The relieving impact of Co-orientation on Communication and Conflict in Organizations

Perhaps, the most potent antidote to conflicts in organizations is effective communication, which is the brain-child of mutual understanding. And if there is any elixir for mutual understanding, its main ingredient is found in the theory of Co-orientation whose basic tenets are geared towards the building of consensus of views and opinions. Because conflict is a persistent fact of organizational life, the challenge to Management is to adopt a systematic approach that enables effective managerial response – successful management of conflict situations. This paper is a contribution to attempts at resuscitating Co-orientation - a theory that enables effective communication, at the heart of which is mutual understanding, which in turn, underscores strong desire for avoiding or reducing the incidence of organizational conflicts, whether embedded or open. Key Words: Co-orientation; Organizational Conflict; Effective Communication; Mutual Understanding; Effective Managerial Response. _______________ *Andrew A. Moemeka, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, U.S.A. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, October 2016, 1 – 14