Was this Conflict Functional or Dysfunctional?
For the Module 3 SLP you will be applying the concepts you learned in the background materials regarding conflict and negotiation to a situation from your own personal experiences. Carefully review the background materials regarding types of conflict, causes of conflict, negotiation stages, and conflict management styles. It is important to first understand these comments from the background readings before starting this assignment.
Once you have thoroughly reviewed the background materials, think of a situation in the workplace where a conflict erupted and management had to intervene and some type of negotiation was involved. Then write a two page paper addressing the following four questions, and make sure to cite at least one of the required background readings for each of your four answers :
Was this conflict functional or dysfunctional?
What was the cause of the conflict? Use the terms from the background materials in your answer—for example, was the conflict a result of interpersonal issues, a specific task involved, due to inter-organizational issues, etc.
Of the five approaches to conflict management outlined in Bauer and Erdogan (2011), which approach most closely describes the approach used by management to resolve this conflict?
Did the negotiations involve integrative or distributive bargaining? What stages of negotiation did management go through, and did these stages match the five stages discussed in Bauer and Erdogan (2011)?
Was this Conflict Functional or Dysfunctional?
The conflict in the workplace was dysfunctional. According to Bauer and Erdogan (2011), a dysfunctional conflict paralyzes an organization's operations, leading to a less than optimal performance. In the worst case, such a conflict results in workplace violence (Bobot, 2011). The conflict was between the new sales and marketing manager and the sales staff. The new manager was tasked with doubling sales by the end of the year. However, the sales and marketing department was understaffed, given that the company had not replaced workers who had left within the year. The workers had to undertake multiple roles, which adversely affected their output. When the new sales and marketing manager took over, she demanded that the department should triple its sales by the end of the year. Her motive was to impress the top management that she had exceeded the target. The manager made verbal threats toward the workers to meet her goal. As a result, the staff in sales and marketing decided to paralyze the department's operations.
What was the cause of the conflict? Use the terms from the background materials in your answer—for example, was the conflict a result of interpersonal issues, a specific task involved, due to inter-organizational issues, etc.
Bauer and Erdogan (2011) indicate that competition among individuals or departments for limited resources is a frequent origin of conflict. The cause of the conflict was limited resources. In the organization, more resources were devoted to research and development. The business was considering developing more innovative products, hence more resources were channelled to the research and development department. The executives dedicated fewer resources towards the marketing and sales of the new departments. Hence, the sales and marketing staff felt that the organization was favoring other departments at its expense. The previous manager was vocal regarding the issue, which led to his dismissal. When the new manager came, she was keen to please the executives by demanding that the sales and marketing employees triple sales with the current capacity. Because the workers felt less empowered, they decided to resist the new manager's changes. Others expressed dissatisfaction with how the manager used verbal threats to demand compliance.
Of the five...
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