Check Your Understanding:
What causes conflict between employees in organizations? What has been your professional experience with conflict with another employee?
Exercises:
Construct a work conflict situation between two employees who both want to shingle the lower roof of a house you have just built for sale.
Imagine the situation. Describe the work site and the explanations you receive from both the workers as each attempts to influence your decision(s). For example, both workers might claim that they are afraid of heights. You must be innovative in your resolution of this problem. What will you do to settle the dispute? Use the principles and terminology you have learned to build your response. Remember, this is your opportunity to be creative. Be imaginative. Explore the possibilities. The objective is to exercise your creative thinking muscles while exploring the application of what you have learned in this module.
Professional Development:
Explain how power and its outcomes are central organizational processes. What are some applications that exemplify the outcomes of power in organizational processes?
Issues to Consider:
What skills are needed to resolve conflict between individuals? Do you have these skills? If not, where can you learn more?
Discussion:
What types of power can a manager or leader have? How is this power acquired?