Conflict Management Conflict Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which conflict management approach is best when a decision must be made quickly and the stakes are high?
- Avoiding
- Compromising
- Collaborating
- Competing (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Competing
Competing (asserting your position firmly) is appropriate in emergencies requiring swift, decisive action when there is no time for consensus-building.
Question 2: What does 'reframing' mean in the context of conflict resolution?
- Changing the physical setting of the negotiation
- Presenting an issue in a new way to shift perspective (Correct answer)
- Formally documenting the conflict for HR records
- Reassigning the conflict to a different manager
Correct answer: Presenting an issue in a new way to shift perspective
Reframing involves presenting a problem from a different angle to reduce hostility and open up new solution pathways.
Question 3: In cross-cultural conflict management, which factor is most important to consider first?
- Each party's salary level
- Cultural norms around communication and face-saving (Correct answer)
- The geographic distance between the parties
- The number of employees involved
Correct answer: Cultural norms around communication and face-saving
Cultural norms — especially around direct vs. indirect communication and 'face-saving' — profoundly shape how people express and resolve conflict.
Question 4: A team member consistently misses deadlines, causing frustration among peers. This conflict is best categorized as:
- Interpersonal relationship conflict
- Task or process conflict (Correct answer)
- Value conflict
- Intergroup conflict
Correct answer: Task or process conflict
Task or process conflict arises from disagreements about how work should be done or who is responsible for completing it.
Question 5: What is the 'dual concern model' of conflict resolution primarily based on?
- The legal rights of both parties
- The degree of concern for self versus concern for others (Correct answer)
- The financial stakes of the dispute
- The timeline available to resolve the conflict
Correct answer: The degree of concern for self versus concern for others
The dual concern model maps conflict styles along two axes: concern for self (assertiveness) and concern for others (cooperativeness).
Question 6: Which outcome best characterizes a win-win conflict resolution?
- One party concedes most of their demands
- Both parties split the difference equally
- Both parties' core interests are satisfied (Correct answer)
- A neutral party decides the outcome
Correct answer: Both parties' core interests are satisfied
A win-win outcome means both parties' underlying interests — not just their stated positions — are addressed in the final agreement.
Question 7: Which of the following behaviors is most likely to de-escalate a tense conflict conversation?
- Interrupting to correct factual errors
- Lowering your voice and slowing your speech (Correct answer)
- Repeating your position more firmly
- Bringing up past unresolved incidents
Correct answer: Lowering your voice and slowing your speech
Lowering your voice and slowing your speech signals calm, reducing the emotional temperature and encouraging the other party to do the same.
Conflict Management Conflict Management 4
Which conflict management approach is best when a decision must be made quickly and the stakes are high?