Conflict in workplace

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Questions and Answers

What is a characteristic of people with high emotional intelligence in a workplace?

They view a co-worker's emotional reaction as a personal attack
They react emotionally to a co-worker's emotional reaction
They view a co-worker's emotional reaction as valuable information about that person's needs and expectations (correct)
They ignore a co-worker's emotional reaction

What is a benefit of a highly cohesive team in terms of conflict?

It has no impact on relationship conflict
It suppresses relationship conflict (correct)
It encourages relationship conflict
It only affects task conflict

What is a characteristic of a team with low relationship conflict?

They ignore conflicts
They use avoidance to resolve conflicts
They use humor to diffuse negative emotions (correct)
They use aggression to resolve conflicts

What is the first stage of the Conflict Process Model?

Sources of conflict (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of strong cohesion in a team?

It allows team members to anticipate each other's behaviors and emotions (A) Signup and view all the answers

What do team norms that encourage openness lead to?

Appreciation for honest dialogue without personal reactions (C) Signup and view all the answers

What happens when team members perceive that the other party's statements and actions are incompatible with their own goals?

They become aware that conflict exists (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of using humor in teams with low relationship conflict?

It offsets negative feelings (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of relationship conflict?

Interpersonal incompatibilities such as personality clashes (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of emphasizing superordinate goals in resolving conflict?

To increase commitment to corporate-wide goals (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of attacking a person's credibility during a conflict?

The subject of the verbal attack becomes less motivated to communicate (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of reducing differentiation among employees?

Increased motivation to resolve conflict (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is another term for relationship conflict?

Socioemotional conflict (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of meaningful interaction on stereotypes?

It decreases stereotypes (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a strategy for minimizing relationship conflict during constructive conflict?

Having high levels of emotional intelligence in team members (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of constructive conflict with very low levels of intensity?

Teams are less effective (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between interdependence and conflict?

Conflict increases with interdependence (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of relying on distorted perceptions and stereotypes during conflict?

The conflict is further escalated (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one way to reduce interdependence and minimize conflict?

Divide shared resources (A) Signup and view all the answers

What do emotionally intelligent employees do during debate?

They regulate their emotions (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of improving communication and understanding in conflict resolution?

To reduce stereotypes (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of increasing commitment to corporate-wide goals?

Reduced perceived conflict (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to separate constructive conflict from relationship conflict?

To minimize the negative effects of relationship conflict (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of a superordinate goal?

A goal that both parties value (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of avoiding conflict?

To prevent the conflict from escalating and damaging relationships (C) Signup and view all the answers

In what situation is yielding more likely to occur?

When the other party has substantially more power (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary disadvantage of forcing a conflict resolution?

It may damage long-term relationships (D) Signup and view all the answers

When is compromising more likely to occur?

When the parties have equal power and there is a time pressure to resolve the conflict (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of structural approaches to conflict management?

To alter the underlying causes of potential conflict (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of yielding in a conflict?

It reduces the risk of damaging relationships (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary disadvantage of compromising in a conflict?

It may lead to a suboptimal solution (C) Signup and view all the answers

When is forcing a conflict resolution more likely to occur?

When you have a deep conviction about your position (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one way to reduce conflict caused by resource scarcity?

Increasing the amount of resources available (C) Signup and view all the answers

Why do corporate decision makers might dismiss the solution to increase resources?

Because of the costs involved (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of establishing rules and procedures in an organization?

To minimize conflicts arising from ambiguous rules (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is negotiation, according to the text?

An attempt to redefine the terms of interdependence (A) Signup and view all the answers

How often do people engage in negotiation, according to the text?

Every day, often unconsciously (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the bargaining zone in negotiation?

An area of potential overlap between parties (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is illustrated by the linear diagram in the bargaining zone model?

A purely win-lose situation (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a common scenario in which employees negotiate with their supervisors?

Over next month's work assignments (A) Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Conflict in Teams and Organizations

Teams and organizations with very low levels of constructive conflict are less effective.
There is an upper limit to the level of intensity of constructive conflict.
Constructive conflict focuses on issues, whereas relationship conflict focuses on people as the source of conflict.

Types of Conflict

Relationship conflict:
- Focuses on people, rather than issues.
- Involves interpersonal incompatibilities and questioning each other's competency.
- Triggers defense mechanisms and a competitive orientation.
- Leads to distorted perceptions and stereotypes, escalating the conflict.
Constructive conflict:
- Focuses on issues and legitimate differences of opinion.
- Involves a collaborative and problem-solving orientation.

Strategies for Minimizing Relationship Conflict

Emotional intelligence:
- Reduces the risk of escalating perceptions of interpersonal hostility.
- Helps team members view co-workers' emotional reactions as valuable information.
Cohesive team:
- Suppresses relationship conflict by providing a sense of trust and mutual understanding.
- Allows team members to anticipate and appreciate each other's emotions and behaviors.
Supportive team norms:
- Encourage openness, honesty, and appreciation of diverse opinions.
- Discourage negative emotions and encourage tactics to diffuse relationship conflict.

Conflict Process Model

Sources of conflict:
- Lead to perceptions of conflict and incompatible goals.
- Interact with emotions experienced during conflict.
Parties' perceptions and emotions:
- Influence their behavior and responses during conflict.

Approaches to Conflict Management

Conflict management styles:
- Involve how we approach the other party in a conflict situation.
Structural approaches:
- Emphasizing superordinate goals.
- Reducing differentiation.
- Improving communication and understanding.
- Reducing task interdependence.
- Increasing resources.
- Clarifying rules and procedures.

Resolving Conflict through Negotiation

Negotiation:
- Occurs when conflicting parties attempt to resolve their divergent goals by redefining the terms of their interdependence.
- Involves a discussion to produce a more satisfactory arrangement for both parties.
Bargaining-zone model of negotiations:
- Illustrates the negotiation process as a continuum with an area of potential overlap.
- Displays a win-lose situation, where one side's gain is the other's loss.

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