ANDREW SOENARTO – STUDENT ID 47134
SITXCOM005 Assessment 1 -
Identify Conflict Situations and
Resolve Conflict
In this assessment you will learn how to:
• Identify potential for conflict
• Take swift and tactful action to prevent escalation.
• Identify situations where personal safety of customers or colleagues
may be threatened
• Organise appropriate assistance.
• Identify and use resources to assist in managing conflict.
• Establish and agree on the nature and details of conflict with all
parties and assess impact.
• Manage conflict within scope of own role and responsibilities, and
according to organisational procedures.
• Take responsibility for seeking a solution to conflict within scope of
own role and responsibilities, seeking assistance where required.
• Identify and evaluate impact of conflict on business reputation and
legal liability.
• Evaluate options to resolve the conflict, taking into account
organisational policies and constraints.
• Implement the best solution and complete required reports.
• Acknowledge the views of all involved parties and providing them with
opportunities to express them
• Respond to all involved parties in a sensitive, courteous, respectful and
discreet manner
• Use effective conflict-resolution techniques and communication skills
• Minimise the impact of conflict on other colleagues and customers
• Resolve escalated complaints or disputes with customers
• Resolve team member disputes
Part A- Identify conflict in the workplace
Can you remember a time where you identified a potential conflict
situation in your workplace?
• Who was involved?
• What was the conflict about?
In this part of the assessment you are required to reflect back on a
conflict situation either in your current workplace or one that you are
, ANDREW SOENARTO – STUDENT ID 47134
familiar with. If you don’t have a workplace you may reflect back on a
potential conflict situation that involved family or friends. The key
objective of this assessment is to ensure that you actively identified a
potential conflict situation.
Provide a brief synopsis of the situation in a word document now less
than 350 words.
• Tell us where the potential conflict occurred
• Explain why you identified it as a potential conflict
• Describe what the conflict was
• Explain what you did, the actions you took to ensure the conflict did
not escalate
• What did you do to manage the potential conflict situation?
• If you sought additional resources to manage the situation, tell us what
they were
• Describe a conflict situation that could threaten the personal safety of
yourself, your colleagues and your customers.
• What appropriate assistance would you seek in this instance?
Two managers may argue about the appropriate way to involve staff members in decision making. One
may believe that it is better for the boss to make decisions rather than asking the opinions of others.
Depending on how strongly both persons hold these beliefs, the conflict may be very difficult to
resolve.
Not all conflicts and differences can be resolved. Sometimes, you have to learn to agree to disagree.
When you can learn to respect one another’s point of view without feeling resentful, wanting revenge,
or retaliating, you have handled the situation constructively.
Constructive conflict resolution is an opportunity for change, growth, and understanding. The most
important quality in resolving a conflict is to shift from making judgments about other people and their
statements to being curious. Instead of thinking, “Joe is a real fool. How can he expect anyone to buy
that idea?” the constructive person thinks, “I wonder what Joe has in mind?”
When you make the shift from judgment to curiosity, following through with an appropriate question,
others are not likely to feel defensive. They may be flattered that you are interested in their ideas. When
people do not feel defensive, they are more likely to consider new ideas and cooperate.
Create an effective atmosphere
Conflicts cannot be resolved in the heat of the moment, in between preparing meals. If you have a
conflict to resolve, arrange to meet at a convenient time when you will not be interrupted or distracted.
Never deal with a conflict in front of customers and guests. Start the discussion of the problem in an
open, positive way.
If you are angry, postpone the session until you can control your emotions. Sometimes, it can be useful
to move the discussion to a more neutral place. For example, you might agree to meet for coffee with
the person. A public location where you feel obliged to be polite can help you stay in control of your
feelings. You will be less likely to really unload your anger on the other person. Because the one party
may feel intimidated by being alone with the other, choose a location in which your conversation can
be kept private, but neither party will feel unsafe.
, ANDREW SOENARTO – STUDENT ID 47134
Clarify perceptions
Make time at the beginning of the session for each person to state his or her views. Avoid using
blaming statements such as, “You make me so angry.” Instead, state your observations and feelings
about an event. For example, you might say, “I had asked for Saturday night off because my mother is
visiting out of town. I’m upset because my request is not reflected in the new schedule.”
Avoid abusive or inflammatory remarks. If you say, “You are a rude and insensitive jerk!” or “You are
always late,” the listener is likely to tune out. He or she becomes defensive and unwilling to listen
further. If you say, “I was hurt by your jokes about death. My father is terminally ill and I am very
worried about him,” the listener is more likely to be willing to engage in further conversation.
When it is your turn to listen, pay careful attention to what the person is saying. Use paraphrasing,
summarizing, and questions to clarify what the person is saying and feeling. For example, you might
say, “So what you are saying is that you were very angry when I asked you to work Saturday. You
wanted the day off to spend with your mother. You thought that I ignored your request.” If the speaker
uses blaming or inflammatory language, try to avoid taking the comments personally. Ask questions to
determine exactly what the problem is.
Watch your language, tone of voice, and nonverbal gestures. Keep calm and centred.
Focus on individual and shared needs
Find out what each person wants and needs to resolve the situation. For example, in the scheduling
conflict, Martine, the supervisor, needs a cook on staff on Saturday night. She does not want to pay
overtime. She also wants to keep Bob, the cook, happy. He is an excellent, motivated employee and she
would hate to lose him.
Bob wants time off to visit with his mother, but he likes this job and does not want to jeopardize it.
Both Bob and Martine want to resolve the problem and continue their friendly working relationship.
They share a concern for the smooth running of the restaurant. By identifying their shared needs, both
parties are working toward a consensus. That is, they are attempting to find a decision that takes both
parties needs and opinions into account.
Take a positive approach
To work toward a solution, you should take the attitude that together you can find a solution to the
problem. This is not the time to think about failures to resolve problems in the past. Treat the agreement
as if you are starting fresh. Forgive others for their mistakes in the past. Go on from today and work
toward the goals you have set.
Generate options
Use the brainstorming approach to get out as many ideas as possible without evaluating or criticizing
them. Treat each idea as new material to help solve the problem. Remember that ideas that you think
are frivolous and silly may help you think about the problem a new way. If nothing else, they help build
a bridge of laughter behind the two parties.
Develop stepping stones to action
SITXCOM005 Assessment 1 -
Identify Conflict Situations and
Resolve Conflict
In this assessment you will learn how to:
• Identify potential for conflict
• Take swift and tactful action to prevent escalation.
• Identify situations where personal safety of customers or colleagues
may be threatened
• Organise appropriate assistance.
• Identify and use resources to assist in managing conflict.
• Establish and agree on the nature and details of conflict with all
parties and assess impact.
• Manage conflict within scope of own role and responsibilities, and
according to organisational procedures.
• Take responsibility for seeking a solution to conflict within scope of
own role and responsibilities, seeking assistance where required.
• Identify and evaluate impact of conflict on business reputation and
legal liability.
• Evaluate options to resolve the conflict, taking into account
organisational policies and constraints.
• Implement the best solution and complete required reports.
• Acknowledge the views of all involved parties and providing them with
opportunities to express them
• Respond to all involved parties in a sensitive, courteous, respectful and
discreet manner
• Use effective conflict-resolution techniques and communication skills
• Minimise the impact of conflict on other colleagues and customers
• Resolve escalated complaints or disputes with customers
• Resolve team member disputes
Part A- Identify conflict in the workplace
Can you remember a time where you identified a potential conflict
situation in your workplace?
• Who was involved?
• What was the conflict about?
In this part of the assessment you are required to reflect back on a
conflict situation either in your current workplace or one that you are
, ANDREW SOENARTO – STUDENT ID 47134
familiar with. If you don’t have a workplace you may reflect back on a
potential conflict situation that involved family or friends. The key
objective of this assessment is to ensure that you actively identified a
potential conflict situation.
Provide a brief synopsis of the situation in a word document now less
than 350 words.
• Tell us where the potential conflict occurred
• Explain why you identified it as a potential conflict
• Describe what the conflict was
• Explain what you did, the actions you took to ensure the conflict did
not escalate
• What did you do to manage the potential conflict situation?
• If you sought additional resources to manage the situation, tell us what
they were
• Describe a conflict situation that could threaten the personal safety of
yourself, your colleagues and your customers.
• What appropriate assistance would you seek in this instance?
Two managers may argue about the appropriate way to involve staff members in decision making. One
may believe that it is better for the boss to make decisions rather than asking the opinions of others.
Depending on how strongly both persons hold these beliefs, the conflict may be very difficult to
resolve.
Not all conflicts and differences can be resolved. Sometimes, you have to learn to agree to disagree.
When you can learn to respect one another’s point of view without feeling resentful, wanting revenge,
or retaliating, you have handled the situation constructively.
Constructive conflict resolution is an opportunity for change, growth, and understanding. The most
important quality in resolving a conflict is to shift from making judgments about other people and their
statements to being curious. Instead of thinking, “Joe is a real fool. How can he expect anyone to buy
that idea?” the constructive person thinks, “I wonder what Joe has in mind?”
When you make the shift from judgment to curiosity, following through with an appropriate question,
others are not likely to feel defensive. They may be flattered that you are interested in their ideas. When
people do not feel defensive, they are more likely to consider new ideas and cooperate.
Create an effective atmosphere
Conflicts cannot be resolved in the heat of the moment, in between preparing meals. If you have a
conflict to resolve, arrange to meet at a convenient time when you will not be interrupted or distracted.
Never deal with a conflict in front of customers and guests. Start the discussion of the problem in an
open, positive way.
If you are angry, postpone the session until you can control your emotions. Sometimes, it can be useful
to move the discussion to a more neutral place. For example, you might agree to meet for coffee with
the person. A public location where you feel obliged to be polite can help you stay in control of your
feelings. You will be less likely to really unload your anger on the other person. Because the one party
may feel intimidated by being alone with the other, choose a location in which your conversation can
be kept private, but neither party will feel unsafe.
, ANDREW SOENARTO – STUDENT ID 47134
Clarify perceptions
Make time at the beginning of the session for each person to state his or her views. Avoid using
blaming statements such as, “You make me so angry.” Instead, state your observations and feelings
about an event. For example, you might say, “I had asked for Saturday night off because my mother is
visiting out of town. I’m upset because my request is not reflected in the new schedule.”
Avoid abusive or inflammatory remarks. If you say, “You are a rude and insensitive jerk!” or “You are
always late,” the listener is likely to tune out. He or she becomes defensive and unwilling to listen
further. If you say, “I was hurt by your jokes about death. My father is terminally ill and I am very
worried about him,” the listener is more likely to be willing to engage in further conversation.
When it is your turn to listen, pay careful attention to what the person is saying. Use paraphrasing,
summarizing, and questions to clarify what the person is saying and feeling. For example, you might
say, “So what you are saying is that you were very angry when I asked you to work Saturday. You
wanted the day off to spend with your mother. You thought that I ignored your request.” If the speaker
uses blaming or inflammatory language, try to avoid taking the comments personally. Ask questions to
determine exactly what the problem is.
Watch your language, tone of voice, and nonverbal gestures. Keep calm and centred.
Focus on individual and shared needs
Find out what each person wants and needs to resolve the situation. For example, in the scheduling
conflict, Martine, the supervisor, needs a cook on staff on Saturday night. She does not want to pay
overtime. She also wants to keep Bob, the cook, happy. He is an excellent, motivated employee and she
would hate to lose him.
Bob wants time off to visit with his mother, but he likes this job and does not want to jeopardize it.
Both Bob and Martine want to resolve the problem and continue their friendly working relationship.
They share a concern for the smooth running of the restaurant. By identifying their shared needs, both
parties are working toward a consensus. That is, they are attempting to find a decision that takes both
parties needs and opinions into account.
Take a positive approach
To work toward a solution, you should take the attitude that together you can find a solution to the
problem. This is not the time to think about failures to resolve problems in the past. Treat the agreement
as if you are starting fresh. Forgive others for their mistakes in the past. Go on from today and work
toward the goals you have set.
Generate options
Use the brainstorming approach to get out as many ideas as possible without evaluating or criticizing
them. Treat each idea as new material to help solve the problem. Remember that ideas that you think
are frivolous and silly may help you think about the problem a new way. If nothing else, they help build
a bridge of laughter behind the two parties.
Develop stepping stones to action
