Chapter 4

Working towards collaboration

1.Mandy really wants to be assigned an important project, but worries that her boss will not give it to
her. Her boss has expressed concern lately about Mandy’s ability to complete some less-significant
tasks. Mandy feels these tasks are beneath her and should have been assigned to someone else. She
is upset about this but feels there is nothing she can do about it.

a.What is the best conflict mode/strategy that Mandy should adopt in this instance to persuade her
boss to assign the important project to her? Is there more than one mode/strategy she should
consider? Explain your answer.

Answer:

Mandy should probably first focus on the tasks that she considers menial but that her boss considers
to be important and demonstrate that she can perform these tasks adequately. From this standpoint,
she should accommodate her boss and not engage in discussion with her boss, which demonstrates
for the time being a willingness to place the importance of her relationship with her boss over her
interests in achieving the outcome she desires.

Once Mandy has demonstrated her ability to perform these tasks, Mandy should seek to collaborate
with her boss and find ways to be assigned more meaningful tasks. Mandy will need to show how she
can take on the more important project to satisfy her interests while continuing to adequately perform
the menial tasks to satisfy her boss’s interests.

b.With respect to each of the conflict modes/strategies you did not select, why would Mandy be less
effective in persuading her boss to assign the project to her?

Answer:

Compete: Though Mandy may be tempted to assert her interests and insist that she be assigned more
meaningful work, such an approach will not demonstrate appropriate concern for her boss’s interests.
She is not placing appropriate importance on her relationship with her boss.

Accommodate: Though Mandy may initially accommodate, she should not stay in this mode. If she
did, she would continue to feel underutilized and taken advantage of when she knows that she is
capable of doing more meaningful work.

Avoid: Similar to accommodate, avoiding would result in settling to endure the situation without ever
letting her boss know how she feels and what more she is capable of doing.

Compromise: Compromising may be the end result of Mandy’s negotiation with her boss, which may
at least allow her to do more meaningful work. However, after working through these matters, she
may feel that she has not fully realized the outcome she was seeking. On the other hand, if her boss
is not overly interested in discussing the situation with her, a compromise solution may be the best
outcome she can expect.

2. Describe three situations when it might be appropriate for a manager to use an avoidance strategy.

Answer:
Managers might appropriately use the avoiding strategy in several situations, such as:

• They want to sidestep dealing with employees, coequal managers in other departments, or a
boss over matters that do not require immediate attention or affect day-to-day operations.

• The issues are trivial and the consequences for not addressing them are minimal.

• The issues involve matters that can be deferred to a subordinate or another manager who has
more direct responsibility over the area in question.

• They disagree with a larger organizational decision and remain silent as the preferred option
because no amount of persuasion or complaint will result in a change.

• They choose to avoid everyday squabbles, petty disputes, arguments, and minor bickering
between employees when they know the employees will eventually work things out.

3. Describe three situations when it might be appropriate for a manager to use a competing strategy.

Answer:

They will use this mode when making an unpopular decision, such as decisions to:

• Invoke the next level of progressive discipline

• Implement a new workplace rule, such as a more strict application of the tardiness policy, a
requirement to wear a hardhat in areas where it was previously not required, or a more strict
enforcement of the no-smoking policy

• Terminate, lay off, or demote an employee or conduct an unfavorable performance appraisal

• Implement budget cuts or other unpopular cost-cutting measures

Based on the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, individuals tend toward a preferred conflict
resolution style:

 They avoid conflict if they are nonassertive regarding their own interests and uncooperative
in considering the interests of the other party.
 They accommodate if they are nonassertive and cooperative.
 They compete if they are assertive and uncooperative.
 They compromise if they are moderately assertive and moderately cooperative.
 They collaborate when they are both assertive and cooperative

 According to the Thomas-Kilmann model, the five modes are identified based on the combi-
nation of one’s degree of assertiveness and degree of cooperativeness.(T)
 The classic collaborator is a giver, seeking always to put the needs of others in front his own.(F)
 A person will adopt a compromising approach when she has an interest in achieving a par-
ticular outcome but not to a point where she is willing to invest the time or effort to fully
collaborate or compete.(T)
 Compromise solutions are common in labor-management discussions when labor pushes for
optimal benefits, pay, and other concessions and management pushes back to maintain
profitability and other business interests.(T)
  An accommodator often perceives continued competition over unimportant matters as detri-
mental to the relationship.(T)
 Someone who is avoiding conflict is demonstrating a high degree of cooperativeness and a
low degree of assertiveness.(F)
 Colin is indifferent to the outcome of a conflict he is experiencing with an employee he
manages. He is much more concerned about fostering a good relationship with her. “Let her
win this one,” he says to himself. Colin is adopting a compromising approach.(F)
 An effective manager will most frequently adopt a competing mode with the employees he or
she manages.(F)
 Compromise is generally not a good approach in the long run when working to complete
projects that incorporate the best contributions of each team member.(T)
 Collaboration is always the best approach to take when seeking to resolve a dispute because
you cannot afford not to take the time to collaborate.(F)

1) Competing is generally not a good idea when you are managing employees, except when

a. you really don’t care about an employee and would like to force him out.

b. you need to exercise a strong hand so employees don’t take advantage of you.

c. an employee is inexperienced and needs clear direction.

d. you have to make a decision quickly and must require a dissenting employee to comply.

2)ChandahasdecidednottoapproachhercoworkerGaryaboutadisagreementsheishavingwithhim
because she believes he needs time to cool down and may reconsider his viewpoint once he does. The
mode Chanda is most closely exhibiting is:

a. accommodating.

b. avoiding.

c. collaborating.

d. competing.

e. compromising.

3) The traditional Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies five conflict modes based on
a consideration of which two variables?

a. degree of assertiveness and degree of tolerance

b. importance of being assertive and importance of achieving a particular outcome

c. degree of cooperativeness and degree of consideration

d. importance placed on cooperation and importance of relationship

e. degree of cooperativeness and degree of assertiveness

4) Kendra wants to encourage two employees to talk through an incident in which one employee alleg-
edly made a sexist remark to another employee. However, Kendra believes the remark was misin-
terpreted and that the speaker didn’t intend to offend the employee. She hopes that she can get the
employees to come to some sort of agreement so that a formal complaint can be avoided. If possible,
she would like them to return to their prior cordial relationship. Of the possible modes she might
encourage them to adopt, which are most consistent with her desired outcome?

a. accommodating or avoiding

b. compromising or collaborating

c. compromising or avoiding

5) Compromising will not be effective in which of the following situations?

a. The parties need to make some progress on a project even if they cannot agree on every detail.

b. The parties have worked together for years and compromise seems to work most of the time.

c. The parties do not usually work closely with one another so compromise is acceptable this time.

d. The issue is important to both parties, but maintaining a positive working relationship is equally or
more important.

e. a and b

f. c and d

g. b and d

6) Someone who is accommodating is demonstrating:

a. A high degree of assertiveness and low importance to outcome

b. A low degree of cooperativeness and low importance to outcome

b. A high degree of cooperativeness and low degree of assertiveness

c. A low degree of cooperativeness and low degree of assertiveness

7) Ned’s supervisor insisted that Ned learn a difficult manufacturing process or face discipline. Ned
has been employed with the company for over two years and should have learned this process by
now. Ned runs to Oliver, a co-worker, and asks him for help. Oliver does not have the time to teach
Ned and does not really like Ned. Ned is a little lazy. As far as Oliver is concerned, their supervisor
can go ahead and fire Ned. To respond to Ned, which conflict mode will Oliver adopt?

a. Accommodate

b. Avoid

b. Compromise

c. Compete

d. Collaborate
8) A co-worker approaches you and says that you should give a little more attention to the way you
fill out a particular monthly report. She insists that the report is vital. Further, she is responsible for
collecting the reports from all the team members and putting them in a binder so the supervisor can
review them. She says she may have to inform the supervisor of your inattentiveness to completing
the report. You feel the co-worker is a busybody and that the reports are an administrative detail that
nobody cares about, particularly your supervisor. What conflict mode will you adopt with respect to
the co-worker’s demands?

a. Accommodate

b. Avoid

c. Compromise

b. Compete

c. Collaborate