Jeremy Paxman to Russell Brand
which gives clear indication of his purpose in the whole interview. The aim of Paxman was
to have a crucial conversation with Brand where he would attack the status of Brand, who is
a comedian and not related to the arena of politics in any way. According to Paxman, a man
who has never voted should not have any opinion about changing the political system of the
country or bring a revolution for that matter.
“Russell Brand: Well, I don’t get my authority from this pre-existing paradigm which is
quite narrow and only serves a few people. I look elsewhere for alternatives that might be
of service to humanity. Alternate means, alternate political systems.”
Russell started off great with the purpose of showing the world that even if a man is not
connected with politics, he has the capability of editing a political magazine since he is a fresh
set of eyes who is not biased by the ways a country’s political paradigm works; he has seen the
flaws and that is why he is so eager now to bring an alternative in the system.
The purpose with which both the parties have sat to discuss is a significant topic to
discuss upon if done properly. The world is genuinely divided into two groups, one those follow
the norm of the existing political system, and the other that do not and desire the arrival of an
alternative. The topic is a conflicting hence must follow the principles of conflict management
evaluation to make the interview a successful and insightful one. However, the way the interview
was started, it is becoming clear that the topic is more likely to cause a conflict rather than

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manage one. There is a sense of competence in both the parties which is why a conflict is most
evident to be taking place.
2. “Jeremy Paxman: So you struck an attitude, what, before the age of 18?
Russell Brand: Well, I was busy being a drug addict at that point, because I come from the
kind of social conditions that are exacerbated by an indifferent system that really just
administrates for large corporations and ignores the population that it was voted in to
serve.”
Russell Brand at the start of the interview was determined enough to prove his point that
anyone can have opinions irrespective of what their political background is. However, at a
certain point of time, Brand was seen to get diverted from his generalized point of view to
personal aspects and impacts of political system that led such formation of opinion. The story
about his drug addiction was not of that much necessity in order to prove his reason behind the
refusal of giving votes. Although the fact that he raised about the ignored class of society is
indeed a point that needs attention and care from the government, yet it seems inappropriate
reason to refuse giving votes based on that perspective. Moreover, Russell’s idea of revolution is
acceptable to an extent after which he starts indicating to discourage people from giving votes,
which is almost an act of vilification that steals the right of humans to vote.
It is a conflicting idea to state that government does not look after the needs of people
who voted for them; it would have been justifiable if Brand would have mentioned that the
statement was his own point of view and not of others. The statement not only is conflicting in
itself, it also creates conflict in the minds of the audience. This type of behaviour characteristic is
not near enough to manage conflict, yet it is close enough to create conflicts in the minds of

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those who were not even bothered about it, keeping in mind of the influential power of the
famous comedian. The interview thus in no way was able to manage the conflicting topic rather
it left the audience with more conflicting ideas in their head.
3. “Russell Brand: ...So let’s approach this optimistically. You’ve spent your whole
career berating and haranguing politicians, and then when someone like me, a
comedian, goes, “Yeah, they’re all worthless, what’s the point in engaging with any
of them?,” you seem to have a go at me because I’m not poor anymore. Well, I'm
sorry –
Jeremy Paxman: I’m not having a go at you about that. I’m just asking you why we
should take you seriously when you’re so unspecific about what...”
The heat of the crucial conversation took a toll on Russell Brand and it was seen in the
way he was aggressively trying to make his point in front of the media. There were certain
instances when he was not letting Paxman to even question his ideas, he kept on interrupting and
kept on talking about his views. The conflict rose to such an extent that the interviewer Paxman,
was compelled to abstain himself from putting forth the facts that showed the perspective of the
group of people that he represented.
An important aspect of conflict management is that both the parties have to listen to each
other’s perspective in a calm mindset and try to understand the cause and effect of the opinion of
the opposite party. The type of competitive approach that Brand showed during the interview is
not a process that is assertive in nature. This kind of application of conflict management
evaluation turns out to be futile in every sense and leaves the less competitive or the opposite
party unsatisfied, and the conflict remains intact.

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Even though both the parties seem to be having a clear insight of the conflicting
conversation and they are having a crucial conversation that is a necessary element of conflict
management principle, yet the way to handle the crucial conversation is not appropriate and it is
evident that this endeavour to management of conflict would have an outcome that would not be
desirable by most of the people or the audience. The characteristic behaviour of the parties
including both Paxman and Brand was in no way Accommodating or even Collaborative; these
two types of approach to practical application never end up providing a positive outcome.
4. “Russell Brand: I think a socialist egalitarian system based on the massive
redistribution of wealth, heavy taxation of corporations, and massive responsibility
for energy companies and any companies exploiting the environment. I think they
should be ta– I think the very concept of profit should be hugely reduced.”
As mentioned before, it is no doubt that both Paxman and Brand have in-depth insight of the
topic they are having conflicting ideas on, yet there were several instances where it was
distinctly evident that Brand was more entitled towards his personal opinions rather than
putting forth facts and figures to support his argument.
Initially at the start of the interview, Brand provided stats and figures to support his ideas
and prove his point. He opined the genuine fact that the impoverished people when ignored by
the government do turn to drug problems thus the current political system does not serve for
them when they are entitled to serve every category of people in the country. He was also factual
when he said about the planet that is being destroyed and poor people being exploited but the
government has turned a blind eye to these genuine legitimate troubles and do not address them.
Brand provided figures when stating the huge disparity that exists between poor and wealthy

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Americans where influential people are seen to support rights of the bankers but not the
underprivileged ones.
However, the fact and figures turned towards personal matters when he started stating
suggestions that he thinks is appropriate. In midst of calling for a revolution, Brand changed his
course towards the personal problems that he faced while being a drug addict, and the situation
that he had to face while he was young with his mother. The sense of revenge was being implied
through his statements and this is where the conflict deepened. Instead of resolving the conflict,
the interview ended with one-sided perspective of Brand and his revolutionary ideas; the
perspective of Paxman faded out in the background.

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References:
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Emil Berg, M. and Terje Karlsen, J., 2012. An evaluation of management training and coaching.
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Folger, J., Poole, M.S. and Stutman, R.K., 2017. Working through conflict: Strategies for
relationships, groups, and organizations. Routledge.
Gilin Oore, D., Leiter, M.P. and LeBlanc, D.E., 2015. Individual and organizational factors
promoting successful responses to workplace conflict. Canadian Psychology/psychologie
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principles by a pioneer in the field. Simon and Schuster.
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stress management, 22(3), p.243.

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Nordin, S.M., Sivapalan, S., Bhattacharyya, E., Ahmad, H.H.W.F.W. and Abdullah, A., 2014.
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city youth in Baltimore, Maryland. Evaluation and program planning, 57, pp.64-71.
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Saundry, R.A., Latreille, P., Dickens, L., Irvine, C., Teague, P., Urwin, P. and Wibberley, G.,
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