Exam 7: Managing Conflict

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.

Once you,the responder,understand the initiator's complaint,what should you do?

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

When the problem is complex,the initiator should initially focus on a simple problem and build up from there.

Which of the following is not a guideline provided by the general framework of collaborative problem-solving?

Issue-focused conflicts are similar to rational negotiations,which can be viewed as an interpersonal decision-making process by which two or more people agree how to allocate scarce resources.

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.

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.

Reorganization of the manufacturing operations in a pet food company resulted in the addition of a new third shift and a reallocation of responsibilities among the managers.Conflict ensued based on the uncertainty of who was going to have to work the third shift.The most likely source of the conflict in this situation is role incompatibility.

How can disagreements between line and staff generally be resolved?

If time is a moderately significant factor,the relationship with other individual(s)is not critical,and the issue is extremely important to you,you are most likely to use the accommodating approach to handling conflict.

If you care more about the relationship than the issue,what conflict response would you most likely use?

When exploring options for resolution,what should the mediator do?

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. -Indicate the conflict approach that would work best for each of the five situations described in The In-Box Is Full.Provide support for your answer.

The facade is that this conflict response style appears to accomplish a great deal; however,in the long run,the hostility and resentment this approach creates quickly reverses what was accomplished in the short term.Which conflict style is this?

What is the focus of compromising,forcing,accommodating,and avoiding approaches to conflict management?

After presenting the problem,the initiator should (1)not make accusations,(2)draw inferences about the responder's motivations,and (3)not attribute the undesirable behaviors to the respondent's personal inadequacies.Which statements are correct?

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?

Your peer in the shipping department has asked you to work this weekend in her place.You tell her you will have to think about it.The type of conflict response you have used is avoidance.

Your boss is very upset with you.She screams at you and calls you all kinds of names.What should you do?