Workplace conflict comes in many forms and levels, with issues ranging from as simple as a coworker always interrupting at meetings to far more serious like a co-worker embezzling funds from the company. This case study will allow you to analyze a series of conflicts occurring in your team and provide an opportunity for you to apply the conflict management skills discussed in this unit.
Scenario: Your CEO has asked your team to design a workplace pamphlet to educate all departments on the PUGSS model of conflict management presented in the eTextbook. However, you have a problem. You would like for the whole team to be involved in creating the pamphlet, but your team is dealing with several individual conflicts that could derail the project. You are unable to move forward until their conflicts are resolved.
Applying the leadership concepts from this and other units, you must analyze the situation and develop a strategy to deal with each team member’s conflict issues so that the project can be completed by the whole team.
Begin with identifying each team member’s conflict style based on your analysis of the team member dynamics below. Interpret how each of their styles could affect the team and the project.
· Mr. A.: Does not seem to care about anyone on the team and seems to have very little passion or energy for completing the team assignment.
· Ms. B: Wants to have everyone get along, so she volunteers to help other team members with their work to keep peace in her department. Unfortunately, she is getting none of her own work done.
· Mr. C: Is frustrating everyone else on the team. He refuses to listen to anyone else’s ideas and feels everyone should just get on board with his suggestion so the team can finally get the job done.
· Mrs. D: Notices there are people upset on her team, and she is trying to get everyone to sit down and have a talk so the team can get more done.
· Mr. E: Offered to give up his idea of creating an interactive forum for a more participative PUGSS section on the company website (which you actually thought had the most potential), If Mr. C will give up a part of his plan to have the pamphlets only available in the company lounge and find some middle ground the whole team can agree on.
Next, you will explain your strategy to resolve conflict to allow the team to complete the project. You must:
· Assign one aspect of the PUGSS model to each team member to work on for the pamphlet.
· Determine how you will lead your team and facilitate conflict resolution to help the team work together to create the PUGSS pamphlet for your company. This section should contain a detailed explanation of your conflict management plan with specific actions needed for each team member to overcome their obstacles. For example, how you will follow up on each coworker’s conflict issue in order to help your team stay on track? Be sure to develop a plan to address all conflicts.
Finally, provide a written summary of your team’s final pamphlet that you will present to your CEO. This summary should include a detailed explanation of the PUGSS model and the steps in the PUGSS approach to conflict (with examples for each step).
Your case study should present an insightful and thorough analysis with strong arguments and evidence. It must be at least three pages in length, not including the title and reference pages.
You must use at least three sources, one of which may be your textbook, to support your analysis. All sources used must have properly formatted APA Style citations and references.