CLC Conflict Resolution & Mediation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'conflict contagion' and why is it relevant for leadership coaches?
- A legal term for spreading false information during disputes
- The tendency for unresolved conflict to spread negativity across a team (Correct answer)
- A negotiation tactic using emotional pressure
- The process of documenting conflict patterns over time
Correct answer: The tendency for unresolved conflict to spread negativity across a team
Conflict contagion describes how unaddressed interpersonal disputes spread stress, reduced trust, and decreased morale to the broader team.
Question 2: A coachee reports that every disagreement with their colleague escalates quickly. Which coaching intervention would most directly address this pattern?
- Advise the coachee to avoid all interactions with the colleague
- Help the coachee identify their personal conflict triggers and responses (Correct answer)
- Recommend the coachee request a team reassignment
- Suggest the coachee document every incident for HR
Correct answer: Help the coachee identify their personal conflict triggers and responses
Exploring personal triggers builds self-awareness that enables the coachee to interrupt their reactive pattern before escalation occurs.
Question 3: In cross-cultural conflict resolution, which approach is most important for a leadership coach to adopt?
- Apply a single universal conflict resolution model consistently
- Assume that direct confrontation is always culturally appropriate
- Recognize that conflict expression and resolution norms vary by culture (Correct answer)
- Defer all cross-cultural conflicts to an external consultant
Correct answer: Recognize that conflict expression and resolution norms vary by culture
Cultural norms around directness, hierarchy, and face-saving significantly shape how conflict is expressed and what resolution approaches will be effective.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'procedural justice' in a conflict resolution context?
- Ensuring the outcome financially compensates the harmed party
- Ensuring the process used to resolve the conflict is perceived as fair (Correct answer)
- Following every step of the formal grievance procedure
- Having a lawyer review the resolution agreement
Correct answer: Ensuring the process used to resolve the conflict is perceived as fair
Procedural justice refers to the perceived fairness of the process itself, which strongly predicts whether parties accept and commit to the outcome.
Question 5: A leader discovers that a conflict between two employees stems from competing performance incentives. This is an example of which type of conflict source?
- Personality clash
- Structural or systemic conflict (Correct answer)
- Value incompatibility
- Communication breakdown
Correct answer: Structural or systemic conflict
When organizational structures like incentive systems pit individuals against each other, the conflict source is structural rather than personal.
Question 6: What is the 'cooling-off period' technique used for in conflict mediation?
- To allow the mediator time to research the topic
- To give parties time to calm emotional arousal before substantive dialogue (Correct answer)
- To give HR time to review the conflict documentation
- To allow the conflict to resolve naturally without intervention
Correct answer: To give parties time to calm emotional arousal before substantive dialogue
A cooling-off period reduces emotional intensity so parties can engage in rational, productive problem-solving rather than reactive arguments.
Question 7: Which post-conflict follow-up action best prevents recurrence and sustains the resolution?
- Closing the case file once parties sign an agreement
- Scheduling a check-in meeting 2–4 weeks after the resolution (Correct answer)
- Publicizing the resolution to the whole team as a cautionary example
- Reassigning parties to separate departments permanently
Correct answer: Scheduling a check-in meeting 2–4 weeks after the resolution
A scheduled follow-up check-in reinforces accountability, addresses emerging issues early, and signals that the resolution is an ongoing commitment.
CLC Conflict Resolution & Mediation 5
What is 'conflict contagion' and why is it relevant for leadership coaches?