For each of the following brief scenarios, select the most appropriate conflict management strategy. Reter to Table 4 for assistance in matching situational factors with strategies. Bradley's Barn You have decided to take your family out to the local steakhouse, Bradley's Barn, to celebrate your son's birthday. You are a single parent, so getting bome from work in time to prepare a nice dinner is very dithcult. On entering the restaurnt, you ask the hostess to seat you in the nonsmoking section because your daughter, Shauna, is allergic to tobacco smoke. On your way to your seat, you notice that the restaurant seems crowded for a Monday night. After you and your chlldren are seated and have placed your onders, your conversation tums to familly plans for the approaching holiday. Interspersed in the general conversation is a light banter with your son about whether or not he is too old to wear "the crown" during dinner-a family tradition on birthdays. Suddenly you become aware that your daughter is sneezing and her eyes are beginning to water. You look around and notice a lively group of businesspeople seated at the table behind you; they are all smoking. Your impression is that they are celebrating some type of special occasion. Looking back at Shauma, you realize that something has to be done quickly. You ask your son to escort Shauna outside while you rush to the front of the restaurant and find the hostess. Discussion Questions 1. What are the sallent situational factors? 2. What is the most appropriate conflict management strategy? Avocado Computers When the head of Avocado Computers ran into production problems with his automated pro. duction facility, he hired you away from a competitor. It meant a signlficant increase in pay and the opportunity to manage a state of the-art production faclity. What's more, there were very few other female production managers in Silicon Valley. Now you've been on the job a year, and it's been exciting to see your staff start working together as a team to solve problems, improve quality, and finally get the plant up to capacity. In general, Bill, the owner, has also been a plus. He is energetic, fait; and a proven industry leader. You feel fortunate to be in a cov. eted position, in a "star" firm, in a growth industry. However, there is one distraction that bugs you. Bill is a real stickler about cleanliness, order, and appearance. He wants the robots all painted the same color, the components within the computer laid out perfectly on a grid, the workers wearing clean smocks, and the floor "clean enough to eat off." You are troubled by this compulsion. "Sure," you think, "it might impress potential corporate clients when they tour the production facility, but is it really that important? Atter all, who's ever going to loois at the inside of their computer? Why should customers care about the color of the robot that bultt their computers? And who, for Pete's sake, would ever want to have a picnic in a factory?" Today is your first yearly performance appraisal interview with BIL. In preparation for the meeting, he has sent you a memo outlining "Areas of Strength" and "Areas of Concern." You look with pride at the number of items listed in the first column. It's obvious that BII likes your work. But you are a bit miffed at the single item of concern: "Needs to maintain a cleaner facility, including employee appearance." You mull over this "demerit" In your mind, wrestling with how to respond in your intervlew. technique is most effective. This knowhedge allows one to match the characteristics of a conflict incident with the management techniques best sulted for those characterlstics. The sallent situational circumstances 10 conider are summarized in Table 7.4. Situational Considerations Table 7.4 identifles four imporant incldent-specilic circumstances that can be used to select the appropriate conflict management approach. These can be stated in the form of disgnostc questions, with accompanying examples of high and low responses. 1. How important is the disputed issue? (Hilgh: Extremely important Low Not very imporant) 2. How important is the relationship? (High: Critical, ongoing one-ofa.kind, partnership; Low: One-ime transaction, for which there afe teadily avallable alternatives) 3. What is the relative level of powet, or authorlity, between the disputants? [High: Boss to sub. ordinate; Equal: Peers; Low: Subordinate to boss) 4. To what extent is time a sigolficant constralat in resolving the dispute? (High: Must resolve the dispute qudcidy: Low: Time is not a salient lactor) The advantage of this table is that it allows you to quickly assess a situation and declde If a particular confilct managerent approach is sultable. As noted in the following descriptions, it is important to keep in mind that not all of the sinational considerations are equally important for selecting a particular approach. The foreing approach is most appropriate when a conflict Involves values or policies and one feels compelled to defend the "correct" posltion; when a superiorsubordinate relationshlp is involved; when maintalning a close, supportive relationchlp is not critical; and when there is a sense of urgency. An example of such a sitution might be a manager insiting that a summer intem folow important cocnpany salety negulations. The accommodating approach is mot approprlate when the importance of malntaining a sood work: ing relationship outweighs all other contiderations: Whale this could be the case regardless of your formal relationship with the other party, It is often perceived as being the coly option for subordinates of powertul bosses. The nature of the lssues and the amount of time avalhble play a sccondary role in detemining the choice of this strategy. Accommodation becomes especlally appropriate when the isgues are not vital to your interests and the problers must be resolved quickly. Trying to reach a compromist is rost appropriate when the lssues are complex and moderately important, these are no simple solutions, and both partles have a stroeg interest in different faces of the prob. lem. The other essential situational requirement is adequate time for negociation. The clasdic case is a bar gaining sessiot between representatives of manage ment and labor to avert a scheduled stike. Whlle the characteristics of the relationship between the parties are not essentinl factors, experlence has shown that negotiations work best between partles with equal power who are committed to maincaialing a good long term relationstip. The collaborating approach is most appropriate when the bsues are critical, ralntaining an ongoing supportive relationathip between peers is important, and time constraints are not pressing. Although collab. oration can also be an effective approach tor resolving conficts between a superior and subordinate, it is important to point out that when a conflict involves peess, the collabonative mode is more appropriate than elther the forcing or accotmodating approach. The awoldance apgroech is most upproprlate when one's stake in an love is roo high and there is not a strong interpersonal resson for getuing involved, regardless of whether the coafict involves a superios