Question 1

At top management team meetings, the CEO consistently praises the sales department but seldom acknowledges the efforts of product development. This creates conflict due to

Accepted Answer

The conflict arises from status inconsistency, as the CEO's behavior creates a perception that the sales department is valued more than product development, leading to feelings of inequality and resentment.

Question 2

________ occurs when the parties in conflict attempt to resolve the conflict without making concessions but, instead, attempt to resolve their differences in ways that leave all parties better off.

Accepted Answer

Collaboration occurs when parties work together to find a mutually beneficial solution that satisfies the needs and interests of all involved, aiming for a win-win outcome.

Question 3

Both the marketing group and corporate communications group of a company claim responsibility for developing corporate marketing strategies. What may be a potential source of conflict between these groups?

Accepted Answer

Overlapping authority can lead to conflict as both groups may feel they have the right to make decisions regarding corporate marketing strategies, leading to power struggles and lack of clarity.

Question 4

________ refers to the resolution of differences through compromise or collaboration between the parties in disagreement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ refers to the resolution of differences...

Question 5

When conflict arises due to a lack of understanding regarding the work demands of others, ________ is an effective resolution strategy.

Accepted Answer

Practicing job rotation helps employees understand the roles and responsibilities of their colleagues, which can reduce misunderstandings and conflicts related to work demands.

Question 6

If a group faces communication problems when interacting with organizations in other countries, managers should

Accepted Answer

Increasing diversity awareness and skills can help employees understand and navigate cultural differences, improving communication and collaboration with international organizations.

Question 7

Sarah tries to explain why she believes her manager's approach to an issue will not be effective, but eventually, she agrees to go along with its implementation. Sarah addressed this conflict through

Accepted Answer

Sarah addressed the conflict through accommodation, as she initially expressed her disagreement but ultimately agreed to go along with her manager's approach, prioritizing the manager's decision over her own viewpoint.

Question 8

If the source of a conflict is overlapping authority, a manager should

Accepted Answer

Clarifying the chain of command addresses the issue of overlapping authority by clearly defining roles and responsibilities, which helps prevent conflicts arising from unclear authority lines.

Question 9

One business partner wants to grow the company through acquisition of a large competitor while the other partner prefers expanding operations to other states. They agree to buy out two smaller firms in different states, satisfying both individual's preferences. The partners used ________ to address this conflict.

Accepted Answer

The partners used compromise to address the conflict, as they found a middle ground by agreeing to buy out two smaller firms, which satisfies both partners' preferences to some extent.

Question 10

________ would be considered a functional way of resolving conflict.

Accepted Answer

Compromise is considered a functional way of resolving conflict as it involves finding a mutually acceptable solution that partially satisfies both parties.

Question 11

Frank wants to delay production on a product in order to cash in on an impending decrease in raw materials cost. Samuel believes production should start immediately to beat competitors to the market. They resolve their conflict through ________ by agreeing to produce a small number of units immediately and scale up production as costs decrease.

Accepted Answer

They reached a compromise by partially implementing both strategies: starting production immediately and increasing it as costs decrease.

Question 12

Accommodation is ineffective as a conflict-resolution strategy because

Accepted Answer

Accommodation can lead to future resentment and retaliation from the weaker party who feels they have been forced to give in.

Question 13

Avoidance is ineffective as a conflict-resolution strategy because

Accepted Answer

Avoidance is ineffective because it does not address the real source of disagreement, leaving the underlying issues unresolved.

Question 14

As the production manager, Carlos prefers long production runs of thousands of units in order to drive down unit costs. Anita, the marketing manager, prefers shorter runs of a few hundred units in order to deliver the product more quickly. This conflict is the result of

Accepted Answer

Carlos and Anita have different goals: Carlos aims to reduce costs through long production runs, while Anita aims to deliver products quickly through shorter runs.

Question 15

The factory foreman at an automobile assembly plant is behind on meeting the quarterly production target due to an ongoing machinist strike lasting longer than anticipated. Conflict in this situation is attributed to

Accepted Answer

The machinist strike likely leads to a shortage of labor, which is a scarce resource, causing delays in production.

Question 16

Accommodation is likely to resolve a conflict when

Accepted Answer

The answer of Accommodation is likely to resolve a conflict...

Question 17

Following a manager's unexpected retirement, multiple lead members of the group took initiative to address the manager's responsibilities until an official replacement could be named. This situation could create conflict due to

Accepted Answer

Overlapping authority can create conflict as multiple individuals may assume they have the right to make decisions, leading to confusion and power struggles.

Question 18

Members within a team are consistently butting heads due to communication problems and interpersonal misunderstandings. To address this conflict, the team's manager should

Accepted Answer

Increasing awareness of the specific issues causing conflict can help team members understand each other's perspectives and improve communication, which is a constructive approach to resolving interpersonal misunderstandings.

Question 19

Competition is ineffective as a conflict-resolution strategy because

Accepted Answer

Competition is ineffective as a conflict-resolution strategy because the two sides to a conflict are more concerned about winning the battle, which can escalate tensions.

Question 20

The sales team needs production to deliver on schedule to satisfy customer contracts, while the production team needs sales to win enough contracts to keep production levels at an optimum level. ________ is a likely source of conflict between these two teams.

Accepted Answer

Task interdependence is a likely source of conflict because both teams rely on each other to achieve their goals, creating potential for disagreements if one team feels the other is not meeting their needs.

Quiz 17: Managing Conflict, Politics, and Negotiation