Deck 11: Conflict and Negotiation in the Workplace

Question 1

Conflicts could result in stronger team cohesion when conflict occurs between the team and an outside source.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Conflicts could result in stronger team cohesion when conflict occurs between the team and an outside source.

Question 2

Organizations will be more responsive to changing business environment if they have very little conflict.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Organizations with moderate level of conflict are more responsive to changing environment.

Question 3

Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Conflict is a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

Question 4

The modern perspective on conflict is that an optimal level exists which is beneficial to the organization.

Question 5

Conflicts could reduce the significance of organizational politics.

Question 6

When people experience relationship conflict,they tend to increase their reliance on communication with the other party.

Question 7

Strong cohesion in teams leads to strong relational conflicts.

Question 8

Constructive conflict tests the logic of arguments and encourages participants to reexamine their basic assumptions.

Question 9

Employees with high emotional intelligence are able to avoid the escalation of constructive conflict into relationship conflict.

Question 10

When conflict reduces each side's motivation to communicate,they rely more on stereotypes to reinforce their perceptions of the other side.

Question 11

Conflicts escalate into relationship conflict among employees in highly cohesive teams.

Question 12

Two employees from different departments who are evaluated on different performance criteria and compensated based on different reward systems are likely to experience conflict due to goal incompatibility.

Question 13

Organizations should eliminate conflicts in order to be more productive.

Question 14

Constructive conflict refers to conflict between departments and organizations.

Question 15

Conflict is based on the technical skills of the parties involved and is independent of their perceptions.

Question 16

Relationship conflict focuses on the other party as the source of conflict.

Question 17

Poor communication is a part of manifest conflict.

Question 18

The conflict model starts with the sources of conflict.

Question 19

Relationship conflict is apparent when the conflict is explained in terms of differences of opinion regarding tasks or decisions.

Question 20

Conflict perceptions and emotions produce manifest conflict-the decisions and behaviors of one party toward the other.

Question 21

Creating common experiences for all employees would help organizations reduce organizational conflicts.

Question 22

Integrators have direct authority over the departments they integrate and they rely on legitimate power to manage conflict and accomplish the work.

Question 23

Resolving differences with the opposing party through direct communication is not as comfortably applied in collectivist cultures.

Question 24

Forcing style of conflict management presents the highest risk of relationship conflict and it should never be used to manage conflicts in organizations.

Question 25

Resource scarcity is a potential source of conflict in organizations.

Question 26

Inquisitors control all discussion about the conflict and they choose the form of conflict resolution.

Question 27

The yielding conflict management style is preferred when both parties have equal power and enough trust to share information.

Question 28

Arbitration has a high level of process control but a low level of decision control.

Question 29

Conflicts tend to be higher when rules and procedures exist.

Question 30

Buffers tend to resolve conflict by reducing the level of interdependence between the conflicting parties.

Question 31

Research suggests that managers tend to avoid the inquisitional approach to third-party conflict resolution.

Question 32

Increasing resources and creating more precise rules for the allocation of those resources represent two ways to increase conflict.

Question 33

The lowest risk of conflict tends to occur in reciprocal interdependence situations.

Question 34

Mediation has a high level of process control but a low level of decision control.

Question 35

The problem solving conflict management style involves a high degree of assertiveness and cooperativeness.

Question 36

The five interpersonal conflict management styles are distinguished by their level of interdependence with the other party.

Question 37

The yielding conflict management style can produce more conflict rather than resolve it.

Question 38

People from collectivist cultures tend to apply a forcing style of conflict with colleagues more than people do from individualist cultures.

Question 39

Yielding style of conflict resolution involves making unilateral concessions and unconditional promises.

Question 40

People are more motivated to communicate and engage in exchanges when there is a perception of conflict.

Question 41

Managers should arbitrate decisions when employees cannot resolve their differences alone.

Question 42

Conflict is best defined as:

A) any event where two parties demonstrate their dislike of each other.
B) any occasion where both parties perceive each other as a threat to achieving the other party's goals.
C) a process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.
D) any event where one party acts in a way that prevents another party from achieving its goals.
E) a process in which each party tries to learn the resistance point of the other party.

Question 43

Skilled negotiators prefer using e-mail,videoconferences,and other forms of electronic communication when negotiating,rather than meeting face-to-face.

Question 44

The current perspective on organizational conflict is that:

A) conflict should be minimized across all departments.
B) conflicts could be promoted in some functions and discouraged in some others.
C) conflict is an inevitable result of increased technology and globalization.
D) use of technology and virtual teams could minimize organizational conflicts.
E) moderate levels of conflict are necessary and produce favorable outcomes.

Question 45

Negotiation occurs whenever two or more conflicting parties try to redefine the terms of their interdependence.

Question 46

According to the literature on organizational conflict,constructive conflict:

A) is a positive application of conflict in organizations.
B) is one of the most common outcomes of organizational conflict.
C) is the only conflict management style that has high assertiveness and low cooperativeness.
D) is the main source of conflict in organizations.
E) should not be used as a conflict management strategy in organizations.

Question 47

According to the bargaining zone model,the parties should begin negotiations by describing their resistance point to each other.

Question 48

Constructive conflict:

A) is the opposite of task-related conflict and often involves verbal attacks.
B) encourages employees to reexamine their basic assumptions about a problem and its possible solutions.
C) is apparent when the conflict is explained in terms of interpersonal incompatibilities.
D) is more likely to trigger defense mechanisms and a competitive orientation among team members.
E) sometimes replaces manifest conflict in the conflict escalation process.

Question 49

Which of the following is an advantage of having moderate levels of organizational conflicts?

A) It helps reduce organizational politics.
B) It boosts employee motivation.
C) It promotes organizational communication.
D) It energizes people to evaluate alternatives.
E) It reduces distorted perceptions and stereotypes.

Question 50

Relationship conflict usually causes people to:

A) use logical analysis in organizational decision making.
B) reduce communication and information sharing with the other party.
C) rethink their assumptions and beliefs about the issue that is the source of conflict.
D) stay away from organizational politics and related activities.
E) concentrate on the issue rather than the people involved in the issue.

Question 51

Negotiators tend to avoid "hard-line" behaviors when they know an audience is watching them.

Question 52

Negotiators who make the first offer have the advantage of creating a position around which subsequent negotiations are anchored.

Question 53

Negotiators tend to be more competitive and less willing to give concessions when their audience directly observes the negotiations.

Question 54

The process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party is called:

A) mediation.
B) conflict.
C) negotiation.
D) dialogue.
E) arbitration.

Question 55

The resistance point in the bargaining zone model is the team's realistic goal or expectation for a final agreement.

Question 56

Based on the characteristics of constructive conflicts,which of the following would help a manager create constructive conflicts during a debate?

A) Support the weaker members during the debate
B) Explain conflict in terms of interpersonal incompatibilities
C) Support the stronger members during the debate
D) Keep the debate focused on the issue
E) Maintain competitive orientation in the debate

Question 57

Conflict is ultimately based on:

A) perceptions of people.
B) actual intentions.
C) organizational structure.
D) technical competence.
E) skills and abilities of individuals.

Question 58

Which of the following best describes relationship conflict?

A) One party perceives that another party might oppose its interests.
B) The conflict is between two individuals rather than departments or organizations.
C) The conflict episodes are viewed as personal attacks rather than attempts to resolve the problem.
D) Two people adopt a win-win rather than a win-lose orientation.
E) The conflict is between two departments rather than individuals in the organization.

Question 59

When negotiators get closer to their time deadline,they become less committed to resolving the conflict.

Question 60

Which of the following is a major advantage of having moderate levels of organizational conflicts?

A) More responsiveness to changing business environment
B) Reduced attrition in the organization
C) Reduced stress and job dissatisfaction among employees
D) Increased information sharing
E) Less wastage of time because of reduced communication among employees

Question 61

When team norms encourage _____,team members learn to appreciate honest dialogue without personally reacting to any emotional display during the disagreements.

A) conscientiousness
B) introversion
C) neuroticism
D) openness
E) agreeableness

Question 62

Effective managers should:

A) increase the amount of conflict among employees.
B) remove all forms of conflict from the organization, because it saps productivity.
C) remove manifest conflict as well as negative conflict outcomes even though the sources of conflict remain in place.
D) convince employees to engage in relationship conflict rather than the other forms of conflict.
E) minimize the relationship conflicts that exist in the organization.

Question 63

The yielding conflict management style should be used if:

A) the parties have equal power.
B) the issue is much less important to you than to the other party.
C) the other party has much less power than you do.
D) the issue is important to both parties.
E) you have a deep conviction about your position.

Question 64

You are assigned to resolve a conflict between two departments of an organization.Both parties have equal power.Both the parties are under time pressure to resolve the conflict.You also realize that the parties lack trust/openness for problem solving.You are actively searching for a middle ground between the interests of the two parties.Which of the following conflict resolution styles would you use in this situation?

A) Forcing
B) Yielding
C) Compromising
D) Avoiding
E) Problem-solving

Question 65

The potential for conflict between two employees would be highest under conditions of _____ interdependence.

A) pooled
B) total
C) reciprocal
D) anticipatory
E) sequential

Question 66

Direct communication minimizes conflict by:

A) reducing task interdependence.
B) reducing reliance on stereotypes about the other party.
C) creating organizational buffers.
D) reducing the differentiation in the work force.
E) increasing the available resources.

Question 67

Which of the following conflict management styles may be necessary when it is apparent that the other party will take advantage of information sharing and other cooperative strategies?

A) Forcing
B) Yielding
C) Avoiding
D) Problem-solving
E) Compromising

Question 68

Which of the following immediately follows conflict perceptions and emotions in the conflict process model?

A) Sources of conflict
B) Manifest conflict
C) Conflict outcomes
D) Conflict management
E) Conflict beliefs

Question 69

Which of the following precedes conflict outcomes in the conflict process?

A) Manifest conflict
B) Conflict emotions
C) Conflict beliefs
D) Conflict perceptions
E) Conflict sources

Question 70

The problem-solving interpersonal style of conflict has:

A) high assertiveness and low cooperativeness.
B) high assertiveness and high cooperativeness.
C) low assertiveness and high cooperativeness.
D) low assertiveness and low cooperativeness.
E) medium assertiveness and medium cooperativeness.

Question 71

Which of the following conflict management styles is associated with low cooperativeness and low assertiveness?

A) Forcing
B) Inquisition
C) Compromising
D) Arbitration
E) Avoiding

Question 72

Which of the following produce the highest risk of conflict?

A) Ambiguous rules and low task interdependence
B) Precise rules and resource scarcity
C) Plentiful resources and high goal compatibility
D) Scarce resources and high task interdependence
E) Strict rules and high task interdependence

Question 73

Which of the following statements is true of the relationship conflicts in a highly cohesive team?

A) Relationship conflicts tend to be more because of the increased relationship.
B) Mediation is needed to resolve relationship conflicts in such teams.
C) Relationship conflict is absent in such teams.
D) Conflicts tend to be more in such teams if it has a large number of members.
E) Relationship conflict is suppressed when the conflict occurs.

Question 74

Salespeople at Widget Co.complain that they lose sales bonuses when the production department is out of stock of a particular item.This sometimes causes customers to buy from elsewhere rather than wait for the next production run.Meanwhile,production employees complain that salespeople don't appreciate the need to minimize inventory costs,for which production staff is rewarded.This instance is an example of conflict due to:

A) ambiguity.
B) technical incompetence of the production team.
C) pooled task interdependence.
D) differentiation.
E) goal incompatibility.

Question 75

Which of the following factors leads to relational conflicts in teams?

A) Low levels of communication
B) Low levels of interdependence
C) Abundant resources
D) Homogeneous workforce
E) Common goal

Question 76

What is the relationship between emotional intelligence and relationship conflicts?

A) Emotional intelligence is unrelated to relationship conflicts.
B) Emotional intelligence tends to increase the likeliness of relationship conflicts.
C) Relationship conflict is less likely to occur if emotional intelligence is high.
D) Emotional intelligence tends to maintain all types conflicts to be relationship-based.
E) The conversion of relationship conflicts to constructive conflicts is slow with high emotional intelligence.

Question 77

Which of the following interpersonal conflict management styles represents a purely win-win orientation?

A) Forcing
B) Yielding
C) Avoiding
D) Problem solving
E) Compromising

Question 78

Which of the following sources of conflict is typically associated with mergers and acquisitions,where everyone wants the company to succeed,but they fight over the "right way" to do things because of their unique experiences in the separate companies?

A) Task interdependence
B) Differentiation
C) Goal incompatibility
D) Scarce resources
E) Disintermediation

Question 79

Employees in engineering and marketing often disagree with each other in how to achieve a target mainly because they have unique backgrounds,experiences,and training.The most apparent source of conflict here is:

A) task interdependence.
B) differentiation.
C) goal incompatibility.
D) scarce resources.
E) ambiguity.

Question 80

You have resolved a conflict with another department by offsetting your losses by equally valued gains.Which of the following conflict handling styles is used here?

A) Forcing
B) Yielding
C) Avoiding
D) Compromising
E) Problem-solving