Question 1

When considering styles of conflict management, ___ means being cooperative but unassertive, letting the wishes of others rule, smoothing over or overlooking differences to maintain harmony.

Accepted Answer

Accommodation is characterized by a high degree of cooperativeness and a low degree of assertiveness, where an individual prioritizes the needs and desires of others above their own, often at the expense of their own interests, to maintain harmony and avoid conflict.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is not true regarding conflict and conflict resolution?

Accepted Answer

Managers can often redirect conflict resolution towards constructive outcomes rather than destructive ones. This statement is not true as it underestimates the role of managers in conflict resolution. Effective management strategies can indeed turn conflicts into opportunities for improvement and growth.

Question 3

___ result when goals are poorly set or reward systems are poorly designed, and individuals and groups come into conflict by working to one another's disadvantage.

Accepted Answer

Competing objectives refer to situations where individuals or groups have opposing goals or incentives, leading to conflict and working against each other's interest. This can occur when goals are poorly set or reward systems are poorly designed. Task interdependencies, role ambiguities, structural differentiations, and resource scarcities may contribute to conflicts, but they do not necessarily result from poorly set goals or reward systems.

Question 4

The conflict management style of ___ involves being uncooperative and assertive. This style is characterized by working against the wishes of the other party, engaging in win-lose competition, and/or forcing through the exercise of authority.

Accepted Answer

The characteristics described in the statement best fit the definition of the competition conflict management style, which involves a high level of assertiveness and uncooperativeness.

Question 5

A manager who is cooperative and assertive, and is trying to fully satisfy everyone's concerns by working through their differences, is an adherent of the ___ approach to conflict management.

Accepted Answer

The manager in this scenario is actively working to fully satisfy everyone's concerns, indicating a collaborative approach to conflict management. This approach involves working together to find a mutually beneficial solution that addresses the concerns of all parties involved. Competition involves trying to win the conflict at all costs, compromise involves finding a middle ground that may not fully satisfy everyone, avoidance involves ignoring the conflict altogether, and accommodation involves giving in to the demands of the other party.

Question 6

In assessing conflict management styles, ___ refers to the desire to satisfy one's own needs and concerns.

Accepted Answer

Assertiveness is the degree to which an individual tries to satisfy his/her own needs, concerns or goals in a conflict situation. It is the extent to which an individual is willing to stand up for their own interests or rights in the conflict.

Question 7

The conflict management style of ___ involves being uncooperative and unassertive. This style is characterized by downplaying disagreement, withdrawing from the situation, and/or staying neutral at all costs.

Accepted Answer

The characteristics described in the question align with the avoidance style of conflict management. This style involves minimizing or ignoring the conflict, rather than actively attempting to resolve it.

Question 8

Ross, a manager at Cyberdawn Inc., always looks for solutions where each party in a conflict wins an equal bit and loses an equal bit. Ross follows the ___ approach to conflict management.

Accepted Answer

Ross follows the compromise approach to conflict management, where each party wins and loses an equal bit.

Question 9

In assessing conflict management styles, ___ refers to the desire to satisfy another party's needs and concerns.

Accepted Answer

Cooperativeness refers to the desire to satisfy another party's needs and concerns. Assertiveness refers to the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy their own concerns, while B, D, and E are not related to assessing conflict management styles.

Question 10

Whenever she is involved in a disagreement, Hermione tries to partially satisfy both her concerns and the other party's concerns through bargaining and appropriate trade-offs. Hermione uses which conflict management style?

Accepted Answer

Hermione is using the compromise conflict management style, which involves finding a solution that partially satisfies both parties involved in the conflict. She is willing to make concessions and trade-offs to reach a mutually agreeable outcome.

Question 11

Kenzie is being cooperative but unassertive with his employees during a conflict situation. He tries to smooth over their differences but it only produces a false sense of harmony among them. Kenzie is using which conflict management style?

Accepted Answer

Kenzie is using the accommodation style of conflict management, where he is trying to satisfy the needs of his employees by smoothing over their differences, but not asserting his own needs or concerns. This may lead to a false sense of harmony and not actually resolve the underlying issue.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of the accommodating style of conflict management?

Accepted Answer

The accommodating style of conflict management plays down differences and highlights areas of agreement. It involves one party making concessions to the other in order to maintain relationships and reduce tension. However, this style may not lead to a win-win situation as one party may feel like they have not been heard or that their needs have not been adequately addressed.

Question 13

___ breed conflict when people depend on others to perform well in order to perform well themselves.

Accepted Answer

Task interdependencies occur when individuals or units depend on each other to complete their work successfully. This can create conflict when one unit or individual fails to perform well, as it can have a negative impact on other units or individuals who depend on them. Role ambiguities, competing objectives, structural differentiations, and resource scarcities can all also create conflict, but they do not specifically relate to the dynamic of individuals or units depending on each other to perform well.

Question 14

Managers may choose different integrative devices for resolving conflicts between individuals or groups. Which of the following is not one of these integrative devices?

Accepted Answer

Changing the people by replacing or transferring one or more of the conflicting parties is not considered an integrative device for resolving conflicts. Integrative devices typically focus on creating conditions for cooperative problem-solving rather than removing or replacing individuals involved in the conflict.

Question 15

Suppose that a manager responds to a disagreement between subordinates by saying: "I don't want to get in the middle of your personal disputes." This manager is using which conflict management style?

Accepted Answer

The manager is avoiding the conflict and choosing not to get involved in the personal dispute between the subordinates. This is a common approach taken by managers who do not want to appear to take sides or who believe that the conflict can resolve itself without their intervention.

Question 16

In the authoritative command approach of conflict management, managers ___.

Accepted Answer

In the authoritative command approach, the manager uses force, superior skill, or domination to "win" a conflict. This approach is not recommended as it may lead to resentment and future conflicts.

Question 17

Effective ___ eliminates the underlying substantive or emotional causes of conflict and reduces the potential for similar conflicts in the future.

Accepted Answer

Conflict resolution is a process that not only resolves the current conflict but also aims to identify and resolve the underlying root causes of the conflict. This can involve addressing emotional or substantive issues, and finding solutions that can prevent similar conflicts from arising in the future. While stress management, constructive feedback, negotiation, and decision making can all play important roles in conflict resolution, they do not necessarily address the underlying causes of the conflict or promote long-term solutions.

Question 18

Oblio emphasizes cooperation and assertiveness in dealing with conflict situations in his department. Differences are worked through together so that everybody's concerns are addressed and everyone gains something in the end. Oblio uses which conflict management style?

Accepted Answer

Oblio's conflict management style emphasizes cooperation and assertiveness, which are key components of the collaboration style.

Question 19

___ conflict occurs when no one achieves his or her true desire and the underlying reasons for conflict remain unaffected.

Accepted Answer

Lose-lose conflict occurs when both parties fail to achieve their desired outcome and the underlying issues remain unresolved. This can occur when both parties are unwilling to compromise or engage in collaborative problem-solving.

Question 20

When conflict management results in one party achieving its desires and the other party not achieving its desires, a ___ conflict will occur.

Accepted Answer

In a win-lose situation, one party wins while the other loses. This is often the result of a competitive and confrontational conflict management approach where one party's interests are prioritized over the other's.

Quiz 18: Communication and Collaboration