MGT 300 ESSENTIALS OF MANAGING CONFLICT (STUDY GUIDE) – UPDATED 2022/202 | ESSENTIALS OF MANAGING CONFLICT (STUDY GUIDE) – Grade A

MGT 300 ESSIENTIAL OF MANAGING CONFLICT (STUDY GUIDE) – Ashford University DESCRIBING CONFLICT That night, at the neighborhood improvement group meeting, the disagreement between Tony and Diana heated up as they both stood their ground on the issue of the playground/parking lot. Tony argued that the parking lot was essential for the community and made it easier for the senior citizens to park close to their homes. Diana argued that her children needed a place to play and that the park had to stay. Tony accused Diana of not caring about senior citizens' concerns. "You don't care about the neighborhood's children, now that yours have all grown up!" Diana retorted. Select the statement that describes why this is an interest-based conflict. OOPS Your answer is incorrect. • There are various city policies and ordinances that Tony and Diana must sort through. • Diana is more assertive than Tony when it comes to fighting for her belief. • Tony and his community need convenient parking, whereas Diana has children who need a place to play. • Tony doesn't have a relationship with any of the neighborhood children, so he doesn't value the park. After the meeting, Diana and Tony talked to their families about the city's proposal to demolish the playground and build a parking lot. Diana and her husband, Rick, agreed that the neighborhood should keep the playground, while Tony and his wife, Ella, agreed that parking was an urgent problem. Given the opposing perspectives in the community, the conflict may continue to develop and become increasingly intense. Select the statement that describes the incident stage of conflict. • Something happens to make the parties aware that their needs are in conflict. • The parties are communicating about the conflict, but their differing views cause increased resentment. • The parties actively try to harm one another. • The parties develop very negative views of one another and no longer have the ability to communicate effectively. When Tony and Diana expressed their points of view at the neighborhood improvement meeting the day before, they realized that their perspectives were directly opposed to each other. When Tony and Diana ran into each other at the corner store the next day, their normally friendly manner was gone, replaced by distant hellos before they each went about their business. Knowing that they strongly disagreed about the parking lot/playground issue made them unsure how to relate to each other. When she got home, Diana remarked to her husband that her relationship with Tony had changed overnight. "I thought I knew him, but I guess not. Who knew he could be such a bully?" At the neighborhood improvement meeting, Tony and Diana's conflict was at the incident stage. Now, it has escalated to the tension stage because ___________. • Tony and Diana are intentionally trying to harm each other • Tony and Diana no longer know how to relate to one another in a positive way • Tony and Diana have a vague sense that something is wrong between them • Tony and Diana now realize they have different views on the issue "Oh shoot," said Diana. "Running into Tony at the store got me flustered and I forgot to pick up milk!" "Don't worry, dear. I'll go get some," said Rick. At the store, Rick ran into Tony's wife, Ella. They each supported their respective spouse's position, but could also see the other side of the debate. They were having a friendly chat while waiting in the checkout line. Overhearing their conversation, the clerk said, “Wow, I'm surprised that you two are being nice to each other considering the fight going on between Tony and Diana." Rick and Ella are at the pre-conflict stage of conflict because __________. • they don't understand the reason for the conflict between Tony and Diana • they are aware that their needs are not being met by the other party • they are uncomfortable talking to one another due to the neighborhood argument • they are currently unaware that their relationship could cause a problem After weeks of arguing and not being able to determine the best course of action, Tony and Diana agreed to meet with a mediator. Diana said, "Our big issue here is that I believe children should be the priority; they need a safe place in the community to play. But you believe that the senior citizens' needs are most important. We need help because this neighborhood isn't enjoyable to live in right now.” Tony thought for a moment and said, “You might be right. If we can find a way to work together to reach a compromise, we should try.” Diana's statement, underlined in the scenario, shows that she sees the conflict as __________. • data-based • relationship-based • structural • values-based Ava, the mediator, began to plan for a mediation session. She knew that Tony and Diana would be present, but was uncertain whether to involve the city's representative. Ava asked Marcus, the president of the neighborhood improvement group, "What information has the city provided to the group so far about this proposal?" "As far as I know," said Marcus, "individuals have asked for information from the city, but I don't know who has gotten what information and how that is influencing their stance." Ava decided that the representative from the city should be present for at least the beginning of the mediation, so all parties would have the same interpretation of the information. By ensuring all parties have the same information and are interpreting it in the same way, Ava is trying to avoid a __________ conflict. • interest-based • data-based • values-based • structural In their mediation session with Ava, Tony spoke about how upset he was that the parking lot issue had divided their neighborhood. "Ever since this issue came up, it's gotten bad. At first, it was just kind of awkward— I could sense something was wrong between Diana and me. Soon I had trouble talking with her, because I didn't think she understood my side of the story. Then we had a fight and other people took sides in the last meeting. Now people are yelling at each other in the street, saying all sorts of mean things about people on the other side, even people they've been friends with for years. It seems like the only communication going on is yelling and fighting," Tony said with a sigh. "I just wish we had tried to resolve this before it got out of hand." Tony described the escalation of the conflict as it moved to increasingly intense stages. Which of his statements describes the crisis stage? • "At first, it was just kind of awkward— I could sense something was wrong between Diana and me." • "Soon I had trouble talking with her, because I didn't think she understood my side of the story." • "Now people are yelling at each other in the street, saying all sorts of mean things about people on the other side...." • "Then we had a fight and other people took sides in the last meeting." After several mediation sessions with Ava, Tony and Diana came to a resolution they were both satisfied with. They agreed to work with their neighborhood improvement group and develop a “parking exchange” so that older people in their neighborhood could park as close as possible to their homes. Ava said, “Let's follow up in a month. Sometimes we think that a resolution has ended a conflict, but there are still details to work out that can cause new problems or that keep a solution from working perfectly.” Tony and Diana agreed. “Yes, we don't want to have to go through all of that conflict again. It's better to catch it before it gets out of hand,” Diana said as she smiled at Tony. They were both happy to be back on friendly terms. Select the true statement about the post-conflict stage in Tony and Diana's conflict. • Even though Tony and Diana have reached the post-conflict stage, there is still a chance that the conflict could re-escalate. • Tony and Diana have reached the post-conflict stage despite leaving their needs unmet. • Now that Tony and Diana's conflict has reached the final stage, it cannot re-escalate. • Tony and Diana reached the post-conflict stage by determining whose need was most important. "Okay, let's take a step back," Molly, the company mediator, said as she held up her hands to try to silence Martin and Samir, who were currently speaking over one another in a frenzy. The two men had been in constant disagreement ever since they became co-managers of the marketing department two months ago. They rarely saw eye to eye on how to conduct business, so they were finally referred to Molly to see if she could help. "I think in order for us to make progress, we need to better understand your preferred conflict styles," Molly said as she pulled two packets from her folder. "Take these conflict style assessments today, and we'll revisit this tomorrow." CONFLICT STYLES Select the true statement about preferred conflict styles. • A preferred conflict style is one that is high in both cooperativeness and assertiveness. • An individual may use a variety of styles beyond his/her preferred conflict style. • A preferred conflict style is one that is low in both cooperativeness and assertiveness. • An individual will use his/her preferred conflict style in all conflicts Samir had been tense for the past couple of months, and while he hated to admit it, he knew that mediation with Molly was essential to get things back on track. This constant disagreement was starting to impact all parts of the department. After flipping through the packet Molly had given him, he opened a search window in his laptop and typed in "conflict styles" to learn more about the topic. Which of the following describes the accommodating style of conflict? • Parties using this style work collectively in order to ensure that the needs of everyone are met. • Parties using this style agree to sacrifice some of their own needs in order to come to a mutual agreement. • Parties using this style choose not to acknowledge the conflict rather than try to solve it. • Parties using this style try to meet the needs of others by giving up their own needs. After receiving the assessments back from Samir and Martin, Molly began her analysis to determine the preferred conflict style of each. "Just what I expected," she thought to herself as she finished up. She knew that it was typical of Samir to try to find a solution that made everyone happy. He usually tried to focus on finding a positive outcome for everyone. She also knew that Martin was known to prioritize his own needs even if it was at the expense of the needs of someone else, even his partner Samir's. However, at times, this was beneficial in the cutthroat business world. According to the assessment, Samir's preferred conflict style is __________, and Martin's preferred conflict style is __________. • accommodating, collaborating • compromising, collaborating • collaborating, competing • avoiding, compromising "Alright, Molly, I'm actually curious. What did you find?" asked Martin as he settled into the armchair in Molly's office for their next session. "Well, I guess we agree on one thing, because I'm also curious," Samir said as he took a seat in the adjacent armchair. Molly showed the findings of the conflict style assessment, and explained to Samir and Martin what each style meant. "I think that your difference in styles is part of what is making it difficult for you to resolve conflicts effectively," she said. She pulled out a graphic, which depicted the five conflict styles relative to their degree of assertiveness and cooperativeness, and she explained each style on the graph to illustrate her point. How would Molly describe the compromising style relative to assertiveness and cooperativeness? • Moderate in assertiveness, moderate in cooperativeness • High in assertiveness, high in cooperativeness • Low in assertiveness, high in cooperativeness • Moderate in assertiveness, high in cooperativeness "Now that we have a better understanding of your preferred styles, let's try to get to the bottom of this conflict you've been having," Molly continued. "Well, a lot of our issues have been around this new deal we're trying to close with a company in Japan," started Samir. "Martin just won't listen to my ideas, and our proposal is due next week! At this rate, we'll never land this deal that we absolutely need." "Here we go again," interrupted Martin. "I am not discussing this right now," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Samir threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Fine, you win. Let's do it your way. I'm just ready to move on." Martin's statement reflects a conflict resolution style called __________, while Samir's statement reflects a conflict resolution style called __________. • avoiding, accommodating • competing, accommodating • competing, compromising • avoiding, collaborating "Okay, hold on a second," Molly chimed in. "I think we can do better than this. First, tell me exactly which part of the proposal is causing the issues." "Well," Samir started cautiously, "I did part of my business degree in Japan. I know that its business practices are different from the way we do things here. Martin wants to take a hardball approach, but I don't think that will work. I'm afraid his way of operating might cause some conflict with the client." "But Samir's approach is too soft, and nobody will take us seriously! Do you want to be successful or not? We need to be authoritative in our approach," Martin said. By taking into account Japan's shared norms, traditions, and viewpoints toward the world, Samir is considering Japan's __________ when determining a proposal approach in order to avoid conflict with the client. • cross culture • culture • preferred conflict style • subculture "Ultimately, I'd love to come up with a win-win solution, but given the circumstances, I think you may both have to give a bit in order to meet in the middle," said Molly. "Doing so will not only benefit the both of you, but it will also benefit your team." Martin sighed, "I guess you're right. We are co-managers and I know I tend to push my values pretty hard at times." Martin then turned to Samir and said, "I'm willing to meet in the middle by giving in on a few things if you are. You know more about Japan's business practices, so what if you deal with more of the face-to-face interactions, and I do more of the paperwork and logistics for this proposal?" "I can be on board with that," Samir said with a smile as he reached out to shake Martin's hand, relieved that this conflict had finally been settled. Select the true statment regarding Martin's comment. • His comment reflects the compromising style of conflict, which is moderate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. • His comment reflects the collaborating style of conflict, which is high in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. • His comment reflects the avoiding style of conflict, which is low in assertiveness and low in cooperativeness. • His comment reflects the accommodating style of conflict, which is low in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. RESOLVING CONFLICT Kara, a mediator at a dispute resolution center, glanced up from her computer when she heard a knock at her office door. "Come in!" she chimed. Phillip, a new intern, entered and settled into the chair across from her desk. "Thanks again for meeting with me," he said. "No problem. What can I help you with?" she asked. "Well, I am meeting with some clients tomorrow, and I am not entirely sure which resolution process will be the best fit. I was hoping you could help refresh my memory on the different types," he said. "I can understand that," began Kara. "There are a lot of different processes, and it can be tricky to figure out which is which if you're new to this. Let's begin with the various types of mediation." Select the true statement about evaluative mediation. • In evaluative mediation, the mediator offers suggestions to help the parties come to an agreement. • In evaluative mediation, the mediator can switch roles to become an arbiter if necessary. • Evaluative mediation involves a mediator guiding the process without offering suggestions. • Evaluative mediation focuses on the relationship between the two disputing parties. "Does that make sense?" asked Kara as she finished explaining the types of mediation. "I think so," said Phillip, "but let me make sure I got this. Do you remember that mediation case Ava had a few weeks ago when community members were split on whether or not to replace a local playground with a parking lot?" Kara nodded. "Well, I remember that Ava never inserted her opinion or made a decision for the parties. They had full control over the decision-making. Ava just helped them create their own agreement," Phillip continued. "Right, so which type of mediation was she using?" Kara nudged. The form of mediation that Phillip described is called __________. • facilitative mediation • evaluative mediation • transformative mediation • mediation-arbitration "Okay, so we've covered mediation-arbitration as a type of mediation, which I think naturally leads us to arbitration as our next conflict resolution process," Kara said. "Tell me what you know about arbitration and we'll go from there," she continued. "Sure!" said Phillip. He described what he knew about arbitration and then looked at Kara, awaiting her feedback. "You got it!" said Kara. Select the true statement about arbitration. • Arbitration is slower and more expensive than court. • The arbiter must be a legal professional or expert on the topic of the disagreement in order to be able to arbitrate the conflict. • Arbitration is unique because it always involves a decision made by a group of arbiters instead of a single person. • The decision reached during arbitration is called an "award" and is legally binding and enforceable by law. "This is all starting to make a lot more sense," said Phillip, feeling more confident in the techniques they had discussed. "Great!" said Kara. "Let's move on to conciliation and shuttle diplomacy as conflict resolution processes, then." "Maybe I spoke too soon," Philip said. "I struggle to differentiate between those two because they seem so similar." Kara laughed. "You're right that they are similar in some ways, but they do have their differences." Select the statement that describes shuttle diplomacy, but not conciliation. • This process is beneficial for parties who are uncomfortable meeting face-to-face. • The sole focus of this process is to relay tangible issues/information between parties. • In this process, the intervener moves between parties to resolve the conflict. • This process addresses intangible issues, such as emotions and communication. "Alright, so let's cover collaborative law next. Tell me what you know," said Kara. "Well, last month we had that couple come in who were separating, and they wanted to settle things without going through a divorce hearing. I remember you suggested collaborative law because their situation would require lawyers," Phillip replied. "Yes," said Kara. "And what else can you tell me about it?" Select the true statement about collaborative law as a conflict resolution process. • A participation agreement is the last step in the collaborative law process. • Collaborative law requires a mediator, but the presence of lawyers is optional. • Collaborative law works best when the separating couple is willing to work together toward a solution. • Collaborative law can address the financial issues in a divorce, but not custody issues. "And finally," said Kara, "we have restorative justice, which is one of my favorite conflict resolution processes." "Why is that?" asked Phillip. "It's just so rewarding to feel like your role is making a difference for the victim, the offender, and the community," Kara said. "For example, I had this case a few years back when a troubled teen robbed that little corner store on 7th Avenue. I got the chance to sit down with the store owner and the teen. The store owner explained that, because of the robbery, he lost a lot of customers— people didn't feel safe visiting the store anymore. And due to that, he almost went out of business and lost everything. The teen hadn't realized what a huge impact her act had on the store owner and the community, and she was able to take responsibility for her actions. It was really amazing to to be a part of that and help to hopefully set the teen on a better path in life so that she doesn't re-offend." Select the true statement about restorative justice as a conflict resolution process. • Accountability is one of the main goals of restorative justice. • Restorative justice prevents the victim from interacting with the offender. • Restorative justice primarily focuses on punishing the offender. • Restorative justice pertains solely to juvenile offenders. "I can't thank you enough for helping to clarify all of this for me," Phillip said. "Anytime," said Kara as she glanced at her watch. "I've got to get back to work now, though. I have a few clients coming in for mediation in 15 minutes." Back at his desk, Phillip started sorting through some notes he had taken while observing prior mediation sessions between Kara and numerous clients. He smiled because, with his renewed confidence, he was now better able to recognize the resolution process that was related to each session. Select the statement from Phillip's session notes that relates to mediation. • "We don't want to leave this decision up to a judge. I think we can settle on a plan together to divide our assets during this divorce." • “It might be hard to keep cool, but I hate that we're fighting. I think we're better than that, so I'll make the effort to talk to him.” • "Our business uses this method often since it is cheaper and easier than handling things within the courts. A third party reviews the case, and makes a decision." • “We need to solve the problem, but I don't want to be around her. There has to be a way to find a solution that we both can agree to." Phillip jumped as his desk phone rang. He picked it up and began chatting with a small business owner in the community, who ran a general store and needed a conflict resolution expert to assist with a dispute going on between some of her employees. After his meeting with Kara that day, he knew there were a variety of factors that determined which conflict resolution process was most appropriate for a given situation. Phillip began asking the client questions to help determine which process would be the best fit. Which question would provide Phillip with some helpful information in order to determine suitability of process? • What is the educational background of the parties involved? • Which employee is really the problem? • Where did each of the parties work before becoming employees of the store? • Are the employee able to be in the same room as one another?