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Appendix A: Case Studies

List of case studies, case study 1: handling roommate conflicts, case study 2: salary negotiation at college corp, case study 3: oecollaboration, case study 4: the ohio connection, case study 5: uber pays the price, case study 6: diverse teams hold court.

Chapter Reference: Section 2.2 Approaches to Conflict

Whether you have a roommate by choice, by necessity, or through the random selection process of your school’s housing office, it’s important to be able to get along with the person who shares your living space. While having a roommate offers many benefits such as making a new friend, having someone to experience a new situation like college life with, and having someone to split the cost on your own with, there are also challenges. Some common roommate conflicts involve neatness, noise, having guests, sharing possessions, value conflicts, money conflicts, and personality conflicts (Ball State University, 2001). Read the following scenarios and answer the following questions for each one:

• Which conflict management style, from the five discussed, would you use in this situation?
• What are the potential strengths of using this style?
• What are the potential weaknesses of using this style?

Scenario 1: Neatness. Your college dorm has bunk beds, and your roommate takes a lot of time making their bed (the bottom bunk) each morning. They have told you that they don’t want anyone sitting on or sleeping in the bed when they are not in the room. While your roommate is away for the weekend, your friend comes to visit and sits on the bottom bunk bed. You tell your friend what your roommate said, and you try to fix the bed back before your roommate returns to the dorm. When they return, your roommate notices that the bed has been disturbed and confronts you about it.

Scenario 2: Noise and having guests. Your roommate has a job waiting tables and gets home around midnight on Thursday nights. They often brings a couple friends from work home with them. They watch television, listen to music, or play video games and talk and laugh. You have an 8 a.m. class on Friday mornings and are usually asleep when they returns. Last Friday, you talked to your roommate and asked them to keep it down in the future. Tonight, their noise has woken you up and you can’t get back to sleep.

Scenario 3: Sharing possessions. When you go out to eat, you often bring back leftovers to have for lunch the next day during your short break between classes. You didn’t have time to eat breakfast, and you’re really excited about having your leftover pizza for lunch until you get home and see your roommate sitting on the couch eating the last slice.

Scenario 4: Money conflicts. Your roommate got mono and missed two weeks of work last month. Since they have a steady job and you have some savings, you cover their portion of the rent and agree that they will pay your portion next month. The next month comes around and your roommate informs you that they only have enough to pay their half of the rent.

Scenario 5: Value and personality conflicts. You like to go out to clubs and parties and have friends over, but your roommate is much more of an introvert. You’ve tried to get them to come out with you or join the party at your place, but they’d rather study. One day your roommate tells you that they want to break the lease so they can move out early to live with one of their friends. You both signed the lease, so you have to agree or they can’t do it. If you break the lease, you automatically lose your portion of the security deposit

Works Adapted

“ Conflict and Interpersonal Communication ” in Communication in the Real World  by University of Minnesota is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Ball State University. (2001). Roommate conflicts. accessed June 16, 2001, from  http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/CounselingCenter/VirtualSelfHelpLibrary/RoommateIssues.asx.

Chapter Reference:  Section 2.4 Negotiation

Janine just graduated college, she’s ready to head out on her own and get that first job, and she’s through her first interviews. She receives an offer of a $28,000 salary, including benefits from COLLEGE CORP, from an entry-level marketing position that seems like a perfect fit. She is thrown off by the salary they are offering and knows that it is lower than what she was hoping for. Instead of panicking, she takes the advice of her mentor and does a little research to know what the market range for the salary is for her area. She feels better after doing this, knowing that she was correct and the offer is low compared to the market rate. After understanding more about the offer and the rates, she goes back to the HR representative and asks for her preferred rate of $32,500, knowing the minimum that she would accept is $30,000. Instead of going in for her lowest amount, she started higher to be open to negotiations with the company. She also sent a note regarding her expertise that warranted why she asked for that salary. To her happy surprise, the company counter offered at $31,000—and she accepted.

• What key points of Janice’s negotiation led to her success?
• What could have Janice done better to get a better outcome for her salary?

“ Conflict and Negotiations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

“Good & Bad Salary Negotiations,”  Salary.com , April 19, 2018, https://www.salary.com/articles/good-bad-examples-of-salary-negotiations .

Herner, M. (n.d). 5 things HR wishes you knew about salary negotiation. Payscale.com, accessed October 21, 2018, https://www.payscale.com/salary-negotiation-guide/salary-negotiation-tips-from-hr .

Chapter Reference:  Section 3.2 Creating, Maintaining, and Changing Culture

At OECollaboration, a technology company that develops virtual collaboration software for new companies, Mike Jones is a new manager. One of the biggest challenges he has faced is that the team that he is managing is well established and because he is an outsider, the team members haven’t yet developed trust in him.

Two weeks into his new employment, Mike held a meeting and discussed all of the changes to the remote work agreements as well as implementing new meeting requirements for each employee to have a biweekly meeting scheduled with him to discuss their projects. The team was outraged, they were not excited, and the following days he wasn’t greeted in a friendly way; in addition, his team seemed less engaged when asked to participate in team functions.

Tracy James is also a new manager at OECollaboration who started at the same time as Mike, in a similar situation where she is a new manager of an existing team. Tracy was able to hold a meeting the first day on the job to listen to her team and get to know them. During this meeting she also told the team about herself and her past experiences. Additionally, she held one-on-one meetings to listen to each of her team members to discuss what they were working on and their career goals. After observation and discussion with upper management, she aligned her own team goals closely with the skills and experiences of her new team. She met with the whole team to make changes to a few policies, explaining why they were being changed, and set the strategy for the team moving forward.

Because she got her team involved and learned about them before implementing her new strategy, this was well received. Her team still had questions and concerns, but they felt like they could trust her and that they were included in the changes that were being made.

• What challenges can a new manager encounter when starting to manage an existing team?
• What strategies can a new manager implement to ensure that their new team is engaged with them and open to change and growth?

Adapted Works

“ Organizational Power and Politics ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Giang, V. (2013, July 31). The 7 types of power that shape the workplace. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-types-of-power-that-shape-the-workplace-2013-7

Morin, A. (2018, June 25). How to prevent a workplace bully from taking your power. Inc. https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/how-to-prevent-a-workplace-bully-from-taking-your-power.html

Weinstein,  B. (n.d.). 10 tips for dealing with a bully boss,” CIO , accessed October 13, 2018, https://www.cio.com.au/article/198499/10_tips_dealing_bully_boss/.

Chapter Reference:  Section 4.1 Power

Janey worked as an executive assistant to a product manager at her company: Ohio Connection. Overall, she loved her job; she was happy to work with a company that provided great benefits, and she and found enjoyment in her day-to-day work. She had the same product manager boss for years, but last year, her manager left Ohio Connection and retired. Recently her new manager has been treating her unfairly and showcasing bullying behavior.

Yesterday, Janey came into work, and her boss decided to use their power as her manager and her “superior” to demand that she stay late to cover for him, correct reports that he had made mistakes on, and would not pay her overtime. She was going to be late to pick up her son from soccer practice if she stayed late; she told him this, and he was not happy.

Over subsequent days, her boss consistently would make comments about her performance, even though she had always had good remarks on reviews, and created a very negative work environment. The next time she was asked to stay late, she complied for fear of losing her job or having other negative impacts on her job. Janey’s situation was not ideal, but she didn’t feel she had a choice.

• What type of power did Janey’s boss employ to get her to do the things that he wanted her to do?
• What negative consequences are apparent in this situation and other situations where power is not balanced in the workplace?
• What steps should Janey take do to counteract the power struggle that is occurring with her new manager?

Chapter Reference:   Section 5.1 Interpersonal Relationships at Work

Uber revolutionized the taxi industry and the way people commute. With the simple mission “to bring transportation—for everyone, everywhere,” today Uber has reached a valuation of around $70 billion and claimed a market share high of almost 90% in 2015. However, in June 2017 Uber experienced a series of bad press regarding an alleged culture of sexual harassment, which is what most experts believe caused their market share to fall to 75%.

In February of 2017 a former software engineer, Susan Fowler, wrote a lengthy post on her website regarding her experience of being harassed by a manager who was not disciplined by human resources for his behavior. In her post, Fowler wrote that Uber’s HR department and members of upper management told her that because it was the man’s first offense, they would only give him a warning. During her meeting with HR about the incident, Fowler was also advised that she should transfer to another department within the organization. According to Fowler, she was ultimately left no choice but to transfer to another department, despite having specific expertise in the department in which she had originally been working.

As her time at the company went on, she began meeting other women who worked for the company who relayed their own stories of harassment. To her surprise, many of the women reported being harassed by the same person who had harassed her. As she noted in her blog, “It became obvious that both HR and management had been lying about this being his ‘first offense.’” Fowler also reported a number of other instances that she identified as sexist and inappropriate within the organization and claims that she was disciplined severely for continuing to speak out. Fowler eventually left Uber after about two years of working for the company, noting that during her time at Uber the percentage of women working there had dropped to 6% of the workforce, down from 25% when she first started.

Following the fallout from Fowler’s lengthy description of the workplace on her website, Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick publicly condemned the behavior described by Fowler, calling it “abhorrent and against everything Uber stands for and believes in.” But later in March, Uber board member Arianna Huffington claimed that she believed “sexual harassment was not a systemic problem at the company.” Amid pressure from bad media attention and the company’s falling market share, Uber made some changes after an independent investigation resulted in 215 complaints. As a result, 20 employees were fired for reasons ranging from sexual harassment to bullying to retaliation to discrimination, and Kalanick announced that he would hire a chief operating officer to help manage the company. In an effort to provide the leadership team with more diversity, two senior female executives were hired to fill the positions of chief brand officer and senior vice president for leadership and strategy.

Critical Thinking Questions

• Based on Cox’s business case for diversity, what are some positive outcomes that may result in changes to Uber’s leadership team?
• If the case had occurred in Canada, what forms of legislation would have protected Fowler?
• What strategies should have been put in place to help prevent sexual harassment incidents like this from happening in the first place?

“ Diversity in Organizations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Della Cava, M. (2017, June 13). Uber has lost market share to Lyft during crisis. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/06/13/uber-market-share-customer-image-hit-string-scandals/102795024/

Fowler, T. (2017, February 19). Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber. https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber.

Lien,  T. (2017, June 6). Uber fires 20 workers after harassment investigation. Los Angeles Times.  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-uber-sexual-harassment-20170606-story.html

Uber (2017, February). Company info. https://www.uber.com/newsroom/company-info/

Chapter Reference:  Section 5.3 Collaboration, Decision-Making and Problem Solving in Groups

Diverse teams have been proven to be better at problem-solving and decision-making for a number of reasons. First, they bring many different perspectives to the table. Second, they rely more on facts and use those facts to substantiate their positions. What is even more interesting is that, according to the Scientific American article “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” simply “being around people who are different from us makes more creative, diligent, and harder-working.”

One case in point is the example of jury decision-making, where fact-finding and logical decision-making are of utmost importance. A 2006 study of jury decision-making, led by social psychologist Samuel Sommers of Tufts University, showed that racially diverse groups exchanged a wider range of information during deliberation of a case than all-White groups did. The researcher also conducted mock jury trials with a group of real jurors to show the impact of diversity on jury decision-making.

Interestingly enough, it was the mere presence of diversity on the jury that made jurors consider the facts more, and they had fewer errors recalling the relevant information. The groups even became more willing to discuss the role of race case, when they hadn’t before with an all-White jury. This wasn’t the case because the diverse jury members brought new information to the group—it happened because, according to the author, the mere presence of diversity made people more open-minded and diligent. Given what we discussed on the benefits of diversity, it makes sense. People are more likely to be prepared, to be diligent, and to think logically about something if they know that they will be pushed or tested on it. And who else would push you or test you on something, if not someone who is different from you in perspective, experience, or thinking. “Diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not.”

So, the next time you are called for jury duty, or to serve on a board committee, or to make an important decision as part of a team, remember that one way to generate a great discussion and come up with a strong solution is to pull together a diverse team.

• If you don’t have a diverse group of people on your team, how can you ensure that you will have robust discussions and decision-making? What techniques can you use to generate conversations from different perspectives?
• Evaluate your own team at work. Is it a diverse team? How would you rate the quality of decisions generated from that group?

Sources: Adapted from Katherine W. Phillips, “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” Scientific American, October 2014, p. 7–8.

“ Critical Thinking Case ” in  Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Conflict Management Copyright © 2022 by Laura Westmaas, BA, MSc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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By PON Staff — on January 30th, 2024 / Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a dispute or a conflict by meeting at least some of each side’s needs and addressing their interests. Conflict resolution sometimes requires both a power-based and an interest-based approach, such as the simultaneous pursuit of litigation (the use of legal power) and negotiation (attempts to reconcile each party’s interests). There are a number of powerful strategies for conflict resolution , as you’ll see in our list below of ten popular posts about conflict resolution:

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What did you take away from these examples of conflict resolution? Share your opinions in the comments.

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Managing Workplace Conflicts: A Case Study In The City Of Johannesburg

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Managing global transitions

Christian Van Tonder

The uncertainty that accompanies organizational change heightens prospects for intra organizational conflict. Notwithstanding this, the knowledge base on the sources (or causes) of organizational conflict is underdeveloped – largely as a result of a low incidence of empirical research, and in particular in South Africa. The current study explored the perceived sources of conflict in two South African organizations operating in different economic sectors. An experimental survey focusing on both the causes and the impact of conflict was administered to a sample of 203 employees, representing both companies. Comparative analysis revealed significant differences between the two organizations’ views with regard to the causes and consequences of conflict. The implications of these findings for future research and conflict management are discussed.

https://www.ijrrjournal.com/IJRR_Vol.9_Issue.8_Aug2022/IJRR-Abstract40.html

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Employee performance is a real behavior displayed by everyone as work performance is produced by employees following their role in the organization. This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of a work conflict and organizational culture on employee performance through job satisfaction at the Office of the Civil Service Police Unit, Mandailing Natal Regency. The nature of this research is associative research with a quantitative approach. The primary and secondary data are used from questionnaires and documentation and are measured on an interval scale. The sample size for this study was 200 employees, and the data analysis techniques used to test the hypothesis were descriptive analysis and structural equation model analysis. The results showed that work conflict had a negative and significant effect on job satisfaction. Organizational culture has a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction. Work conflict has a negative and significant effect on employee performance. Organizational culture has a positive and significant effect on employee performance, and job satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. The indirect effect shows that work conflict has a negative and significant effect on employee performance through job satisfaction. Organizational culture has a positive and significant effect on employee performance through job satisfaction.

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This article presents a case study on organisational conflict in a selected international organisation in the South African automotive industry to increase the contextual understanding of the topic. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with 45 senior and middle managers in the selected international organisation at the head off ce and two branches in Gauteng and at one branch in KwaZulu-Natal. The data analysis was conducted through content analysis as well as triangulation of data. The research results show that managers in this industry in post-apartheid South Africa experience organisational conflicts that are associated with their managerial values and identities.

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Fountain University Osogbo Journal of Management (FUOJM)

Prof. Oyedokun E M M A N U E L Godwin , Modupeola Adeolu-Akande , Esther Sanya

Organisations evaluate different opposing views, behaviours, and debates in making decisions. Public sector establishments are characterized by bureaucracy and top-down hierarchical structure of command, and therefore conflict exists with varying degrees. Hence, this study seeks to examine the effect of conflict management on the organisational performance of public sector establishments. Relevant empirical and theoretical literatures were reviewed and the study is anchored on conflict theory. The descriptive survey research design of the ex-post facto type was adopted. A sample size of 342 was arrived at using Taro Yamane model. It was selected from 2345 staff of the six purposively selected ministries in the Oyo state civil service which is the study population, using stratified random sampling. Data was collected through questionnaires. Only 318 questionnaires were considered usable, representing a 93.00% response rate. A descriptive and regression analysis through SPSS was used to test the relationship between conflict management and organisational performance. The findings indicate that there exists a significant relationship between conflict management and organisational performance (r= 0 .672; p<0.05). Findings further revealed that causative factors of conflict do not have a significant relationship with organisational performance (p-value (0.51>0.05). However, there is a significant relationship between conflict management styles and organisational performance (p-value =0.000<0.05). This study concludes that effective conflict management contributes to enhanced employees' productivity and would eventually improve organisational performance. The study recommended that management should effectively manage conflicts before they escalate to an unmanageable level, by using appropriate strategies. They should create additional channels of communication with employees as means of obtaining prompt feedback on organisational workings and policies, to prevent communication gaps and avoid conflicting interests.

DANIEL KYAGYA

This study investigated the impact of conflict management on employees' performance in a public sector organisation, a case of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). This study adopted the survey research design. A total of 100 respondents were selected for the study using stratified sampling technique. Questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Hypotheses were tested through regression analysis and correlation coefficient. The findings revealed that effective conflict management enhance employee's performance in an organisation and that organisation's conflict management system influences employee performance in the organisation. It was recommended that organisation should embark on training and retraining of its employees in area of conflict management so as to create a conductive working environment for the employees and that there should be efficient and effective communication between and among all categories of the employees the organisation. This will reduce conflicting situations in the organisation. Introduction Conflicts are inevitable. Conflicts are an everyday phenomenon in each organisation. There is growing recognition of the importance of conflict in an organisation. A recent survey indicated that managers spend a considerable portion of their time dealing with conflict and that conflict management becomes increasingly important to their effectiveness. Obisi (1996) argues that despite this fact peace forms one of the fundamental factors for enhanced productivity with resultant benefits to both the labour and management as well as for the economic development of the country. It will not be out of place therefore, to consider conflict as an inevitable and desirable factor in the work place. Conflict could be viewed as a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incomparability of potential future position in which each party wishes to occupy a position that is incompatible with the wishes of the other. Conflict could arise because of the employee quest to maximise profit while workers representatives are out to ensure continuous improved condition of living for their member. Conflict could also arise as a result of failure to honour agreed items on collective bargaining. Damachi (1999) emphasises that if those workers rights and employee prerogative are trampled upon, could also cause conflict. These include pay, condition of service, and fringe benefits among others. Azamosa (2004) observed that conflicts involve the total range of behaviours and attitudes that is in opposition between owners/managers on the one hand and working people on the other. It is a state of disagreement over issues of substance or emotional antagonism and may arise due to anger, mistrust or personality clashes. Otobo (1987) writing on effects of strikes and lockouts examined resultant effects of industrial conflict at three levels namely psychological, political and economic. In all, every party to industrial action is affected. The need for an effective conflict management to ameliorate the problems emanating from conflict and assist organisation in their struggle for the attainment of corporate objective cannot be over emphasised. The general objective of this research paper is to access the effect of conflict management on employee

SA journal of human resource management

Human Resources

maya sutherland

Khaleda Yasmin

Conflicts in organizations or workplaces can have serious consequences. Workplace conflicts can lead to hostile relations among individuals within a group. Sometimes, conflicts can hamper overall efficiency of organizations. Its negative consequences can gravely affect relationships resulting in inhospitable work environment and psychological stress. On the other hand, conflicts, when managed properly, can open the doors of opportunity to strengthen relationships in workplaces. Conflict management depends on a range of causal factors, the nature of which varies from conflict to conflict. Sometimes, conflicts may become difficult to resolve without the help of impartial mediators. As a result, negotiators may be required; they can play a significant role in managing and mitigating conflicts, especially organizational conflicts. This paper attempts to explain causes of organizational, institutional, and workplace conflicts. It also focuses on workplace conflicts' outcomes and organizational conflict management strategies.

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5 Strategies for Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

• 07 Sep 2023

Any scenario in which you live, work, and collaborate with others is susceptible to conflict. Because workplaces are made up of employees with different backgrounds, personalities, opinions, and daily lives, discord is bound to occur. To navigate it, it’s crucial to understand why it arises and your options for resolving it.

Common reasons for workplace conflict include:

• Misunderstandings or poor communication skills
• Differing opinions, viewpoints, or personalities
• Biases or stereotypes
• Variations in learning or processing styles
• Perceptions of unfairness

Although conflict is common, many don’t feel comfortable handling it—especially with colleagues. As a business leader, you’ll likely clash with other managers and need to help your team work through disputes.

Here’s why conflict resolution is important and five strategies for approaching it.

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Why Is Addressing Workplace Conflict Important?

Pretending conflict doesn’t exist doesn’t make it go away. Ignoring issues can lead to missed deadlines, festering resentment, and unsuccessful initiatives.

Yet, according to coaching and training firm Bravely , 53 percent of employees handle “toxic” situations by avoiding them. Worse still, averting a difficult conversation can cost an organization $7,500 and more than seven workdays.

That adds up quickly: American businesses lose $359 billion yearly due to the impact of unresolved conflict.

As a leader, you have a responsibility to foster healthy conflict resolution and create a safe, productive work environment for employees.

“Some rights, such as the right to safe working conditions or the right against sexual harassment, are fundamental to the employment relationship,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “These rights are things that employees should be entitled to no matter what. They’re often written into the law, but even when they aren’t, they’re central to the ethical treatment of others, which involves respecting the inherent dignity and intrinsic worth of each individual.”

Effectively resolving disputes as they arise benefits your employees’ well-being and your company’s financial health. The first step is learning about five conflict resolution strategies at your disposal.

Related: How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Employees

While there are several approaches to conflict, some can be more effective than others. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model —developed by Dr. Kenneth W. Thomas and Dr. Ralph H. Kilmann—outlines five strategies for conflict resolution:

• Accommodating
• Compromising
• Collaborating

These fall on a graph, with assertiveness on the y-axis and cooperativeness on the x-axis. In the Thomas-Kilmann model, “assertiveness” refers to the extent to which you try to reach your own goal, and “cooperativeness” is the extent to which you try to satisfy the other party’s goal.

Alternatively, you can think of these axis labels as the “importance of my goal” and the “importance of this relationship.” If your assertiveness is high, you aim to achieve your own goal. If your cooperativeness is high, you strive to help the other person reach theirs to maintain the relationship.

Here’s a breakdown of the five strategies and when to use each.

1. Avoiding

Avoiding is a strategy best suited for situations in which the relationship’s importance and goal are both low.

While you’re unlikely to encounter these scenarios at work, they may occur in daily life. For instance, imagine you’re on a public bus and the passenger next to you is loudly playing music. You’ll likely never bump into that person again, and your goal of a pleasant bus ride isn’t extremely pressing. Avoiding conflict by ignoring the music is a valid option.

In workplace conflicts—where your goals are typically important and you care about maintaining a lasting relationship with colleagues—avoidance can be detrimental.

Remember: Some situations require avoiding conflict, but you’re unlikely to encounter them in the workplace.

2. Competing

Competing is another strategy that, while not often suited for workplace conflict, can be useful in some situations.

This conflict style is for scenarios in which you place high importance on your goal and low importance on your relationships with others. It’s high in assertiveness and low in cooperation.

You may choose a competing style in a crisis. For instance, if someone is unconscious and people are arguing about what to do, asserting yourself and taking charge can help the person get medical attention quicker.

You can also use it when standing up for yourself and in instances where you feel unsafe. In those cases, asserting yourself and reaching safety is more critical than your relationships with others.

When using a competing style in situations where your relationships do matter (for instance, with a colleague), you risk impeding trust—along with collaboration, creativity, and productivity.

3. Accommodating

The third conflict resolution strategy is accommodation, in which you acquiesce to the other party’s needs. Use accommodating in instances where the relationship matters more than your goal.

For example, if you pitch an idea for a future project in a meeting, and one of your colleagues says they believe it will have a negative impact, you could resolve the conflict by rescinding your original thought.

This is useful if the other person is angry or hostile or you don’t have a strong opinion on the matter. It immediately deescalates conflict by removing your goal from the equation.

While accommodation has its place within organizational settings, question whether you use it to avoid conflict. If someone disagrees with you, simply acquiescing can snuff out opportunities for innovation and creative problem-solving .

As a leader, notice whether your employees frequently fall back on accommodation. If the setting is safe, encouraging healthy debate can lead to greater collaboration.

Related: How to Create a Culture of Ethics and Accountability in the Workplace

4. Compromising

Compromising is a conflict resolution strategy in which you and the other party willingly forfeit some of your needs to reach an agreement. It’s known as a “lose-lose” strategy, since neither of you achieve your full goal.

This strategy works well when your care for your goal and the relationship are both moderate. You value the relationship, but not so much that you abandon your goal, like in accommodation.

For example, maybe you and a peer express interest in leading an upcoming project. You could compromise by co-leading it or deciding one of you leads this one and the other the next one.

Compromising requires big-picture thinking and swallowing your pride, knowing you won’t get all your needs fulfilled. The benefits are that you and the other party value your relationship and make sacrifices to reach a mutually beneficial resolution.

5. Collaborating

Where compromise is a lose-lose strategy, collaboration is a win-win. In instances of collaboration, your goal and the relationship are equally important, motivating both you and the other party to work together to find an outcome that meets all needs.

An example of a situation where collaboration is necessary is if one of your employees isn’t performing well in their role—to the point that they’re negatively impacting the business. While maintaining a strong, positive relationship is important, so is finding a solution to their poor performance. Framing the conflict as a collaboration can open doors to help each other discover its cause and what you can do to improve performance and the business’s health.

Collaboration is ideal for most workplace conflicts. Goals are important, but so is maintaining positive relationships with co-workers. Promote collaboration whenever possible to find creative solutions to problems . If you can’t generate a win-win idea, you can always fall back on compromise.

Considering Your Responsibilities as a Leader

As a leader, not only must you address your own conflicts but help your employees work through theirs. When doing so, remember your responsibilities to your employees—whether ethical, legal, or economic.

Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability groups your ethical responsibilities to employees into five categories:

• Well-being: What’s ultimately good for the person
• Rights: Entitlement to receive certain treatment
• Duties: A moral obligation to behave in a specific way
• Best practices: Aspirational standards not required by law or cultural norms
• Fairness: Impartial and just treatment

In the course, Hsieh outlines three types of fairness you can use when helping employees solve conflicts:

• Legitimate expectations: Employees reasonably expect certain practices or behaviors to continue based on experiences with the organization and explicit promises.
• Procedural fairness: Managers must resolve issues impartially and consistently.
• Distributive fairness: Your company equitably allocates opportunities, benefits, and burdens.

Particularly with procedural fairness, ensure you don’t take sides when mediating conflict. Treat both parties equally, allowing them time to speak and share their perspectives. Guide your team toward collaboration or compromise, and work toward a solution that achieves the goal while maintaining—and even strengthening—relationships.

Are you interested in learning how to navigate difficult decisions as a leader? Explore Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability —one of our online leadership and management courses —and download our free guide to becoming a more effective leader.

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How to Handle Four Common Types of Team Conflict

Conflict on a team is inevitable, and it can manifest in four distinct ways. Here’s what each type of conflict looks like and how to resolve it. Individual-level conflict is when one team member is difficult, disengaged, loves playing devil’s advocate, or generally causes tension on the team. If your team experiences this kind of conflict, […]

Conflict on a team is inevitable, and it can manifest in four distinct ways. Here’s what each type of conflict looks like and how to resolve it.

Source: This tip is adapted from “4 Common Types of Team Conflict—and How to Resolve Them,” by Randall S. Peterson et al.

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Case Study on Conflict Management in the Workplace

Conflict management in the workplace case study:.

Conflict management in the workplace is the activity aimed at the resolution of the conflicts which occur between employees or employees and their boss. Naturally, conflicts cause harm to the process of production, because they consume much time and efforts which could be spent on work.Moreover, the majority of conflicts in the workplace reduce productiveness, because the quarrelling sides fulfill their duties in the insufficient way and very often the quality of work reduces on purpose.The manager who wants to restore the healthy working atmosphere is supposed to possess a range of communicative skill and knowledge about the human psychology and behaviour. The manager is supposed to be aware about the cause and effect of the definite types of conflicts and his solutions and decision should be based on the intensive conflict resolution when both sides understand their mistakes and start cooperating further.

Most often conflicts appear because of the employee’s ambitiousness and envy or the disability of self-realization. If the employee does not see the opportunities for self-development and career growth, he starts getting angry and quarrels with co-workers and managers. Then, every employee has his own ideas concerning the choice of the right decision and here the manager is supposed to do his best choose the most adequate decision proving both sides with arguments. The most appropriate solution of every conflict is compromise, because if two employees can not cooperate, they at least should not spoil each other’s life and results of their work, though very often the best way to resolve a conflict is to make both sides create a single project together.Conflicts occur every day and the workplace is not the exception.

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Frankly speaking conflicts occupy more than 30% of the working time and it is obvious that this time can be used for the more useful purposes. The student is able to observe the problem on conflict management in the workplace on the definite example, which has been suggested by the professor. The student’s duty is to prepare a well-organized and smart piece of writing which contains the reliable information about the cause and effect of conflicts in the workplace and think about the solution of the problem with the help of the methods and techniques able to manage the conflict under research.When there is a problem related with the research of the definite case on the conflict in the selected institution, the student is able to look through a free example case study on conflict management in the workplace analyzed by the experienced and well-educated writer. One is able to see the right structure and format of the text following the tips and advice of a free sample case study on conflict management in the workplace written online.

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6 minute read

10 Essential Conflict Management Techniques for Workplace Success

Don’t let clashes in the workplace impact company culture and performance. here are some tips for effective conflict management and resolution in the office..

Watch The Full Video Here!

Conflict in the workplace is normal and happens more often than you may think. In the study titled “Workplace Conflict and How Businesses Can Harness it to Thrive”, 85% of employees have experienced conflict at work at some point during their employment.

Disagreements can and will happen in the workplace, especially with more employers actively encouraging employees to be more honest with one another. Such transparency can lead to a high-performance workplace, but it can also give rise to workplace clashes due to reasons ranging from interpersonal differences to organisational challenges. Thus, it is important to develop a solid conflict management and resolution plan to deal with issues that arise.

Without reliable conflict management strategies in place, major disagreements can distract your team members and lead to poor performance and even resignations. This guide can help you mitigate these situations better and maintain morale and productivity after a workplace dispute.

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1. Stay calm and objective

Whether or not you are directly involved, do not take sides. Doing so will only cause the conflict to worsen and turn others off from contributing to a solution. Be professional and let those involved talk freely without interruption from others. Remember to keep your own emotions in check – make sure not to draw conclusions and assign blame. Instead, focus on the objective of coming to a team consensus.

2. Identify the parties involved

You can’t address a conflict in the workplace without knowing the parties involved. Whether you were in the room or just heard rumours flying around the office, knowing which parties are implicated is the first step to resolving it. This ensures you’re addressing the issue directly and not hearsay.

3. Gather the facts

After discovering who’s involved and what the disagreement is about, delve deeper into the facts behind the conflict. This also means identifying and speaking to others who might have helpful information. This allows you to understand the full picture. Once the facts have been established, focus on understanding the nature of the conflict. Each party will have its own version of events, so arrange a time to have a candid conversation with each person, listening carefully and actively for points of agreement and disagreement. Avoid interrupting or pre-empting their response.

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4. Encourage open communication

Having a culture of open communication and feedback can be helpful in preventing and managing conflict. This allows the team to feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns. Having clear communication can prevent future misunderstandings so establish channels for feedback. It also helps to create a shared vision that is conveyed to every person so that the team is on the same page. Conflict may still arise, but do not avoid it, as this will only suppress issues. Be available and authentic so the team feels safe to come to you.

5. Listen actively to the interests of each party

Before suggesting a resolution, it is important to understand each party’s interests and needs. The sharing can help you discover a middle ground to resolve the conflict. While it’s not always straightforward, having a detailed awareness of each party’s perspective can help shape your response.

6. Brainstorm options for a resolution

Now that you understand what happened, you can now generate options to resolve the issue. These solutions should consider the short- and long-term ramifications, not just for the parties involved but also for your wider workforce. Offer construction suggestions or involve the team in brainstorming suitable solutions for more effective conflict management.

Personality-based conflicts, where the issue boils down to differences in work styles, can often be handled by clearing the air and reinforcing the importance of respect. However, serious issues like harassment may require further mediation or workplace retraining.

7. Evaluate and implement solutions collaboratively

Assess the suitable solutions available and reach a consensus with everyone involved on the best solution to resolve the conflict. This requires active collaboration and contribution from each member. As such, it makes them feel responsible for the chosen solution and should lower the risk of future similar tensions arising.

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8. Develop an action plan to implement the resolution

With the agreed-upon resolution, it’s now time to put together an action plan that benefits everyone, including the wider organisation. The plan should outline key responsibilities for each party to follow, ensuring the issue is finally cleared up. Remember, the team should also be aware of the bigger objectives of the team and organisation.

9. Follow up and provide support

Even if everyone agreed to the proposed solution together, things will not be resolved overnight. Conflict management can be an ongoing process, especially for more serious disagreements. Schedule regular follow-ups with each party in the coming weeks to discuss whether the resolution has helped and how. If it didn’t, come together to see what improvements can be made. Have an open-door policy so affected parties can come to you if tensions continue to manifest.

10. Identify opportunities for growth and learning

Workplace conflict can and will contain opportunities for growth in individuals and the team. This is because it sets the stage for improvement, and when handled properly, it can spark creativity and insights. A key strategy for conflict management is to view these issues as opportunities for growth and learning. Reflect and analyse the situation to identify lessons and strategies for handling such matters better in the future.

Conflicts at work may not be easy, but they can be managed efficiently. There are also many conflict management courses to arm yourself with the right tools should such situations happen. You can also consider incorporating conflict management and resolution techniques through team-building initiatives to equip your team.

Effective conflict management requires patience, empathy, and willingness to address underlying issues constructively. Handling conflict effectively can be that edge that moves the team to greater success.

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Supporting Self-management Through eHealth - Exploring the Needs, Challenges and Solutions in General Practice A Qualitative and Participatory Design Study

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Introduction: Digital transformation and integration of eHealth solutions into chronic pain management faces significant challenges that have not yet been met. To realize the potential of eHealth solutions there is a need to understand the challenges, needs and care processes of eHealth into specific contexts and specific purposes. The objective of this study was to explore challenges, barriers, support needs, and visions experienced by patients and general practitioners (GPs) in the context of an eHealth solution designed for chronic pain management in general practice. Methods: The study used action-research as a methodological framework. We conducted two future workshops involving eight patients living with chronic pain and seven GPs with clinical experience in managing chronic pain. Through case vignettes and inspiration cards, these workshops stimulated discussions and shared knowledge construction. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, separated by the groups, and were synthesized via a matrix analysis. Results: The analysis revealed five content summary themes: Theme 1 - patients' experience of challenges in life with pain; Theme 2 - challenges in treating patients with chronic pain; Theme 3 - patients' suggestions for the structure of the eHealth solution; Theme 4 - GPs suggestions for the structure of the eHealth solution; and Theme 5 - differences and similarities: Visions for an eHealth solution. The analysis generated several touchpoints and tension within the patient-physician encounter. Conclusions: In conclusion, these themes provide distinct narratives, offering valuable insights into the design objectives. Our study represents a significant advancement in developing personalized and innovative eHealth solutions for general practice, addressing key clinical challenges. Perspective: Realizing the potential of eHealth solutions, these findings highlight both contrasting and shared viewpoints on design objectives, providing crucial insight into end-user perspectives for effective pain management. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of supported self-management and clinical communication in understanding each patient's overall presentation within the healthcare system.

Competing Interest Statement

All authors state no conflict of interest. MSH has received support from non-industrial professional, private, and scientific bodies (reimbursement of travel costs and speaker fees) for lectures on pain, and he receives book royalties from Gyldendal, Munksgaard Denmark, FADL, and Muusmann publications. Otherwise, none of the authors declare conflicts of interest.

Funding Statement

This work is funded by the Foundation for General Practice (Danish: Fonden for Almen Praksis) and Nord-KAP-the Quality Unit for General Practice in The North Denmark Region (Danish: Kvalitetsenheden for Almen Praksis (Nord-KAP)). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This study was deemed exempt from ethical approval by The North Denmark Region Committee on Health Research Ethics due to the non-interventional nature of the study and the data that was collected. Signed informed consent was obtained from all participants. All data were stored on a secure fileshare.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

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Data will be available upon reasonable request to corresponding author.

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