Conflict Resolution UNIT 2 - CHALLENGE 1

As Sarah left Robert's office, she saw two coworkers, Ed and Karen, laughing. Sarah has had difficult relationships with Ed and Karen; both have expressed resentment about Sarah's success as a salesperson and her positive relationship with Robert. Karen looked at Sarah and said, "Heck of a good day, huh?" and gave a thumbs-up gesture. She didn't realize that Sarah couldn't see the thumbs-up because of a potted plant between them. Sarah was shocked because it sounded like Karen was mocking her. Frustrated, she retorted, "That is just cruel! I know we aren't friends, but you don't have to gloat!" and stormed off. Ed and Karen were puzzled by Sarah's reaction. Ed said, "Did she not hear about the bonus we're getting this year?" Karen replied, "Oh, wait... she just got out of a meeting with Robert, didn't she? I bet she hasn't even seen that email yet!" A receiver's interpretation of a message can be affected by many fa

The potted plant between Sarah and Karen

As Sarah talked with her mother about losing out on the promotion, she began to get more and more upset. Sarah talked about how embarrassed she felt about her outburst at Ed and Karen, her anger and feeling of betrayal toward the company, and her wish that Robert had been willing to fight for her. She said, "Mom, I just feel like a total failure!" Sarah's mother replied, "Look, Sarah. You need to remember that you have a job that keeps a roof over your head, buys you food, and lets you live your life independently. I know that doesn't change the fact that you feel so overlooked and undervalued by your boss. It's okay for you to feel frustrated by that." Sarah's mother is reminding Sarah that, according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, her physiological and safety needs are still being met even though her ___________ needs are not.

esteem

When Sarah went to her desk the day after she found out that she would not be promoted, she found a note from her boss, Robert: Sarah, I understand how badly you must feel right now. If it's any help, I missed out on several promotions myself when I first started, and I still ended up doing pretty well here. You will, too— you're too much like me to fail! I bet you're wondering if you should stay with the company at all after this; I would be, too. I'm still in charge, though, so I'll make sure that you are assigned to work closely with the new supervisor so that you'll be more likely to be up for promotion next. I supported you when you started here, so believe that I'll continue to support you. "I know that I was wrong about you getting the promotion, so it's hard to believe that I'm correct now. I'll do my level best to make sure that I don't steer you in the wrong direction again. Sarah decided to stay with the

"I'm still in charge, though, so I'll make sure that you are assigned to work closely with the new supervisor so that you'll be more likely to be up for promotion next."

In his meeting with Sarah, Robert said, "Sarah, I have some bad news. I know I more or less promised you the sales manager position when Anthony retired, but last month the company completely revised the requirements for promotions. I think that, without a doubt, you're the best person for the job, but according to the company's new requirements, you'd have to either work for us for three more years or have the best sales year ever next year to get the job. So a transfer from another office is taking the sales manager job." Sarah looked crestfallen. When she'd stepped into the office, she'd been ready to celebrate, but now she was crushed. "Isn't there anything we can do to change this?" she asked. "I really thought I deserved the promotion." Robert paused and thought about what to say before replying, "Sarah, I want to make something clear. I think that you are the right person for the job, and I spent the whole wee

"We won't win if we fight this, and it might even backfire and hurt both our reputations with the company."

Sarah had been working as a sales representative in a small, regional office of a big, national company for several years and was very successful. Her boss, Robert, repeatedly told her that she was next in line for a promotion to sales manager when the current manager, Anthony, retired. Robert was a very trustworthy boss, and had assured Sarah that her future with the company was bright. A week ago, Anthony told his co-workers that he was retiring. Today, Robert asked Sarah to meet him in his office at 11 AM. Before going to the meeting, Sarah said to her friend Dana, "Get ready to celebrate tonight. When I come out of Robert's office, we're going to have a good reason to!" Sarah has a belief system about promotions at her company, which has led to an assumption. Select the true statement about belief systems or assumptions in this scenario.

Belief systems can be powerful enough to escalate or de-escalate a conflict.

After leaving the office, Sarah went to a local coffee shop and called her mother. "Hi Mom," she said. "You know that promotion I was up for? Well, it's a thin envelope day." Sarah's mother replied, "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry you didn't get it. Tell me what happened." Sarah's mother understood the code Sarah was using to express her disappointment, making the communication between them effective Select the true statement about codes in communication.

Effective communication requires both parties to understand the code.

Sarah reviewed her options after being told she would not get the sales manager job in her office, and tried to decide if she would remain with the company. Sarah said to herself, "Well, the job market is tight right now, but with my sales record, I could probably get another job before too long. But I really like working for Robert, and I'd hate for him to think -or for ME to think - that I was giving up. On the other hand, some companies have much better salaries and benefits than mine does. And I never really loved what I sell now. Maybe I'd be a better salesperson for something I'm really passionate about Assuming that Sarah's current job is her comfort zone, select the statement that reflects fear of the unknown.

Sarah is unsure of what other job prospects are available to her and how they may be different from her current position.

After Robert told Sarah that she was not getting the promotion to sales manager, Sarah asked for a minute to compose herself. She left Robert's office, and went to the restroom. She breathed deeply several times, splashed her face with water, and then said to herself, "It's not Robert's fault. He's never lied to me in the past, so he's probably telling the truth now. He's not the one I should be angry at. He's not the one who made the decision on the job. But I really wish he had stood up for me." Sarah returned to Robert's office, and said, "Obviously I'm really disappointed and upset by this. Can we meet again tomorrow to talk about the situation when I'm a bit calmer?" Robert replied, "Sure. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? Do something nice and relax. Tomorrow we can try to make a plan." In addition to the adrenaline-controlling behaviors Sarah used, what other technique would have been appropriate to

Taking a short walk around the block

Sarah told her friend Dana about not getting the sales manager job, and about her encounter with Ed and Karen. Dana explained about the new bonus, and Sarah realized that she had misunderstood Ed and Karen's message. "Oh, great!" she said. "This day gets better and better! It's not like Ed, Karen, and I are buddies, but I've just humiliated myself. They'll just take that as proof that I shouldn't be promoted anyway! I acted like a college intern rather than a seasoned veteran. And they'll never back me up when I need a hand... why should they?" Core concerns are emotional needs that factor into all interpersonal relationships. Which of the following statements addresses the core concern of status?

I have an important position that is respected by others.

The day after finding out she did not get her promotion, Sarah approached Ed and Karen. "Hey guys, I acted really badly yesterday, and I'm sorry," she said. "You were trying to tell me about the bonus right after I got some bad news, and I totally misread the situation. I thought you were trying to rub it in, when you couldn't even have known what was happening. I know we aren't really close, but I felt that I really did wrong by you and want to make it up to you. I'm just so embarrassed by how I acted." Karen replied, "Sarah, forget about it. We heard this morning what happened, and if we'd known, we wouldn't have even approached you. And don't be embarrassed. Anyone would have reacted the way you did." Ed added, "Yeah, and I guess the good thing about all of this is that, for once, we're not all complaining about each other." Select the true statement about emotional intensity in this scenario.

Sarah experienced high emotional intensity yesterday, but a lower emotional intensity today.