Touchstone 2: Managing Organizational Conflict
It is difficult to know how to handle organizational conflict. When you
hear the word “conflict,” you might think about people arguing and
creating an unpleasant work environment. However, sometimes conflict can
be healthy when it comes from recognizing disagreement and differences
as symptoms of a deeper organizational problem that can be addressed. A
degree of conflict is vital to group success in order to avoid
groupthink and to generate more innovative ideas among members of a
group, who may have diverse opinions and points of view.
Review the case study below and apply your learning to answer the questions for this assignment.
SCENARIO: An insurance company executive and her managers have
been challenged by their company to increase the productivity of their
100 customer service associates. The associates are very diverse in all
respects, including cultural background and languages spoken. The
executive observes associates mingling during work hours and is
concerned they are under-performing as a result. She makes a unilateral
decision to have associates log their time on each call so they are more
accountable for their time. Associates complain that this new tracking
system takes time from their schedule, making them less productive.
After a few months, morale and productivity are lower, and tensions are
high due to the tracking system. The insurance executive hires you as an
independent management consultant to analyze the situation and
recommend solutions, including helping the stakeholders decide if the
tracking system should remain in place. Note that it is not your job to
make this decision but to facilitate an agreement supported by all or
most of the organization.
ASSIGNMENT: Use the best practices for managing and moderating
conflict in the workplace that you’ve learned in Unit 2 to address this
scenario. The insurance executive has hired you as an independent
management consultant to analyze the situation and recommend solutions,
including whether the tracking system should remain in place.
A. ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
STEP 1: DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE
Download the Touchstone 2 Template.
STEP 2: ANSWER QUESTIONS
Using the template, answer the following questions in 5-7 sentences each. You will return the completed template as your Touchstone submission.
What decision-making approach will you recommend the executive take for achieving the best decision on whether to keep this tracking system in place and for obtaining cooperation from the customer service associates? Why do you think this method is best? (See tutorial Building Consensus).
You recommend that the executive and managers meet with their customer service associates to better connect with them and create empathy as a key step toward resolving the conflict. What advice would you give to the executives and managers to facilitate such a meeting?
What advice would you give to customer service associates? (See tutorials Listening, Business Meetings, and Managing Conflict)
To accommodate their customers, the company employs a number of native speakers of Spanish, Russian, and other languages. In your recommendation about this tracking system issue, how will you ensure the meeting feels inclusive and equitable to these staff members? (See tutorials Advantages and Challenges of Diversity and Inclusion, and Strategies for Inclusive Communication)
Can you identify how this organization’s conflict might result in improvements to its internal processes and productivity? Can you explain some possible benefits of such improvements to the larger organization? (See tutorials Managing Conflict and Building Consensus)
