Human Relations in Organizations: Applications and Skill Building 8th Edition by Robert Lussier

Exercise 39

During class you will be given the opportunity to role-play handling a complaint. Select a complaint. It may be one you brought to a supervisor, one that was brought to you, one you heard about, or one you made up. Fill in the information below for the person who will role-play bringing you a complaint to resolve.
Explain the situation and complaint.
List pertinent information about the other party that will help him or her play the role of the complainer (relationship with supervisor, knowledge, years of service, background, age, values, and so on).
Review Exhibit 15.4 (complaint model) and think about what you will say and do when you handle this complaint.
Complaint Observer Form
During the role play, observe the handling of the complaint. Determine whether the supervisor followed the steps below, and how well. Try to have both a positive and an improvement comment for each step in the complaint model. Be specific and descriptive. For all improvement comments, have an alternative positive behavior (APB). What could have been done or said that was not?
Step 1. How well did the supervisor listen? Was the supervisor open to the complaint? Did the supervisor try to talk the employee out of the complaint? Was the supervisor defensive? Did the supervisor get the full story without interruptions? Did the supervisor paraphrase the complaint?
Step 2. Did the supervisor have the complainer recommend a solution? How well did the supervisor react to the solution? If the solution could not be used, did the supervisor explain why?
Step 3. Did the supervisor schedule time to get all the facts and/or make a decision? Was it a specific date? Was it a reasonable length of time?
Step 4. Did the supervisor develop and implement a plan, and schedule a follow-up? (This step may not have been appropriate at this time.)
Objective: To experience and develop skills in resolving complaints.
AACSB: The AACSB learning standard skills developed through this exercise are analytic skills, communication ability, and leadership.
Preparation: You should have prepared to handle a complaint.
Experience: You will initiate, respond to, and observe a complaint role play. Then you will evaluate the effectiveness of its resolution.
Break into as many groups of three as possible. (You do not have to be with members of your permanent team.) If there are any people not in a triad, make one or two groups of two. Each member selects a number 1, 2, or 3. Number 1 will be the first to initiate a complaint role play, then 2, followed by 3.
A. Number 1 (the supervisor) gives his or her preparation complaint information to number 2 (the complainer) to read. Once number 2 understands, role-play the complaint (step B). Number 3 is the observer.
B. Role-play the complaint. Put yourself in this person's situation; ad-lib. Number 3, the observer, writes his or her observations on the complaint observer form.
C. Integration. When the role play is over, the observer leads a discussion on the effectiveness of the conflict resolution. All three should discuss the effectiveness; Number 3 is not a lecturer.
Do not go on until told to do so.
Same as Procedure 2, only number 2 is now the supervisor, number 3 is now the complainer, and number 1 is the observer.
Same as Procedure 2, only number 3 is now the supervisor, number 1 is now the complainer, and number 2 is the observer.
Conclusion: The instructor leads a class discussion and/or makes concluding remarks.
Application (2- 4 minutes): What did I learn from this experience? How will I use this knowledge in the future?
Sharing: Volunteers give their answers to the application section.