Conflict Management Strategies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which conflict management strategy is most likely to result in a lose-lose outcome if used too frequently?
- Collaborating
- Competing
- Compromising (Correct answer)
- Accommodating
Correct answer: Compromising
Overuse of compromise leads to 'splitting the difference' repeatedly, leaving both parties partially dissatisfied without fully solving problems.
Question 2: In cross-cultural conflict management, which strategy is most important to apply before selecting a resolution approach?
- Imposing the majority culture's norms
- Assessing cultural dimensions that affect conflict style (Correct answer)
- Defaulting to avoidance to prevent offense
- Escalating to senior management immediately
Correct answer: Assessing cultural dimensions that affect conflict style
Cultural values (e.g., individualism vs. collectivism) significantly influence preferred conflict styles and must be assessed first.
Question 3: A HR manager chooses to delay addressing a team conflict because both parties have important deadlines this week. This is an example of:
- Permanent avoidance
- Strategic postponement (Correct answer)
- Forced compliance
- Passive aggression
Correct answer: Strategic postponement
Strategic postponement is a deliberate, temporary delay until conditions are more favorable for resolution.
Question 4: Which strategy is described as 'lose-lose' in its purest theoretical form because neither party achieves their full goal?
- Collaboration
- Compromise (Correct answer)
- Accommodation
- Avoidance
Correct answer: Compromise
In compromise, both parties give up something, technically resulting in less than full satisfaction for either side.
Question 5: When a leader allows employees to voice their concerns during a conflict before implementing a decision, this is an example of which conflict management approach?
- Autocratic resolution
- Procedural justice (Correct answer)
- Competing
- Smoothing
Correct answer: Procedural justice
Procedural justice ensures people feel the process was fair, which increases acceptance of outcomes even when they don't fully get what they wanted.
Question 6: Which conflict strategy is most associated with long-term relationship preservation while still achieving a substantive outcome?
- Avoiding
- Forcing
- Collaborating (Correct answer)
- Competing
Correct answer: Collaborating
Collaborating produces durable agreements that respect both parties' needs, making it the best strategy for ongoing relationships.
Question 7: A negotiator uses 'objective criteria' during a dispute over salary. According to principled negotiation, this means:
- Citing market data and industry benchmarks instead of subjective preferences (Correct answer)
- Asking an outside expert to decide the outcome
- Focusing on what the negotiator feels is fair
- Recording the negotiation for later review
Correct answer: Citing market data and industry benchmarks instead of subjective preferences
Using objective criteria (market rates, legal standards, expert opinion) depersonalizes the negotiation and makes agreements more legitimate.
Conflict Management Strategies 5
Which conflict management strategy is most likely to result in a lose-lose outcome if used too frequently?