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496 Part 5 • Controlling
MyManagementLab

Go to mymanagementlab.com for the following Assisted-graded writing questions:
15­11 How could you use value chain management in your 15­13 MyManagementLab Only – comprehensive writing
everyday life? Be specific. assignment for this chapter.
15­12 How does technology affect operations management
decisions?

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Management Skill Builder BEING a GOOD CONflICt

MaNaGEr

Managing any project will require good conflict management skills. You’ll typically have to work across
vertical and horizontal levels in the organization, deal with people over whom you have no formal authority,
and have to negotiate schedules, deadlines, work assignments, and the like with people possibly both inside
and outside the organization.

PeRSONAl INVeNTORy ASSeSSMeNT P I A PERSONAL
INVENTORY
ASSESSMENT
strategies for Handling Conflict
Conflict can arise any time you’re working with a group of people on a project. Use this
PIA to assess different strategies for handling conflict.

Practicing the Skill • Evaluate the conflict parties. Who is involved in the con-
flict? What interests do you or they represent? What are
To manage conflict effectively, you need to know yourself, as each party’s values, personality, feelings, and resources?
well as the conflicting parties; to understand the situation that
has created the conflict; and to be aware of your options. 58 • Assess the source of the conflict. The most common
• What’s your underlying conflict-handling style? Most of sources of interpersonal conflicts in organizations are
us have the ability to vary our conflict response accord- communication differences, structural differences (i.e.,
ing to the situation, but each of us has a preferred style rules, territorial battles, budget conflicts, questions of
for handling conflicts. These styles include collaborating authority), and personality and value differences. Com-
(accommodating various points of view to seek a win-win munication conflicts are typically the easiest to resolve,
solution); compromising (we both give up something so while personality and value differences the most difficult.
there is no clear winner or loser); accommodating (self- Knowing the source of a conflict will narrow your choic-
sacrificing by putting others’ interests above your own); es of resolution techniques.
forcing (satisfying your own interest regardless of the • Select the best option. In addition to the five preferred
impact on others); and avoiding (withdrawing from or sup- styles of handling conflict noted above, additional reso-
pressing differences).
lution techniques include expanding the scarce resource
• Selectively choose the conflicts you want to handle. Not ev- (such as a budget or promotion opportunities) that is caus-
ery conflict justifies your attention. Avoidance may appear ing the conflict; creating a shared goal that requires all
to be a cop-out, but it can sometimes be the most appropri- parties to the conflict to cooperate on; behavioral-change
ate response. Avoid trivial conflicts and save your efforts intervention and counseling; and reorganizing jobs or
for the ones that count. departments.