Scenario : Conflict Management
The following scenario highlights the importance of conflict management in organizations. These conflict management competencies include explaining conflict management, differentiating the types of conflict management, conflict management strategies, analyzing an organizational leader’s role in conflict management, and the role of communication and emotional intelligence in conflict management.
Lucia is the new manager for Sun Financial Bank.
In her first week on the job, she is tasked with spending time with each of the other managers in her territory, as well as the five employees that report to her. In doing so, she learns that there has been some conflict among members of the team at her location. Lucia recognizes the importance of a positive culture and teamwork. Therefore, she will help her team work through the negative aspects of conflict, current challenges, and potential solutions to build a strong positive team environment. This will help the team become stronger and improve outcomes. (Competency 1: Explain conflict management )
To address the conflict that she has identified amongst her team, she decides to first reach out to her management peers in the territory. She is hoping that they will share some of their personal experiences and best practices to help overcome conflict in a healthy way.
The advice she gets includes the following:
Ignore it
Permanently separate the employees
Compromise
Collaborate
Communicate
At Lucia’s weekly one-on-one with her territory manager, she explains that she has identified some different types of conflict amongst her new team and has sought some feedback from her peers. (Competency 2: Differentiate types of conflict in the workplace)
Lucia’s manager asks her what is happening specifically. Lucia starts by explaining a little background on the employees involved in the conflict.
Hassan: He has worked for the company for 6 years. He has been recognized for his hard work and dedication multiple times. He is the head teller, so he is responsible for training the new tellers and overseeing the teller transactions to make sure they are accurate and that the other tellers are providing great customer service. Hassan is an immigrant from Turkey. He immigrated to the US to escape the political turmoil in his country.
He identifies as a Muslim. One of the things he enjoys the most about the US is the freedom to practice any religion. Therefore, he enjoys the diversity of his team members.
Jodi: She has worked for the bank for one year. She often shows up late and takes extended time on her breaks, causing other employees to start their breaks late. Additionally, she often miscounts her drawer or acts uninterested in helping customers when they approach her teller window. Jodi also identifies as a white Christian woman. She often refers to her religion when explaining why immigrants should not be allowed in the United States (US). Additionally, she says that if people cannot speak English, they should not be allowed in “her country.”
Lucia explains that the conflict is mostly centered around Hassan feeling like he has to pick up Jodi’s slack. He told Lucia that Jodi often leaves her teller drawer uncounted at the end of the shift, so he has to count it for her. While this is annoying, he also thinks it could become a compliance issue because of the dual-count requirements. Hassan also mentioned that Jodi takes long breaks and lunches, and her absence creates more work for him. Lucia also learns that Jodi has been excluding Hassan from team lunches and after-work events. If Hassan sits down to eat lunch, Jodi will get up and leave the break room. Lucia found out that Jodi does not like Hassan because he is a Muslim and an immigrant.
Lucia explains her plan to help Hassan and Jodi overcome their differences for the sake of the team. Her manager is supportive of this plan, so Lucia moves forward with it.
She first tries to understand more about the situation and both parties’ perspectives. Additionally, she tries to help Jodi and Hassan sees the problem from the other person’s point of view. Lucia helps facilitate useful and positive communication so that Hassan and Jodi can more easily recognize the problem and develop compromises or possible solutions. After meeting and really listening to one another (and due to Lucia’s modeling behavior), Lucia can tell they both are showing more concern and care for each other.
They commit to working together moving forward and resolving future conflicts in a more constructive fashion. Ultimately, Lucia feels confident she was able to help resolve this situation between Hassan and Jodi. In order to foster positive outcomes, Lucia reviews all of the different types of conflict management concepts that could be applied in this situation. (Competency 3: Analyze organizational leaders’ role in conflict management)
Following a recent management meeting regarding conflict management, Lucia decides to implement a weekly team meeting that allows her whole team to share ideas that they have, give suggestions, and even disclose things they are concerned about regarding the team and work environment. Additionally, Lucia explains that her door is always open to talk about the concerns of any of her employees. She also explains that there are resources that are available to them as employees if they need to talk to anyone or share concerns, and they do not feel comfortable coming to her. Lucia also pledges to follow up with an email within minutes of their meetings about their concerns to make sure these concerns are being addressed. (Competency 5: Evaluate the role of communication in conflict management)
Shortly after this meeting, one of the employees (Drake) asks Lucia if she has a few minutes to speak with him. Drake immediately starts screaming at Lucia and telling her that managers do not care about their employees. He tells her that he has had many problems and taken them to management, and they have never helped. She can sense that Drake is acting out because of his emotions and prior situations he has encountered.
Lucia assures Drake that will not be the case here. She explains to Drake that while she cannot go back and fix any of his past issues, she can help with anything he needs now. He explains his reason for being upset, which is the schedule the last manager gave him does not allow him to pick up his son from school any longer. In an effort to solve Drake’s schedule concern, Lucia speaks to the other employees and rearranges the schedule to help Drake be able to pick up his son 4 days a week. (Competency 6: Interpret the role of emotional intelligence in conflict resolution)
The territory manager hears about how Lucia was able to successfully manage various types of conflict on her team and how she was able to help Drake overcome his concerns even faced with his strong emotions. Therefore, she asks Lucia to explain at the next manager meeting the various ways that she has seen people deal with conflict. Lucia put together the following observations:
People steer clear of individuals or issues when they arise and just brush them off like they do not exist.
People are willing to bend to the will of others and always agree to avoid disagreements.
People will both give a little and make concessions to mutually settle the dispute.
People will go to extreme lengths to “win” the conflict.
People will work together to solve a problem or overcome a challenge.
(Competency 4: Distinguish conflict resolution strategies)
Lucia realizes that conflict in the workplace is challenging, but it is inevitable. However, by using the right strategies, she can help the team overcome the conflict and create a better work environment and stronger teamwork.
Question1: Explain conflict management
Click the ‘scenario’ button below to review the topic and then answer the following question:
As a leader, Lucia reviewed all of the possible conflict management concepts that could help her with the situation. List and describe the four specific concepts of conflict management that allowed Lucia to provide effective conflict resolution between Jodi and Hassan.
2. Question: Types of Conflicts
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The scenario describes a specific type of conflict between Jodi and Hassan. Explain the specific type of conflict Hassan describes in his meeting with Lucia and Jodi. Once you have have explained this type of conflict, explain why you chose this type of conflict and how it applies to this scenario.
3.Question: Additional Type of Conflict
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Based on the scenario, it appears that Jodi was excluding Hassan due to an additional type of conflict. What type of conflict caused Jodi to exclude Hassan? Explain reasons why this additional type of conflict is present in the scenario.
4. Question: Role of a Leader in Conflict Management
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Based on Lucia’s actions regarding Hassan and Jodi’s work responsibility conflict, what were the five aspects of a leader’s role in conflict management demonstrated by Lucia?
5. Question Communication in Conflict
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In Lucia’s weekly team meeting, she demonstrates the conflict management skill of communication in FOUR way ways. Describe the FOUR ways she demonstrated her communication skills.
6. Question: Emotional Intelligence
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Describe the FIVE characteristics of emotional intelligence that Lucia demonstrates in her conversation with Drake to resolve the conflict.
7. Question: Conflict Resolution Strategies
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Based on Lucia’s explanation of the ways she observed that people handle conflict, she used the Thomas-Kilmann Model. This model contains five specific approaches to conflict resolution. Based on the scenario, identify the five steps Lucia observed.
8. Question: Conflict Management
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Lucia states that “she will work through the conflict processes, challenges, and solutions to build a strong positive team environment.” What process is she describing, and who are the two entities responsible for this process in the workplace?
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