Read the case study text Preventing Destructive Conflict at Work” (Dialogue between Maria and Vicki)
Provide a brief summary of the problem/issues and integrate the answers to the discussion questions; write in paragraph / short essay form.
Please include references to the readings where possible. It is an important part of your answer to demonstrate that you read and can apply the content in the textbook/readings.
Include/integrate reference(s) to at least one vocabulary word/concept from the readings. Use the following linked PDF vocabulary document if you wish *I WILL HAVE THIS LINKED*
Situation: Vicki is an employee in a small training company. Her boss, Maria, has been frustrated with Vicki’s lack of initiative, inability to prioritize her workload, and her lack of interpersonal skills. Vicki is frustrated with Maria because she thinks her boss expects too much from her and the pace of the work is much too fast for a small company. Vicki has been taking a lot of “sick” days lately and often does not follow through with small assignments. The following conversation is just one of many “small” conflicts that have been ongoing for approximately six months. Read the dialogue and then answer the questions below.
Maria: Hey, Vicki. I was wondering where you put that file for the Spring Conference next week.
Vicki: Which one? You give me a lot of files.
Maria: The really big blue one with our logo on the front.
Vicki: That’s the one you said you’d follow up on. I just assumed you did.
Maria: No, I remember very distinctly from our debriefing session that you said you wanted to do it because you had worked with Ed on last year’s conference. We all took different assignments, and that’s the one you took.
Vicki: I definitely took a lot of assignments, but the Spring Conference folder wasn’t one of them.
Maria. Okay. (Pause) I guess what we really need to do is not figure out who lost it, but where it is now.
Vicki: Who “lost” it? It was never mine, so how could I lose it? I’m sick of always being blamed for everything that goes wrong around here. If everyone would just sit still for a minute, maybe all this stuff wouldn’t fall through the cracks.
Maria: Wait a second. I wasn’t blaming you for anything. I just really need to find the folder. I’m wondering where it is, and I need to write the follow-up evaluations.
Vicki: Well, I don’t have it. (Vicki returns to completing her timesheet on the computer).
(Maria retreats to her office and doesn’t say what’s really on her mind. She’s trying not to get too angry. She meets with another colleague later that afternoon and asks the colleague what his thoughts are about Vicki as their support staff.)
Integrate the responses to at least two of the following questions into your initial posting. Remember to integrate at least 1 concept from the readings
Do you think this conflict could have been prevented?
Should Vicki and Maria just drop it and not discuss it?
What do you think Maria and Vicki could do to prevent more of this potentially time-wasting and destructive conflict?
If you were to write the “third” story of this conflict, what would it be?
What advice could you give to these conflicting parties?
Do think there is “hope” for this conflict and working relationship? Explain.
Is avoidance the same as prevention?
Your text discusses several benefits of learning conflict management, including success in the workplace. What skills do Maria and Vicki need to learn?
THE BOOK THAT YOU WILL NEED TO REFERENCE CHAPTERS 1&2 – Interpersonal conflict (11th ed.)
William W. Wilmot
ISBN-13: 9781264164264
ISBN-10: 1264164262
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
