Question 1

Conflict is dysfunctional when it ________.

Accepted Answer

Conflict reduces group cohesiveness and can lead to feelings of resentment and hostility among group members, which can ultimately damage relationships and decrease motivation and productivity.

Question 2

Which of the following is a conflict-stimulation technique?

Accepted Answer

Bringing in outsiders, such as a mediator or arbitrator, can add an element of conflict stimulation by introducing new perspectives and potentially increasing tension between the parties involved. The other choices listed are conflict-resolution techniques rather than conflict-stimulation techniques.

Question 3

Assertiveness indicates the degree to which ________.

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness indicates the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns, regardless of the other party's concerns. It involves standing up for one's rights and expressing one's opinions and needs in an open, honest, and respectful manner.

Question 4

Which of the following conflict-handling intentions involves accepting a solution that provides incomplete satisfaction of both parties' concerns?

Accepted Answer

Compromising involves finding a solution that partially satisfies both parties' concerns, but not completely. The other options involve more extreme approaches, such as prioritizing one party's concerns over the other (competing), ignoring the conflict altogether (avoiding), working together to find a mutually beneficial solution (collaborating), or fully accommodating one party's desires (accommodating).

Question 5

Which of the following conflict management techniques involves designating a critic to purposely argue against the majority positions held by the group?

Accepted Answer

The technique of appointing a devil's advocate involves designating a critic to purposely argue against the majority position held by the group. This technique can be used to stimulate critical thinking and prevent groupthink.

Question 6

In which stage of the conflict process does conflict become visible?

Accepted Answer

Conflict becomes visible in the behavior stage of the conflict process, as parties involved start taking actions that indicate there is a conflict. This can include verbal or physical aggression, passive-aggressive behavior, avoidance, or other forms of expressing frustration or disagreement.

Question 7

When one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict, that person is using the conflict-handling intention of ________.

Accepted Answer

Competing is the conflict-handling intention where one person seeks to satisfy their interests without considering the impact on the other parties. This style is often characterized by a win-lose attitude and can be detrimental to long-term relationships.

Question 8

Luke's cubicle neighbor Leia, though an understanding and great co-worker, talks loudly on the phone. Luke gets annoyed every time Leia's phone rings, but he has decided it's simply not worth the trouble to talk to her about it. Luke's conflict-handling intention is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Luke's intention to avoid talking to Leia about her loud phone conversations is a clear indication that he is avoiding confrontation or conflict resolution.

Question 9

Which of the following conflict-handling intentions is unassertive and uncooperative?

Accepted Answer

Avoiding is an unassertive and uncooperative conflict-handling intention in which an individual prefers to avoid or ignore the conflict rather than resolve it. This approach can lead to the problem festering and possibly worsening over time.

Question 10

________ is the third stage in the conflict process and it intervenes between people's perceptions and their overt behavior.

Accepted Answer

Intention is the third stage in the conflict process and refers to the decision to act in a certain way based on one's perceptions of the conflict situation. It intervenes between people's perceptions and their overt behavior.

Question 11

________ is a conflict-handling technique in which the parties in a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all parties.

Accepted Answer

Collaborating is the conflict-handling technique in which the parties in a conflict work together to come up with a mutually beneficial solution. This approach involves listening to all parties' concerns and working cooperatively to find a solution that satisfies everyone. It requires a high level of communication, trust, and commitment from all parties involved.

Question 12

A party who seeks to appease an opponent may be willing to place the opponent's interests above his or her own, sacrificing to maintain the relationship. We refer to this intention as ________.

Accepted Answer

The intention described in the statement is that of accommodating the opponent's interests.

Question 13

The conflict-handling intention of collaborating is ________.

Accepted Answer

Collaborating is a conflict-handling intention that involves both assertiveness and cooperativeness. This means that individuals who choose collaborating aim to achieve their own goals while also seeking to find a solution that satisfies the other party's goals. It requires an open discussion and an exchange of ideas between the parties involved to come up with a creative solution that satisfies everyone's interests.

Question 14

The conflict-handling intention of accommodating is ________.

Accepted Answer

Accommodating is a conflict-handling intention where one person puts their own needs aside in order to satisfy the needs of the other party. This approach is unassertive because the person is not standing up for their own needs, but it is cooperative because they are willing to work with the other party to find a solution.

Question 15

The division manager at Xperience Inc. wants to replace the SAP ERP currently used in his division with Epicor ERP as it costs 30 percent less to train new staff in Epicor ERP. But this leads to a conflict with the general manager, who insists that they can simply hire only people who already know how to use SAP ERP. Which of the following, if true, weakens the general manager's objection to the replacement of SAP ERP with Epicor ERP?

Accepted Answer

This weakens the general manager's objection because it shows that hiring employees who already know how to use SAP ERP would be more expensive in terms of salaries compared to hiring inexperienced employees who can be trained on Epicor ERP at a lower cost. Therefore, it would make more financial sense to use Epicor ERP and train new employees.

Question 16

A conflict-intensity continuum has "annihilatory conflict" at the upper end and "no conflict" at the lower end. In the context of this conflict-intensity continuum, which of the following statements is true of conflict intensities?

Accepted Answer

Functional conflicts are typically confined to the lower range of the conflict-intensity continuum, where they can be constructive and lead to positive outcomes.

Question 17

According to a newly added office smoking regulation, only employees who have an enclosed office may smoke at their desks. This leads to a major conflict between various employees as virtually all employees with enclosed offices are higher level managers, and all other employees lack enclosed offices. Therefore, the lower level employees who smoke argue that they should be offered enclosed offices. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the employees' argument?

Accepted Answer

The argument is strengthened by the fact that the smoking regulations are supposed to allow equal opportunity for all employees to smoke, regardless of job level. This supports the lower level employees' argument for needing enclosed offices to have the same opportunity as higher level managers.

Question 18

The conflict-handling techniques are characterized by two dimensions, cooperativeness and assertiveness. Cooperativeness indicates the degree to which ________.

Accepted Answer

Cooperativeness refers to the extent to which one party is willing to satisfy the concerns of the other party, focusing on collaboration and mutual benefit.

Question 19

Which of the following conflict handling intentions is assertive and uncooperative?

Accepted Answer

Competing is assertive because it involves pursuing one's own interests without regard for others' concerns. It is also uncooperative because it does not involve working towards a mutually beneficial solution.

Question 20

Macy does not like a few of the standard operating procedures adapted for the new project. However, she discussed the items with the team and told them that she realized she was in the minority and that she would adapt the new procedures to maintain smooth operations within the team. This type of intention is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Macy is demonstrating accommodation, which means she is willing to adjust her own preferences in order to maintain harmony within the team.

Quiz 14: Conflict and Negotiation