Exam 7: Negotiating and Resolving Conflict

The issue involved is very important to you, but you are not too concerned about the relationship you have with the other individual. Which conflict response would you most likely use?

In discussing a problem you have with a co-worker, you notice that the co-worker acknowledges and agrees with your concerns. However, you believe he agreed with you to terminate the awkward conversation quickly, and you are not sure how sincere he was in acknowledging the problem. He probably used which conflict resolution method?

The goal of the mediator is to assess who is responsible.

In effectively handling a conflict, what should you do?

You manage individuals from many different countries and cultures. A manager remarks, "Well, they may be from different cultures but within the organization there is only one culture you need to worry about, the organization's culture." How should you respond to this statement?

Describe an example (real or fictional) of compromising as a conflict management approach. Diagnose whether the use of compromising was appropriate to the situation and, if not, what approach would have been preferable.

Recent research indicates that gender differences are only moderately correlated with conflict management style preferences.

Mini-Case: The In-Box Is Full. Returning from a wonderful vacation at Disney World, "It's a small world after all," you go through the memos that have been stuffed in your box. A short scenario of each memo is provided. Situation 1: The workers down in the yard are refusing to wear their hard hats. OSHA visits tomorrow. Situation 2: The people in the back room would like to play their radios while they work. Their supervisor has no problem with it. The issue appears whether it is rock or country. Situation 3: Your boss must leave town and will be unable to give a speech to his daughter's fourth-grade class on "What I do for a living." He has asked you to take his place. Situation 4: Production has informed your salespeople that they don't think they can meet the orders requested. They must know tomorrow what the priority should be. You have a meeting with your sales force at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Situation 5: You have a performance review scheduled for George tomorrow. His performance has slipped but he says he needs to talk to you. -Using the framework for the collaborative approach to problem solving, identify when a mediator should be used. Explain the guidelines a mediator should use in mediating a problem.

Time is a moderately significant factor, the issue is not important to you, and the ongoing relationship is not critical. Which conflict response should be used?

Leslie listened to Marco's plea that the team adopt his favorite project. She had serious misgivings about it, but didn't want to rock the boat. So she said, "Whatever. We'll just do it your way, Marco. What should I do next? " Leslie has just adopted which conflict management strategy?

Research indicates that people-focused conflicts threaten effectiveness, whereas issue-based conflicts enhance performance.

A person is probably an ineffective conflict manager if she/he (1) chooses an approach to resolve conflict based on an assessment of the situation, (2) relies on one or two strategies regardless of changing circumstances, and (3) implements the collaborative approach too often. Which statements are true of ineffective conflict management?

If the issue is moderately important to all parties, time is not an issue, but the ongoing relationship has a certain level of importance, which conflict response should be used?

You believe your new co-worker, Greg, has taken advantage of you in a conflict resolution setting. What approach to resolving conflicts are you most likely to have used?

Compromise is the most appropriate approach when the issues are complex and moderately important, there are no simple solutions, and both parties have a strong interest in different aspects of the problem.

In selecting a format to mediate a conflict, the mediator must assess the position of the disputants (are they both aware a problem exists? ), the nature of the relationship, and the nature of the problem.

Describe an example (real or fictional) of collaborating as a conflict management approach. Diagnose whether the use of collaborating was appropriate to the situation and, if not, what approach would have been preferable.

Mini-Case: The In-Box Is Full. Returning from a wonderful vacation at Disney World, "It's a small world after all," you go through the memos that have been stuffed in your box. A short scenario of each memo is provided. Situation 1: The workers down in the yard are refusing to wear their hard hats. OSHA visits tomorrow. Situation 2: The people in the back room would like to play their radios while they work. Their supervisor has no problem with it. The issue appears whether it is rock or country. Situation 3: Your boss must leave town and will be unable to give a speech to his daughter's fourth-grade class on "What I do for a living." He has asked you to take his place. Situation 4: Production has informed your salespeople that they don't think they can meet the orders requested. They must know tomorrow what the priority should be. You have a meeting with your sales force at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Situation 5: You have a performance review scheduled for George tomorrow. His performance has slipped but he says he needs to talk to you. -Using the framework for the collaborative approach to problem solving, explain the behavioral guidelines when one acts as an initiator in dyadic confrontation. Also, provide example statements that the initiator can make for each major guideline.

The problem is likely to be resolved. Also, all parties involved are committed to the solution and satisfied that they have been treated fairly. You probably utilized which conflict approach?

The four sources of conflict are (1) personality-defect, (2) informational deficiency, (3) role incompatibility, and (4) environmental stress. Which sources are correct?