Quay Kennedy

Organizational Comm

October 22, 2020

CH 9 Case Study

Case Study Questions the Problem with Teamwork

1.What kind of predispositions are Mike and Jill taking into this conflict situation?

How might these predispositions influence the way they frame the conflict and the

way they approach each other?

Mike and Jill are both bringing distrust for one another, generational or age

differences, and pride into this conflict situation. They view each other as enemies

and place all the blame on each other, neither one taking any responsibility in the

matter. Mike thinks that Jill and the members in the engineering department are

snobby and unwilling to listen to him and the other members of the manufacturing

department. Jill believes she has to be a team player and assertive to be successful

in an industry dominated by men. Mike has been with the company for 22 years

and is 30 years older than Jill. He perceives himself to be in a higher position of

power then Jill because he has been there longer and is much older than her. He

prefers the old way of operating as individuals rather than taking a team approach

He's comfortable in his way of operating and is reluctant to change, already

convinced it will not work because of Jill and her department. Jill is trying to be a

team player but her conflict with Mike is making it difficult for her to be successful

and she believes this is because of Mike. Each of them feels disrespected and that

their problems are not important to the organization.

These predisposed factors will affect the way they frame the intergroup

conflict and how they approach each other. Informal discussions have not been

able to resolve their conflict thus far and Mike and Jill perceive each other as

enemies. They clearly express incompatibility in their organizational roles and it is

beginning to be noticed by management and hinder the organizational productivity

for their team. Their conflict has also been furthered by poor decision-making on

the part of management. If they had properly introduced the team management

system and provided the appropriate training, this conflict may have been resolved

before it escalated to this point.

2.If Mike and Jill were to attempt to deal with this conflict on their own, what

conflict style would you recommend? Given what you know about Jill and Mike,

do you think they would use an effective conflict resolution style?

If Mike and Jill were going to attempt to deal with this conflict on their own,

I would recommend a collaborative compromise so each one could be satisfied

with the resolution and not feel as though they had to abandon their position or

underlying concern of the effectiveness of a team approach. A collaborative

compromise would have Mike and Jill meeting in the middle and deciding on a

mutually beneficial solution.

Based on what I know about Mike and Jill, I do not think they would be able to

find an effective style of conflict resolution. I feel they have tried the avoidance

resolution strategy for too long, demonstrating little to no concern for one another's

needs. They have allowed the conflict to escalate too high without attempting an

effective resolution, to the extent that it is interfering in every aspect of their lives.

Each one is fully convinced that the other is completely to blame, so I believe the

only effective resolution at this point would be mediation.

3.If you were Adam, how would you approach this conflict? What strategies

should you use to help Mike and Jill deal with their ongoing problems? Would you

consider bringing in a mediator to help them work through their issues?

If I were Adam, I would first attempt to identify and resolve the issues

between Mike and Jill. At this point in their conflict, it seems vital that each of

them is able to express how they feel, why they feel that way, and a resolution that

would be satisfactory for each of them. I think a Human Resources strategy would

be a good first start and try and get the two parties to arrive at a solution that is

acceptable to both sides. I would also advise them that the next step would be to

refer the conflict to higher management or have someone come in and resolve the
conflict for them, taking away their chance to fix it themselves in a way favorable

for both of them. Ideally, I would like to get them to a point of integrative

bargaining, where their interest is in a resolution that would be a benefit to each

other rather than just reaching a solution that benefits them as individuals. I think a

collaborative solution would show progress for them as a team which could set a

good example for the rest of the organization.

I would also attempt to use this as a learning example and gather research material

to decrease or avoid future conflicts related to the new team operating procedures

to benefit the organization as a whole. Management does bear some responsibility

in the conflict because the new team operating process was not presented correctly

nor were the employees trained correctly. I would arrange for a training seminar

for everybody involved in the team, so everybody is aware of their respective

duties as well as the overall goals for the organization. There would be policies and

procedures supporting the training material so future production of the

organization does not suffer.

4.How would a feminist approach to conflict see this situation? Is it possible to use

an alternative model that would recast this situation in a more productive frame?

The feminist approach is a model that supports and emphasizes

communication of issues, consideration of emotions, and collaborating to find a

resolution between the conflicting parties the feminist approach would see this

situation as very much still masculine-like, with each

party competing to win and benefit only themselves with no regard for the

other person or the organization as a whole, and Jill justifying and reasoning her

position using her gender as a principle factor by thinking part of Mike’s problem

with her is that she is a female. If the two parties could have approached the

situation with the idea of a compromise in mind, things would have been more

productive. Both parties seem headstrong and determined as well as confident in

their position in the conflict. Given their personality types, I do not know that the

situation could have started in a different approach or frame. Instead, it escalated to

the two viewing each other as the enemy and their concern became only about each

of them winning rather than resolving the conflict for their own benefit as well as

the rest of the organization’s employees or productivity.