Conflict Management & Resolution 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which stage of conflict escalation is characterized by parties beginning to make threats?
- Latent conflict
- Perceived conflict
- Crisis stage (Correct answer)
- Felt conflict
Correct answer: Crisis stage
The crisis stage involves extreme measures like threats and open hostility, representing the peak of conflict escalation.
Question 2: What is 'shuttle diplomacy' in the context of workplace conflict?
- Transferring a conflicting employee to another department
- A mediator alternating between parties separately rather than meeting jointly (Correct answer)
- Escalating a dispute up the chain of command
- Sending written communications instead of speaking directly
Correct answer: A mediator alternating between parties separately rather than meeting jointly
Shuttle diplomacy involves a mediator moving back and forth between parties who cannot or will not meet face-to-face.
Question 3: An organization that regularly uses conflict resolution training is MOST likely trying to build which cultural value?
- Hierarchy and top-down authority
- Psychological safety and open dialogue (Correct answer)
- Competition between departments
- Strict rule enforcement
Correct answer: Psychological safety and open dialogue
Conflict resolution training fosters psychological safety, encouraging employees to surface and address disagreements constructively.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes 'principled negotiation' as outlined by Fisher and Ury?
- Focus on positions and never concede first
- Separate people from the problem and focus on interests (Correct answer)
- Rely on power dynamics to force agreement
- Delay resolution until emotions subside naturally
Correct answer: Separate people from the problem and focus on interests
Principled negotiation separates the people from the problem and focuses on interests, not positions, to reach wise agreements.
Question 5: When two parties in a conflict have very high emotional investment, which technique is MOST useful before problem-solving begins?
- Jumping directly to solution brainstorming
- Allowing each party to vent feelings in a structured, uninterrupted format (Correct answer)
- Having a supervisor make a unilateral decision
- Documenting all grievances in writing first
Correct answer: Allowing each party to vent feelings in a structured, uninterrupted format
Structured venting allows parties to feel heard, reducing emotional intensity enough to enable rational problem-solving.
Question 6: A long-standing conflict between two colleagues is discovered to stem from a misunderstanding years ago. This illustrates which concept?
- Conflict habituation
- Perceived conflict with no real basis
- Manifest conflict requiring arbitration
- The role of conflict history and narrative in sustaining disputes (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The role of conflict history and narrative in sustaining disputes
Past narratives and unresolved history can perpetuate conflicts long after the original trigger has become irrelevant.
Question 7: Which outcome of conflict resolution is considered MOST sustainable long-term?
- One party wins and the other concedes fully
- Both parties avoid the issue to maintain surface-level peace
- A solution addressing root causes with mutual commitment (Correct answer)
- A supervisor imposes a compromise neither party chose
Correct answer: A solution addressing root causes with mutual commitment
Solutions that address root causes and have mutual buy-in are most durable because both parties are invested in the outcome.
Conflict Management & Resolution 5
Which stage of conflict escalation is characterized by parties beginning to make threats?