Conflict Case Study
Try this with your team to spark a discussion on remote work conflict!
Welcome to our ongoing conversation about managing conflict at work.
Part I - read here!
Try this exercise with your team!
What it is: This exercise is recommended for teams to understand the different conflict modes.
When to use it: Break up into groups of two to four people to have an in-depth discussion about conflict. Focus the discussions on examining which modes the participants are most comfortable with, and exploring which modes are appropriate for the case study scenario provided.
Why it’s useful: Most people have a preferred approach to conflict (conflict mode) - either because they’re comfortable with it or they have confidence in the communication skills necessary for it. This exercise helps individuals and teams discover new conflict modes that might feel uncomfortable to try, but are more appropriate for the situation at hand.
OAK AND REEDS EXERCISE: Conflict Case Studies
Instructions:
In groups of two to four, read through the case study.
Discuss, and answer these two questions:
Which is the most appropriate conflict style to use?
Reference the Thomas-Kilman conflict style post for more info.
Why is this style appropriate
Reference the “when to use”/ “when not to use” aspects for each style
Case Study:
You are the manager of your company’s event marketing team. Your team is typically responsible for creating pop-up activations at events, conferences and festivals to promote the company brand and sign up new customers. You typically work regularly with the analytics team and rely on them for analysis of your event effectiveness. The teams report up to separate organizations, but you rely on them working with you cross-functionally to support your event work and help you show the impact of your work.
Since the move to 100% remote work, your team has shifted focus to supporting the effort to keep up to date information online about how the company is operating in different markets.
In the last couple weeks, you’ve noticed that your requests are taking longer and longer to complete. A standard report that used to take 48 hours to turn around is now taking at least a week, and that’s only after you send multiple reminders to the team’s manager. You suspect that their team has also shifted their focus, but you haven’t had a chance to talk about the changes with the manager of the analytics team.
You’ve brought this up to your Director and she’s asked you to handle this directly with the manager of the analytics team. You know you have to keep working with this team, even under the new circumstances, however you’ve already noticed some of your team members complaining on Slack about the working relationship. You fear that this conflict will boil over soon if not dealt with in a timely manner and in a sustainable way.
Additional debrief questions:
Do you have a go-to conflict mode? Why or why not?
Did your team have a mix of different conflict modes? What impact did that have on the discussion? How did you decide your final answers?
Did your team members come from different career backgrounds? How has personal history with conflict in the workplace affected your current approaches?