Question 1

is the ability to see life from another person's perspective.

Accepted Answer

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves seeing things from their perspective and being able to relate to their experiences. Jurisdiction refers to an area under the control of a legal authority, incumbency refers to holding a particular office or position, and suboptimization refers to a situation where a solution to one problem creates new problems elsewhere.

Question 2

Conflict can be functional, or a positive force, in all of the following situations except:

Accepted Answer

Conflict that places the focus solely on the conflict itself and the parties involved is not functional or positive. This type of conflict can be destructive and harmful to the organization and its members.

Question 3

At a public hospital there is one doctor for neurology, one for cardiology, and another for orthopedics. The structural cause for conflict between these individuals would be:

Accepted Answer

Specialization can lead to conflicts as each doctor may focus on their own area of expertise, potentially leading to disagreements on patient care priorities or resource allocation.

Question 4

The conflict that occurs between a company and a union during a strike is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The conflict between a company and a union during a strike is an example of interorganizational conflict because it involves conflict between two separate entities, the company, and the labor union. The conflict arises due to differences in interests, goals, and perspectives between the two organizations. The other options, horizontal conflict, intragroup conflict, and line-staff conflict, do not accurately describe the nature of the conflict between a company and a union during a strike.

Question 5

Which of the following are NOT structural factors in causing conflict?

Accepted Answer

Values and ethics are not structural factors, but rather cultural factors that can influence conflict. The other three choices (goal differences, status inconsistencies, and authority relationships) are all structural factors that can contribute to conflict.

Question 6

Your company specializes in manufacturing precast concrete products and has collaborated with another company for the ironworks. You receive a complaint on a building's door jams, which had in fact been installed by the company you have collaborated with. This situation illustrates a conflict based on:

Accepted Answer

The conflict in this situation is due to jurisdictional ambiguity, as it is unclear which company is responsible for the faulty door jams. The collaboration between the two companies may have led to unclear boundaries and responsibilities, resulting in the conflict.

Question 7

EI is defined as:

Accepted Answer

EI stands for emotional intelligence, which involves the ability to control one's own emotions and recognize and understand emotions in others. Option A is a definition of conflict, option B is a definition of collaboration, and option C is too narrow and negative to capture the full range of EI.

Question 8

Two machine operators disagree over the cause of an equipment breakdown. One thinks that the machine was overworked, while the other thinks that the machine was being manhandled. This conflict is based on differences in:

Accepted Answer

The conflict between the machine operators is based on their different perceptions of the cause of the equipment breakdown. One operator perceives the cause as overworking the machine, while the other perceives the cause as manhandling the machine. This shows that their perception of the situation differs, leading to the conflict.

Question 9

You are supervising a work crew and you notice that the crew members have a high desire for conformity in the group. This behavior is repeatedly resulting in incorrect decision-making outcomes. In such a situation, you should:

Accepted Answer

In this situation, it is important to stimulate functional conflict within the work crew. This means encouraging different perspectives and opinions to be shared openly, which can lead to more creative and effective decision-making. By promoting a culture of healthy debate and constructive criticism, the crew members can learn to challenge their assumptions and better evaluate their options. Developing trust (B) is also important, but may not address the issue of conformity unless it includes a willingness to challenge the status quo. Encouraging territoriality (A) may actually exacerbate the problem by creating more rigid group boundaries and reducing the flexibility needed for effective collaboration. Challenging crew members to choose between two or more things in which they believe (D) may be helpful in some cases, but is not as effective as stimulating functional conflict in generating a wider range of perspectives and solutions.

Question 10

Conflict that occurs between teams in an organization is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Inter-group conflict refers to conflict that occurs between different groups or teams within an organization. Intra-organizational conflict refers to conflict within the same organization, interorganizational conflict refers to conflict between two or more organizations, and intragroup conflict refers to conflict within the same group or team.

Question 11

When one's values conflict with his/her job demands, this is conflict.

Accepted Answer

Person-role conflict occurs when an individual's values or beliefs clash with the requirements or expectations of their job. This type of conflict often arises when an employee is asked to perform tasks or behave in ways that go against their personal moral code or ethical standards. Intersender conflict refers to conflicts between two or more individuals or groups, while work-home conflict relates to conflicts between an individual's personal and professional responsibilities. Intrasender conflict, on the other hand, occurs when a person receives conflicting messages from a single source.

Question 12

The key to managing conflict in a multicultural workforce is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The key to managing conflict in a...

Question 13

As a manager, your ability to diagnose conflict as good or bad is contingent upon your looking at all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

The occurrence of groupthink is not directly related to whether conflict is good or bad, so it is not necessary to consider this factor when diagnosing conflict. However, it is important to consider the issue at hand, the parties involved, and the context of the conflict when making a determination about whether the conflict is productive or harmful.

Question 14

All of the following are positive consequences of intergroup conflict except:

Accepted Answer

Inter-group conflict can often result in decreased communication between groups, which is not a positive consequence. The other choices (B, C, and D) are all potentially positive consequences of inter-group conflict, as they can lead to increased group cohesion and productivity.

Question 15

A key to recognizing a dysfunctional conflict is that:

Accepted Answer

Dysfunctional conflicts often involve emotional or behavioral issues, such as personality clashes or power struggles, rather than constructive problem-solving or policy discussions. Choice A and B suggest productive conflict, while choice C suggests cognitive differences that may or may not lead to conflict.

Question 16

The power not only to control emotions but also to perceive them is termed:

Accepted Answer

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to both perceive and control emotions in oneself and others, as well as use emotions to guide thought and action. Self-awareness is a component of emotional intelligence, but it does not encompass the ability to perceive emotions in others. Disciplined empathy is not a commonly used term in the field of emotional intelligence. Perfunctoriness means to do something in a routine or mechanical manner, which is not related to emotional intelligence.

Question 17

When a child gets sick at school, the parent often must leave work to care for the child. This would be an example of:

Accepted Answer

Interrole conflict refers to a situation where a person experiences conflict between multiple roles that they occupy, such as when a parent must leave work to care for a sick child.

Question 18

One occasion in which managers should work to stimulate functional conflict is when:

Accepted Answer

Functional conflict can be beneficial in breaking the conformity and lack of critical thinking associated with groupthink, encouraging diverse perspectives and better decision-making.

Question 19

Two departments in a university are engaged in a conflict because one had its budget cut. This is an example of conflict based on:

Accepted Answer

The conflict arises from the allocation of limited resources, in this case, budget funds, which both departments presumably rely on. This is a classic example of conflict over common resources, where the departments are competing for the same financial support.

Question 20

To avoid dysfunctional conflicts in virtual teams, a manager should:

Accepted Answer

Ensuring that the tasks of the virtual teams fit their methods of interacting helps avoid dysfunctional conflicts by aligning the team's work with their communication and collaboration styles.

Quiz 13: Conflict and Negotiation