Interpersonal Skills in Organizations 6th edition By Suzanne de Janasz – Test Bank

Chapter 11 Managing Conflict

1) Conflict is a form of interaction among parties who have similar interests, perceptions, goals, values, or approaches to problems.

2) In the human relations view of conflict, conflict was viewed as a natural and inevitable part of human existence and was accepted as a normal part of group interaction and relationships.

3) Conflict is positive when it initially increases cohesion that can in turn increase the likelihood of “groupthink.”

4) Conflict is constructive when it leads to better decisions, creativity, and innovative solutions to long-standing problems.

5) Negative conflicts are characterized by increased communication between organizational members.

6) Managers should encourage the clash of ideas and developing processes, training, and tools that help people work through their inevitable differences with each other.

7) Cultural differences challenge the communication process, as cultures differ in the meaning of certain words/phrases, importance of context, and attitude toward conflict.

8) Difference between different subgroups of an organization leads to intragroup conflict.

9) The easiest conflicts to resolve are those that deal with conflicting views on values and beliefs.

10) A task-oriented manager and a perpetually socializing employee face negligible conflict in their boss–subordinate relationship.

11) Research on conflict management suggests only two possible strategies based on the intersection between relationship and goal importance: collaboration and compromise.

12) The avoidance strategy is best suited for important issues when emotions are low, or when others could resolve the conflict less effectively.