Elaine was working at a local mobile telecommunications company’s retail outlet. Her main role was to help out potential customers with questions related to products and plans or existing customers with queries or problems with their existing services or new products and plans. Six months into the job, she was happy and satisfied and felt she was doing well. One day a customer walked in and told Elaine her phone had stopped working and that she wanted it replaced, but Elaine could see that it had been dropped into water. This turned into an ugly and loud quarrel, until David, Elaine’s manager, intervened. Elaine was worried because her six-month performance appraisal was due that day, in which it would also be decided whether or not her probation would continue. The appraisal turned out to be much harder than she thought. David first asked how she thought she was performing and when she could not answer, he started criticizing her work and told her that her probation would continue. When tears came to her eyes, David told her to stop crying and go back to help the customers. Elaine was very upset.

1. Consider Elaine’s interaction with the customer and David and identify and analyze the sources of conflict in this situation.

2. How would you assess Elaine’s approach to managing the conflict?

3. What do you think should have been done differently?