Overview
Develop a 3–4-page plan to identify the causes of organizational conflict, explain how conflict affects an organization, and select a conflict resolution style to use. Explain conflict negotiation strategies and determine the likely outcomes.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
· Competency 1: Identify variables within structures or institutions that can promote conflict.
. Identify the factors responsible for conflict within an organization.
· Competency 3: Apply appropriate strategies to reduce or resolve conflicts.
. Describe a conflict resolution style appropriate for a conflict situation within an organization.
. Explain conflict negotiation strategies appropriate for a conflict situation within an organization.
· Competency 4: Analyze the impact of conflict on relationship building in face-to-face, virtual, cyber, and group communication.
. Explain how conflict affects an organization.
· Competency 5: Evaluate the outcome of proposed strategies of conflict resolution.
. Determine the outcomes of conflict negotiation strategies for an organization.
· Competency 6: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.
. Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate APA format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Context
Disagreements occur because we have differences of opinions, values, and goals. Solutions to disagreements require negotiation skills. While negotiating, the parties involved have to “generate options, brainstorm ideas, give and take, and attempt to get their mutual goals met” (Hocker & Wilmot, 2014, p. 249).
Reference
Hocker, J., & Wilmot, W. (2014). Interpersonal conflict (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Questions to consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.
· Have you ever witnessed conflict between organizational leaders? What effect did the conflict have on morale within the organization?
· Is it possible that conflict negotiation strategies that work for an organization could also work for countries experiencing conflict?
Instructions
You volunteer with an organization whose executive leadership has conflicted for almost a year in deep, fairly public ways, on a variety of topics. At first, the conflict seemed to center on the types of events the organization sponsored, but, recently, some members of the leadership team have been making accusations of bias based on race, culture, social status, and religion against other leadership members, including the director. The conflict is making it difficult for anyone to continue working with the organization.
The leadership team is composed of seven members. Six of the members, including the director, are women. There are two African-American members, including the only man on the team. There is one Hispanic member. The other four members, including the director, are Caucasian.
You have successfully handled small conflicts among the volunteers and staff in the past, and now they have asked you to step in and see if you can help resolve the conflict before it destroys the organization. Leadership has already agreed to bring you in to try and help the situation, but you know you need to have a solid plan for this undertaking.
