Textbook- organization behaviour 10th edition (Griffin & Moorehead,2012) chapter

Question

Textbook- organization behaviour 10th edition (Griffin & Moorehead,2012) chapter 15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xCkhV7zhuw

After listening to the TED Talks posted and reading the chapter on Conflict in our textbook, explain what you have learned from these presentations and textbook by recalling an instance in which you had a conflict or witnessed a conflict. Describe the conflict situation, was the conflict destructive or a positive conflict, how was it resolved or negotiated, and what actions could have taken place to move it to a positive conflict or a resolved conflict?  

Explanation / Answer

An instance of which I have witnessed and experienced a conflict is in my workplace. In my workplace, the conflict was between my team which makes plastic molded toys and the designers of the toys. The conflict occurred because the designs that were handed to my team were such that it led to faulty iron casting molds, and toys that had a higher percentage of rejects. The crash occurred because these designs led to the poor evaluation of our team performance and a possibility that our team members would not get a bonus.

In my opinion, the conflict was positive because ultimately it led to constructive changes in the relationship between designers and my work-team. The emotions of my team and team members were legitimate because they were being evaluated poorly because of “weak” design. According to the designers, they were producing designs that would sell in the market.

The conflict was resolved by the intervention of the production manager. He sat and talked with our team, considered our concerns, and discussed the issue of molded toy design in great detail. He obtained our agreement that the toy design should be such that it should sell quickly in the market, he also examined our arguments about how the design affected the casting of molds and plastic molding. He promised us that he will discuss the issue with the design team and get back to us.

The manager discussed the designing issue with the design team and asked them to add criteria that make the designs such that their iron castings and plastic molds could be made of high quality. The production manager also found during his discussion that designs that were casting/molding friendly also produced toys that were safer for children. He appreciated the good work of the designers and asked them to continue to focus on market factors but at the same time asked them to make designs casting/molding friendly. He listened carefully to the designers, was open and flexible to their concerns, and asked them to make designs more casting/molding friendly.

The production manager met our team after three days. He assured us that the designs in future will be casting/molding friendly. He also told us to be careful that our rejects were controlled. Finally, he assured us that our team’s performance evaluation will be revisited and if found appropriate, it would be revised upwards. The actions of the production manager resolved the conflict.

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