Case study

February 4, 2023

Styles of handling conflicts

• Avoiding: low concern for people and production  Lose-lose  
• Collaborating: high concern for both people and production  Win-win
• Compromising:  moderate concern for both people and production  Win-win/ Win-lose/ Lose-win
• Competing: low concern for people and high concern for production  Win-lose
• Accommodating: low concern for production and high concern for people  Lose -win

Identify one of the conflict-handling styles (Accommodating/avoiding/competing/ competing) used in this scenario. How did you determine that?

In the above case study, it is evident that Robert has adopted the competing conflict-handling style because he didn’t want to compromise, give in, or consider Kay’s alternative suggestion; instead, he insisted on the 8 percent pay raise. A competitive style can be an effective strategy when you have to execute an unpopular decision or make a quick decision, the decision is crucial during a crisis, or the goal is to let others recognize how important an issue is to you by “standing up for your rights.”

In addition to that, he is hostile toward Kay, threatening to get the union involved if his demand is not granted, leaving no room for further negotiation. Such disagreement would result in a lose-win situation and be detrimental to their interpersonal relationship (i.e., aggressive communication and low regard for future relationships). In the event Kay wins, Robert’s work unit will not receive a pay increase. The other side of the coin is that Kay would have difficulty answering her higher-up/company’s questions if Robert wins.

Choose one of the characters and determine which bargaining approach (distributive or integrative) is used. How did you determine that?

A negotiation can be defined as a process of interaction within which people exchange information and engage in strategic maneuvers to obtain a mutually beneficial agreement by offering outcomes that could not be achieved without the focal interaction taking place between them. A distributive bargaining strategy is characterized by non-cooperative behavior when one party makes significant demands and offers little concession. It involves high-level positional commitments, in which Party A insists on agreements heavily stacked in its favor and threatens to leave if it is not satisfied, and it often results in a win-lose situation. (Zahariadis 2016).

The bargaining approach used by Robert was distributive. The threatening part was a clear and strong indication that he is just concerned with obtaining his goals and aggressively defending his standpoint without taking Kay’s perspective into account. Additionally, Robert refused to consider and rejected Kay’s proposals on possible job opportunities, and overseas assignments, which emphasize “arguing from the position of only what they want’ and completely disregard the company’s future plans. By doing this, Robert is effectively causing Kay to lose in this negotiation.

What aspect of interpersonal communication is contributing to the poor working environment? How is this demonstrated in the case?

In the case study, one of the aspects of interpersonal communication contributing to the poor working environment is Emotional Intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence (EI) is a combination of emotional and interpersonal skills that influence one’s behavior, thinking, and interactions with others, according to Macaleer and Shannon (2002). These competencies can be classified into two categories: personal competencies (self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation) and social competencies (social awareness and social skills) (Morrison 2008).

In the case study, one of the most prominent incompetence portrayed by Robert is a lack of self-regulation, which is about the ability to manage one’s own emotions and be open-minded and flexible. This can be evident when, during negotiation, Kay offered an alternate compensation in regard to the pay raise, but Robert didn’t even consider it or work around it instead; he insisted on getting the monetary benefits. The second incompetency observed was a lack of social awareness, which refers to being aware of others’ needs and maintaining relationships. Robert didn’t put himself in Kay’s shoes to truly understand why she didn’t agree to the pay increment, and he even threatened Kay, therefore harming their relationship.

Using Hall’s context model (high and low context culture), describe one of the characters’ behaviour. How did you determine that?

Based on Hall’s context theory (Hall and Hall 1990; Hall 1976), different cultures have different ways of communicating with one another. For instance, some cultures communicate explicitly (low-context cultures), whereas others communicate implicitly (high-context cultures). Individuals’ cultural backgrounds influence a person’s capability to comprehend messages. From the information shown in Hall’s Context Model, it is evident that Robert’s behavior is, in part, shaped by a culture that is skewed towards a low-context style of behavior.

Robert was being a self-centered individual who put his demands before the business’s best interests. “Robert’s aggressive act of being obstinate and prepared to threaten if his request is not met was clear evidence of his explicit message.” As Robert is adamant about getting his monetary increment, he is unlikely to put much effort into maintaining the relationship, causing the relationship between Robert and Kay to break down, thus showing a lack of interpersonal bonds and prioritizing the job over maintaining a relationship.

Conclusion

It is unfortunate that conflicts cannot be completely eradicated from the workplace, which is why it is essential to develop effective conflict-handling strategies and methods to be able to handle conflicts in an efficient and effective manner (Morrison 2008). In addition to that, relationships in the workplace are complicated, and conflicts can be a breeding ground for disruption and viciousness. It can lead to stress, emotional suffering, and a decline in work performance. Therefore, after reading through scenarios, I’ve learned to distinguish between the various conflict-handling approaches and how I can utilize this understanding to deal with conflicts in the future and better maintain relationships.

Reference:

• Understanding conflict handling styles (2022) the University of Texas System. Available at: https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/human-resources/current-employees/manager-resources/employee-relations/understanding-conflict-handling-styles (Accessed: February 3, 2023).
• Alizadeh Afrouzi, O. (2021). ‘Humanitarian behavior across high-/low-context cultures: A comparative analysis between Switzerland and Colombia.’ Journal of International Humanitarian Action, vol. 6, no. 1.
• MORRISON, J. (2008) The relationship between emotional intelligence competencies and preferred conflict-handling styles’, Journal of Nursing Management, vol.16, no. 8, pp. 974–983.
• Zahariadis, N. (2016) ‘Values as barriers to compromise? ideology, transnational coalitions, and distributive bargaining in negotiations over the third Greek bailout’, International Negotiation, vol. 21, no. 3,  pp. 473–494.