For the Module 3 SLP you will be applying the concepts you learned in the background materials regarding conflict and negotiation to a situation from your own personal experiences. Carefully review the background materials regarding types of conflict, causes of conflict, negotiation stages, and conflict management styles. It is important to first understand these comments from the background readings before starting this assignment.
Once you have thoroughly reviewed the background materials, think of a situation in the workplace where a conflict erupted and management had to intervene and some type of negotiation was involved. Then write a three page paper addressing the following four questions, and make sure to cite at least one of the required background readings for each of your four answers :
- Was this conflict functional or dysfunctional?
- What was the cause of the conflict? Use the terms from the background materials in your answer-for example, was the conflict a result of interpersonal issues, a specific task involved, due to inter-organizational issues, etc.
- Of the five approaches to conflict management outlined in Chapter 1 of Shearouse, S. H. (2011), which approach most closely describes the approach used by management to resolve this conflict?
- Did the negotiations involve integrative or distributive bargaining? What stages of negotiation did management go through, and did these stages match the four stages discussed in Sims (2002) or the five stages discussed in the Pearson interactive tutorial?
References:
Shearouse, S. H. (2011). Chapter 4: How we respond: Approaches to conflict. Conflict 101: A manager's guide to resolving problems so everyone can get back to work. New York: AMACOM. [eBook Business Collection]
Luthans, F., Luthans, K. W., & Luthans, B. C. (2015). Chapter 9: Stress and conflict. Organizational behavior: An evidence-based approach. Charlotte, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, pp. 258-264. [EBSCO. Note: you don't have to read the whole chapter, just the second part on organizational conflict]
Sims, R. (2002). Chapter 10 Conflict and negotiation at work. Managing Organizational Behavior. Greenwood Press Westport, CT [eBook Academic Collection]
Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions.
- Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
- Make sure to cite readings from the background materials page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of information.
- Include both a bibliography and in-text citations.