conflict management case study examples

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Case Study of Conflict Management: To Resolve Disputes and Manage Conflicts, Assume a Neutral 3rd Party Role

Here is a case study of conflict management emphasizing the importance of hearing all sides in a dispute.

By PON Staff — on January 11th, 2024 / Conflict Resolution

In their book Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (Penguin Putnam, 2000), authors Douglas Stone , Bruce Patton , and Sheila Heen tell us how to engage in the conversations in our professional or personal lives that make us uncomfortable by examining a case study of conflict management. Tough, honest conversations are critical for managers, whether they need to change the group culture, manage conflict within a team, give a negative performance evaluation, disagree with others in a group, or offer an apology.

To set the stage for a productive discussion, open a difficult conversation with the “Third Story,” advise the authors of Difficult Conversations . The Third Story is one an impartial observer, such as a mediator, would tell; it’s a version of events both sides can agree on. “The key is learning to describe the gap—or difference—between your story and the other person’s story. Whatever else you may think and feel, you can at least agree that you and the other person see things differently,” Stone, Patton, and Heen write.

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In our FREE special report from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School - The New Conflict Management: Effective Conflict Resolution Strategies to Avoid Litigation – renowned negotiation experts uncover unconventional approaches to conflict management that can turn adversaries into partners.

Suppose two regional sales reps share responsibility for sending weekly updates to their manager. Brad always submits them on time, but Frank often turns them in late. Saying, “Frank, you’ve turned in the sales reports late again” would only put Frank on the defensive. Instead, Brad opens the conversation this way: “Frank, you and I place a different value on deadlines. I want to explain why meeting them is important to me, and then I’d like to hear your take on them.”

Brad learns that Frank, when faced with the choice of possibly making a sale or compiling the report, thinks he should focus on the sale. With this insight, Brad proposes another way to share responsibilities: Brad will complete the report when it’s Frank’s turn to do so, as long as Frank gives Brad two hours’ notice and a share in any commission Frank earns as a result of being able to continue pursuing a lead.

What are your favorite conflict management methods?

Related Conflict Resolution Article: Conflict Management Skills When Dealing with an Angry Public – Here is some negotiation advice drawn from a case study of conflict management dealing with an angry public.

Adapted from “How to Say What Matters Most,” by Susan Hackley (former managing director, Program on Negotiation), first published in the  Negotiation  newsletter.

Originally published in 2010.

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Must-Have Conflict Management Case Study Examples with Templates and Samples

Ananya Bhaduri

“Avoiding conflict doesn’t make it go away; it just goes away and sharpens its fangs.”- Amy Alkon.

Conflicts often emerge like untamed brushstrokes on a canvas in the vast tapestry of the modern workplace, where diverse personalities and ambitions intertwine. Like skilled artists, adept leaders know conflict management is critical to transforming these chaotic clashes into harmonious masterpieces. Picture a symphony conductor orchestrating a medley of differing notes, rhythmically merging dissonance into a harmonious melody. Workplace conflict management is akin to that conductor, delicately navigating the complexities of human interaction, listening to the various voices and perspectives, and conducting a harmonious resolution. It is the art of understanding, empathy, and communication, allowing teams to transcend discord and embark on a collective journey toward collaboration and success.

Importance of Conflict Management

Conflict management or conflict resolution is essential for fostering productive and harmonious relationships in both personal and professional contexts. It is pivotal in promoting understanding, resolving differences, and facilitating growth and innovation. Effective conflict management enables individuals and groups to navigate disagreements, negotiate compromises and maintain a positive and collaborative atmosphere.

By addressing conflicts constructively, conflicts can be transformed into opportunities for learning and development. Conflict management helps to prevent escalation and destructive outcomes, such as strained relationships, loss of trust, and decreased productivity. It promotes open communication, active listening, end empathy, allowing parties to express their concerns, interests, and needs.

Moreover, conflict management is crucial for promoting diversity and inclusivity. It encourages the exploration of various perspectives and fosters a culture of respect and acceptance. By acknowledging and valuing differences, conflicts can be seen as a means to challenge assumptions, foster creativity, and drive innovation.

In summary, conflict management is of utmost importance. It enables individuals and organizations to handle disagreements and differences constructively, improving relationships, increasing productivity, and creating a more inclusive and resilient environment. 

Suppose you're willing to offer practical training for your team and colleagues regarding conflict management. In that case, you can check our training module, which focuses on workplace conflict and prevention techniques.

Template 1: A Case Study on Conflict Management at Workplace 

Explore the following template that showcases a case study on workplace conflict management. Use this pre-designed template to outline the context of the conflict within your organization. This concise yet comprehensible template enables your workforce to effectively grasp the conflict's background. Get this template now!

Download now

Template 2: A case study on Conflict Management at the Workplace

Use this slide to highlight the decision regarding conflict management in your organization. This template describes the decision taken and the outcome of the decision. This ready-to-use template is column structured. One explains the decisions taken, and the other denotes the outcomes. This format easily attracts customers; you can edit the decisions and outcomes per your requirements.

Template 3: Recommended Conflict Management Solution Template

This content-ready template helps you showcase the recommendations regarding the conflict management solution. It states that the decisions should be based on facts, and there should be proper reasoning when making the decisions. On the other hand, it also mentions using external assessment firms for making such decisions. Lastly, you can formulate workplace behavior rules and regulations to control aggressive employee behavior. Since this template is customizable, you can add more recommendations according to your needs. 

Template 4: Case Study on Employee Dispute at Workplace Template

This PPT Slide allows you to describe the background of the employee dispute in your workplace. Disputes or conflicts can be based on discrimination. In this template, you can highlight the conflict between the employees and what are the issues faced by them. Get this slide now to get started!

Template 5: Conflict with Manager Template

Use this slide to emphasize the background of the conflict involving the manager. This specific slide highlights the conflict stemming from divergent perspectives on a project. Our dedicated experts have designed these templates to be easily editable, enabling you to incorporate the conflict's background according to your specific needs. Access this template from the given link.

Template 6: Conflict Resolution Approach Template

Discover this PPT Template that showcases the conflict resolution approach adopted within your organization. Within this template, the initial resolution articulates a clear and rational rationale for the change in approach. The second resolution emphasizes the significance of mutual agreement through a constructive dialogue between the employee and the manager. You have the flexibility to customize the resolutions based on the conflict background prevalent in your company. The captivating structure and enriching content of this template will undoubtedly captivate your audience. Act now and seize this opportunity!

Template 7: Mediation at Workplace Template

Mediation holds utmost importance in resolving workplace conflicts among employees or teams. To address conflicts within your company, avail yourself of this downloadable template. It provides a platform to outline the background of the conflict comprehensively. The template emphasizes conducting a role play to effectively resolve the conflict, suggesting the involvement of three individuals as volunteers to portray the employees' roles. However, you have the liberty to customize the template to suit your specific requirements. Download this template right away.

Template 8: Outcome of the Decision Template

This template allows you to focus on the Outcome of the decision. It states that the mediation process helps when communication doesn't work. With this template, you can identify the cause of failure and find new ways of working together. Grab this template now!

Template 9: Conflict Resolution Template

Use this PPT Slide to define your actions regarding the resolution of conflict when both of them were part of your team. With the background of the incident, you can act to resolve the conflict. The colorful and rich content can easily attract your customers. Get this template from the given link!

Template 10: Approach and Outcome Template

This template helps you to find the approach and outcomes of conflict resolution in the workplace. It states to review the entire situation first, then the concerned employees and the managers should be interviewed, and lastly, there should be some psychometric tests to assess the personality. This will lead to understanding the persistent stress level of the employees.

Wrapping up

The above ten templates related to workplace conflict management will help you point out, avoid and mitigate workplace conflicts. Do you know these templates are easily customizable? Also, you can use and save these powerpoint graphics in the format of your choice. 

FAQs on Conflict Management

What is a good example of conflict management.

X manages a customer service team. She oversees 16 employees, and it's her first leadership role. She has one team member, Y, with a low customer satisfaction score. In a previous meeting, she told Y she would like her to raise the score, but it's been a month without improvement.

In such cases, X could work to develop her leadership and communication skills by conducting a training session.

What is an example of a conflict case?

X is an accountant for a software production company. He requires all the sales figures each month to create his reports. One of his colleagues on the sales team, Mr. Y, always gives him the figures late, which affects X's report.

What are the five types of conflict management?

Five types of Conflict management includes-accommodating is the situation when the issue is not essential to you as it is to the other person; avoiding involves simply ignoring the issue; compromising is the opportunity to find a middle-ground solution; collaborating is beyond finding the middle ground to finding a solution and competing that involves sticking to your argument.

What are the 5 Cs of conflict management with examples?

The five C's include- carefully listening, considering the situation, having a calm discussion, conscientiously looking at the facts, and cooperatively working together.

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Appendix A: Case Studies

List of case studies, case study 1: handling roommate conflicts, case study 2: salary negotiation at college corp, case study 3: oecollaboration, case study 4: the ohio connection, case study 5: uber pays the price, case study 6: diverse teams hold court.

Chapter Reference: Section 2.2 Approaches to Conflict

Whether you have a roommate by choice, by necessity, or through the random selection process of your school’s housing office, it’s important to be able to get along with the person who shares your living space. While having a roommate offers many benefits such as making a new friend, having someone to experience a new situation like college life with, and having someone to split the cost on your own with, there are also challenges. Some common roommate conflicts involve neatness, noise, having guests, sharing possessions, value conflicts, money conflicts, and personality conflicts (Ball State University, 2001). Read the following scenarios and answer the following questions for each one:

• Which conflict management style, from the five discussed, would you use in this situation?
• What are the potential strengths of using this style?
• What are the potential weaknesses of using this style?

Scenario 1: Neatness. Your college dorm has bunk beds, and your roommate takes a lot of time making their bed (the bottom bunk) each morning. They have told you that they don’t want anyone sitting on or sleeping in the bed when they are not in the room. While your roommate is away for the weekend, your friend comes to visit and sits on the bottom bunk bed. You tell your friend what your roommate said, and you try to fix the bed back before your roommate returns to the dorm. When they return, your roommate notices that the bed has been disturbed and confronts you about it.

Scenario 2: Noise and having guests. Your roommate has a job waiting tables and gets home around midnight on Thursday nights. They often brings a couple friends from work home with them. They watch television, listen to music, or play video games and talk and laugh. You have an 8 a.m. class on Friday mornings and are usually asleep when they returns. Last Friday, you talked to your roommate and asked them to keep it down in the future. Tonight, their noise has woken you up and you can’t get back to sleep.

Scenario 3: Sharing possessions. When you go out to eat, you often bring back leftovers to have for lunch the next day during your short break between classes. You didn’t have time to eat breakfast, and you’re really excited about having your leftover pizza for lunch until you get home and see your roommate sitting on the couch eating the last slice.

Scenario 4: Money conflicts. Your roommate got mono and missed two weeks of work last month. Since they have a steady job and you have some savings, you cover their portion of the rent and agree that they will pay your portion next month. The next month comes around and your roommate informs you that they only have enough to pay their half of the rent.

Scenario 5: Value and personality conflicts. You like to go out to clubs and parties and have friends over, but your roommate is much more of an introvert. You’ve tried to get them to come out with you or join the party at your place, but they’d rather study. One day your roommate tells you that they want to break the lease so they can move out early to live with one of their friends. You both signed the lease, so you have to agree or they can’t do it. If you break the lease, you automatically lose your portion of the security deposit

Works Adapted

“ Conflict and Interpersonal Communication ” in Communication in the Real World  by University of Minnesota is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Ball State University. (2001). Roommate conflicts. accessed June 16, 2001, from  http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/CounselingCenter/VirtualSelfHelpLibrary/RoommateIssues.asx.

Chapter Reference:  Section 2.4 Negotiation

Janine just graduated college, she’s ready to head out on her own and get that first job, and she’s through her first interviews. She receives an offer of a $28,000 salary, including benefits from COLLEGE CORP, from an entry-level marketing position that seems like a perfect fit. She is thrown off by the salary they are offering and knows that it is lower than what she was hoping for. Instead of panicking, she takes the advice of her mentor and does a little research to know what the market range for the salary is for her area. She feels better after doing this, knowing that she was correct and the offer is low compared to the market rate. After understanding more about the offer and the rates, she goes back to the HR representative and asks for her preferred rate of $32,500, knowing the minimum that she would accept is $30,000. Instead of going in for her lowest amount, she started higher to be open to negotiations with the company. She also sent a note regarding her expertise that warranted why she asked for that salary. To her happy surprise, the company counter offered at $31,000—and she accepted.

• What key points of Janice’s negotiation led to her success?
• What could have Janice done better to get a better outcome for her salary?

“ Conflict and Negotiations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

“Good & Bad Salary Negotiations,”  Salary.com , April 19, 2018, https://www.salary.com/articles/good-bad-examples-of-salary-negotiations .

Herner, M. (n.d). 5 things HR wishes you knew about salary negotiation. Payscale.com, accessed October 21, 2018, https://www.payscale.com/salary-negotiation-guide/salary-negotiation-tips-from-hr .

Chapter Reference:  Section 3.2 Creating, Maintaining, and Changing Culture

At OECollaboration, a technology company that develops virtual collaboration software for new companies, Mike Jones is a new manager. One of the biggest challenges he has faced is that the team that he is managing is well established and because he is an outsider, the team members haven’t yet developed trust in him.

Two weeks into his new employment, Mike held a meeting and discussed all of the changes to the remote work agreements as well as implementing new meeting requirements for each employee to have a biweekly meeting scheduled with him to discuss their projects. The team was outraged, they were not excited, and the following days he wasn’t greeted in a friendly way; in addition, his team seemed less engaged when asked to participate in team functions.

Tracy James is also a new manager at OECollaboration who started at the same time as Mike, in a similar situation where she is a new manager of an existing team. Tracy was able to hold a meeting the first day on the job to listen to her team and get to know them. During this meeting she also told the team about herself and her past experiences. Additionally, she held one-on-one meetings to listen to each of her team members to discuss what they were working on and their career goals. After observation and discussion with upper management, she aligned her own team goals closely with the skills and experiences of her new team. She met with the whole team to make changes to a few policies, explaining why they were being changed, and set the strategy for the team moving forward.

Because she got her team involved and learned about them before implementing her new strategy, this was well received. Her team still had questions and concerns, but they felt like they could trust her and that they were included in the changes that were being made.

• What challenges can a new manager encounter when starting to manage an existing team?
• What strategies can a new manager implement to ensure that their new team is engaged with them and open to change and growth?

Adapted Works

“ Organizational Power and Politics ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Giang, V. (2013, July 31). The 7 types of power that shape the workplace. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-types-of-power-that-shape-the-workplace-2013-7

Morin, A. (2018, June 25). How to prevent a workplace bully from taking your power. Inc. https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/how-to-prevent-a-workplace-bully-from-taking-your-power.html

Weinstein,  B. (n.d.). 10 tips for dealing with a bully boss,” CIO , accessed October 13, 2018, https://www.cio.com.au/article/198499/10_tips_dealing_bully_boss/.

Chapter Reference:  Section 4.1 Power

Janey worked as an executive assistant to a product manager at her company: Ohio Connection. Overall, she loved her job; she was happy to work with a company that provided great benefits, and she and found enjoyment in her day-to-day work. She had the same product manager boss for years, but last year, her manager left Ohio Connection and retired. Recently her new manager has been treating her unfairly and showcasing bullying behavior.

Yesterday, Janey came into work, and her boss decided to use their power as her manager and her “superior” to demand that she stay late to cover for him, correct reports that he had made mistakes on, and would not pay her overtime. She was going to be late to pick up her son from soccer practice if she stayed late; she told him this, and he was not happy.

Over subsequent days, her boss consistently would make comments about her performance, even though she had always had good remarks on reviews, and created a very negative work environment. The next time she was asked to stay late, she complied for fear of losing her job or having other negative impacts on her job. Janey’s situation was not ideal, but she didn’t feel she had a choice.

• What type of power did Janey’s boss employ to get her to do the things that he wanted her to do?
• What negative consequences are apparent in this situation and other situations where power is not balanced in the workplace?
• What steps should Janey take do to counteract the power struggle that is occurring with her new manager?

Chapter Reference:   Section 5.1 Interpersonal Relationships at Work

Uber revolutionized the taxi industry and the way people commute. With the simple mission “to bring transportation—for everyone, everywhere,” today Uber has reached a valuation of around $70 billion and claimed a market share high of almost 90% in 2015. However, in June 2017 Uber experienced a series of bad press regarding an alleged culture of sexual harassment, which is what most experts believe caused their market share to fall to 75%.

In February of 2017 a former software engineer, Susan Fowler, wrote a lengthy post on her website regarding her experience of being harassed by a manager who was not disciplined by human resources for his behavior. In her post, Fowler wrote that Uber’s HR department and members of upper management told her that because it was the man’s first offense, they would only give him a warning. During her meeting with HR about the incident, Fowler was also advised that she should transfer to another department within the organization. According to Fowler, she was ultimately left no choice but to transfer to another department, despite having specific expertise in the department in which she had originally been working.

As her time at the company went on, she began meeting other women who worked for the company who relayed their own stories of harassment. To her surprise, many of the women reported being harassed by the same person who had harassed her. As she noted in her blog, “It became obvious that both HR and management had been lying about this being his ‘first offense.’” Fowler also reported a number of other instances that she identified as sexist and inappropriate within the organization and claims that she was disciplined severely for continuing to speak out. Fowler eventually left Uber after about two years of working for the company, noting that during her time at Uber the percentage of women working there had dropped to 6% of the workforce, down from 25% when she first started.

Following the fallout from Fowler’s lengthy description of the workplace on her website, Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick publicly condemned the behavior described by Fowler, calling it “abhorrent and against everything Uber stands for and believes in.” But later in March, Uber board member Arianna Huffington claimed that she believed “sexual harassment was not a systemic problem at the company.” Amid pressure from bad media attention and the company’s falling market share, Uber made some changes after an independent investigation resulted in 215 complaints. As a result, 20 employees were fired for reasons ranging from sexual harassment to bullying to retaliation to discrimination, and Kalanick announced that he would hire a chief operating officer to help manage the company. In an effort to provide the leadership team with more diversity, two senior female executives were hired to fill the positions of chief brand officer and senior vice president for leadership and strategy.

Critical Thinking Questions

• Based on Cox’s business case for diversity, what are some positive outcomes that may result in changes to Uber’s leadership team?
• If the case had occurred in Canada, what forms of legislation would have protected Fowler?
• What strategies should have been put in place to help prevent sexual harassment incidents like this from happening in the first place?

“ Diversity in Organizations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Della Cava, M. (2017, June 13). Uber has lost market share to Lyft during crisis. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/06/13/uber-market-share-customer-image-hit-string-scandals/102795024/

Fowler, T. (2017, February 19). Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber. https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber.

Lien,  T. (2017, June 6). Uber fires 20 workers after harassment investigation. Los Angeles Times.  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-uber-sexual-harassment-20170606-story.html

Uber (2017, February). Company info. https://www.uber.com/newsroom/company-info/

Chapter Reference:  Section 5.3 Collaboration, Decision-Making and Problem Solving in Groups

Diverse teams have been proven to be better at problem-solving and decision-making for a number of reasons. First, they bring many different perspectives to the table. Second, they rely more on facts and use those facts to substantiate their positions. What is even more interesting is that, according to the Scientific American article “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” simply “being around people who are different from us makes more creative, diligent, and harder-working.”

One case in point is the example of jury decision-making, where fact-finding and logical decision-making are of utmost importance. A 2006 study of jury decision-making, led by social psychologist Samuel Sommers of Tufts University, showed that racially diverse groups exchanged a wider range of information during deliberation of a case than all-White groups did. The researcher also conducted mock jury trials with a group of real jurors to show the impact of diversity on jury decision-making.

Interestingly enough, it was the mere presence of diversity on the jury that made jurors consider the facts more, and they had fewer errors recalling the relevant information. The groups even became more willing to discuss the role of race case, when they hadn’t before with an all-White jury. This wasn’t the case because the diverse jury members brought new information to the group—it happened because, according to the author, the mere presence of diversity made people more open-minded and diligent. Given what we discussed on the benefits of diversity, it makes sense. People are more likely to be prepared, to be diligent, and to think logically about something if they know that they will be pushed or tested on it. And who else would push you or test you on something, if not someone who is different from you in perspective, experience, or thinking. “Diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not.”

So, the next time you are called for jury duty, or to serve on a board committee, or to make an important decision as part of a team, remember that one way to generate a great discussion and come up with a strong solution is to pull together a diverse team.

• If you don’t have a diverse group of people on your team, how can you ensure that you will have robust discussions and decision-making? What techniques can you use to generate conversations from different perspectives?
• Evaluate your own team at work. Is it a diverse team? How would you rate the quality of decisions generated from that group?

Sources: Adapted from Katherine W. Phillips, “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” Scientific American, October 2014, p. 7–8.

“ Critical Thinking Case ” in  Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Conflict Management Copyright © 2022 by Laura Westmaas, BA, MSc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Case Study #7: Empowered Process---Skilled Leadership: Diffusion, Party Capacity & Speaking Truth to Power

• Erbe, Nancy

This is the seventh case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Introduction to Conflict Case Studies

Case Study #1: Neutral Fact-Finding and Empowerment Within Conflicted Systems

Case Study #2: Intrapersonal Approaches to Conflict: Cognitive and Perceptual Biases

Case Study #3: Negative Intergroup Influence

Case Study #4: Empathy: Effective Response with Escalating Aggression

Case Study #5: Assessing Covert Bad Faith and Power Abuse

Case Study #6: Cultural Competence: Ethical and Empowered Response With Discrimination

Case Study #7: Empowered Process---Skilled Leadership: Diffusion, Party Capacity and Speaking Truth to Power

Case Series #8: Empowered Process: Multicultural Collaboration

Case Study #2: Intrapersonal Approaches to Conflict: Cognitive & Perceptual Biases

This is the second case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the first case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This series, Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action, presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying this introduction. Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided here is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the sixth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the third case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the fourth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Case Study #5: Assessing Covert Bad Faith & Power Abuse

This is the fifth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Case Study #8: Empowered Process: Multicultural Collaboration

This is the eighth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

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Examples of Conflict in the Workplace - Scenarios & Solutions

Table of Contents

• Scenario 1 — You get off on the wrong foot with a new coworker
• Scenario 2 — Someone sends you urgent requests after hours
• Scenario 3 — Things got awkward between you and your work friend after you got a promotion

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable.

So how can we set ourselves up to deal with conflict as constructively and professionally as possible?

After all, conflict is a necessary - and healthy - element of all human relationships. The key is to make sure that bottled up emotions and/or uncontrolled outbursts don't lead to toxicity in the workplace.

That's why we hosted an interactive chat with Sharon Ray, a conflict resolution expert with 25+ years of experience in HR.

Watch the Chat

"Anytime you deal with people, you're going to have some sort of disagreement or conflict. Conflict in the workplace is an exercise in persuasion. Being able to problem solve and find the best solution for both sides."

Sharon fielded questions from the PowerToFly community about how to deal with a number of examples of conflict in the workplace.

You get off on the wrong foot with a new coworker.

They ask you for help responding to a customer inquiry, but you refuse to lend a hand because you are working on a tight deadline and don't want to waste time. There has been tension between you two ever since, and now you need their help on a project, but they're not being very responsive.

How do you recover?

Proposed Solution

Go own it! Find an appropriate time to walk up to them and say,"I understand that we got off on the wrong foot. My apologies for that. What I'm trying to resolve is X. Can we have a conversation about that?"

Regardless of who the conflict is with - an employee, your boss, etc., they'll think more highly of you if you demonstrate self-awareness. The conversation may be awkward, but that's better than a tense relationship that could last years all because you got off on the wrong foot.

Key Focus : It's all about how you approach the situation.

Try to maintain respect in the conversation and understand that it does not mean that you're going to love each other at the end of it. At the end of the day you are trying to resolve something so that you can move forward and execute on whatever project or plan you need to deliver.

You're frustrated because your colleague in France keeps messaging you at 5am (your time). They send you seemingly urgent requests when you're sleeping or just waking up, and you're sick of being bombarded with 11 requests before you've even sat down at your desk. You get the vibe they don't like you very much and you don't know how to approach them.

Avoiding confrontation is making your situation worse, not better! Schedule a time to chat with them via phone or video call.

Bring the spirit of collaboration to the table!

Uncover the root of the problem by asking questions - "Is there any particular reason you send me requests before I'm up? Am I responding to you too late?"

Once you understand why they're doing it, you can help them articulate their needs. Maybe they send you 11 messages at 6am because that's right before their lunchtime, and they don't want to forget their questions when they go on break.

Now figure out a solution that works for both of you. Can they send themselves a reminder on Slack to ping you with their questions when you're at your desk? Can you just ignore their messages until you clock in now that you understand they're not time sensitive? Should you schedule a morning check in to go over these requests in real time rather than via message?

Key Focus: Have a candid conversation to ease any tensions long distance can bring.

You got a promotion that your friend at work was also gunning for. Now things are awkward between you two. You definitely want to keep the friendship going, but they aren't even speaking to you outside of team meetings.

Sharon suggests going up to the person and owning it. Tell them that you know it's an uncomfortable situation and that you'd like to continue the relationship. These situations are tough, but radical candor is important - learn more about how to practice it in the workplace here .

Key Focus: Be proactive. Break the ice. Figure out how to work together.

Important Note: Never apologize for your promotion/moving your career forward. Prepare to be content with the other person's decision if they are no longer interested in continuing the friendship.

Don't see your specific scenario listed above? Feel free to check out the full video for more examples of conflict in the workplace scenarios - and solutions!

Here are some highlighted questions from the chat and learn :

• What steps should I be taking to resolve conflicts at work? (4:21)
• What if the company you work for does not have an HR department, Should we expect the owner of the company to be the mediator? If so, are there tools he/she could reference when dealing with this type of situation? (4:29)
• How do I know when to escalate an issue with a coworker? (10:35)
• What are some suggestions to implement when management refuses to address issues of conflict? (10:42)
• I feel like my team is always combating my ideas. How do I address this? (17:47)
• How does one approach a manager who is part of the conflict without being scared to bring up the issue? (17:55)
• As a manager, how can I help my team address conflict better? (29:20)
• Could you please talk about conflict resolution and remote/international teams who may have geographical and cultural differences? (43:08)
• How do you best approach a coworker (same tenure) who's not doing their share of the work, while being respectful/not coming across as a manager/supervisor? (44:48)
• How do you think conflict can be an avenue for innovation? (47:34)

We'll leave you with some parting words from Sharon: "Whatever the scenario, keep in mind that we are human, and will face conflict. How we resolve that conflict is key."

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Putting conflict management into practice: a nursing case study

Affiliation.

• 1 Department of Community Nursing and Midwifery, School of Nursing, University of Navarre, Navarre, Spain. [email protected]
• PMID: 16600008
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2934.2006.00554.x

Aim: This paper is intended to put knowledge in conflict management into practice through reflecting on a nursing case study.

Background: Nursing organizations are particularly vulnerable to conflict as the context of nurses' work may be difficult and stressful. Power conflict is argued to be an important source of tension within nursing units. Learning to manage conflict at an early stage is therefore crucial to the effective functioning of nursing organizations.

Evaluation: A nursing case study that illustrates power conflict in an oncology nursing unit is displayed and reflection on conflict management from the case is provided.

Key issues: There is no appropriate or inappropriate strategy to deal with conflict. However, detecting initial symptoms of conflict and adopting the most effective behaviour to conflict resolution is essential in nursing units.

Conclusion: Further nursing education in conflict management for staff nurses and nurse managers is greatly needed.

Publication types

• Adaptation, Psychological
• Attitude of Health Personnel*
• Avoidance Learning
• Communication
• Competitive Behavior
• Conflict, Psychological*
• Cooperative Behavior
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Hospital Units / organization & administration
• Interprofessional Relations*
• Negotiating
• Nurse Administrators / education
• Nurse Administrators / organization & administration
• Nurse Administrators / psychology*
• Nursing Methodology Research
• Nursing Staff, Hospital / education
• Nursing Staff, Hospital / organization & administration
• Nursing Staff, Hospital / psychology*
• Oncology Nursing / organization & administration
• Organizational Culture
• Power, Psychological
• Problem Solving
• Social Dominance
• Time Factors
• Workplace / organization & administration
• Workplace / psychology

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Q: Why did you choose this career?

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Undertaking (does not require signature): By Submitting this assessment, the student hereby declares that the attached assignment is his/her own work and s/he has not knowingly or unknowingly plagiarized or colluded with another student. The student understands that any form of cheating on the assessment is not acceptable by the Centre for Executive Education and could lead to failure in the assessment in the first instance.

Core issues of IMP

The following are the major questions that must be asked of the IMP Company with regard to issues facing the organization.

What were the language policy and the nature of employee relations in the company? Did they respect one another?

Self-analysis paper case study examples.

Analysis Section

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