Leadership and Conflict Management: Reflection and Analysis Assignment

This assignment presents a student's comprehensive reflection and analysis of a conflict style questionnaire, focusing on leadership and conflict management. The student first provides a detailed self-assessment based on the questionnaire results, examining their conflict style in different scenarios, including workplace and personal life disagreements. The analysis then delves into a case study involving interpersonal and relational conflicts within a Web programming department, applying concepts like principled negotiation (Fisher & Ury) and the Kilmann and Thomas conflict styles to understand the dynamics between team members. The student explores the nature of the conflict, the impact on relationships, and potential resolution strategies, including fractionation and face-saving techniques. The student also references relevant literature to support their arguments, including Rahim and Magner, Wilmot and Hocker, and Kilmann and Thomas.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Reflective question and answers
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
MARKETING
Reflection (Chapter 11)
11.2 Conflict Style Questionnaire
First insight into the questionnaire enhances my knowledge about the rationale, which
is identification of the conflict style, which is relevant in different situations. In the current
context, two persons have been used as examples, who have been placed into the situation of
disagreement into the workplace and in personal life respectively.
In case of person A, I have gained an insight that he sometimes keeps conflicts to
himself and prefer to be on the limelight. Affirming the arguments of Rahim and Magner,
(1995), I have learnt that it is very rare that he influences others to accept his ideas. From the
results, I can infer that he often fragments the issues for achieving effective resolutions. I
think making attempts to satisfy others’ needs, sometimes, is the main reason behind the
conflicts and disagreements. I have learnt that it is very often that acceptance prevails
between the person and his colleagues. According to me, sometime avoiding the discussions
due to different viewpoints is needed in the workplace for averting the cases of
misunderstandings.
I have gained an insight into the fact that it is very often that the person uses his
authority to persuade others for making a decision in his favour. It is very often that the
person attempt to find a middle course for resolving an issue. Along with this, considering the
propositions of Rahim and Magner, (1995), I gave also gained information that the person has
ranked “sometimes” on the likert scale for the issues of accommodating others’ wish;
integration for mutual understanding and avoiding disagreements. Apart from this, I gave
inferred that ranking of 4 for decisions and meeting deadlines makes the person conscious
about enhancing the personality. Sometimes, the person submits to others’ wishes, which I
think is apt in terms of enhancing the unity and coordination with others. I feel that keeping

2
MARKETING
disagreements to himself is an initiative to maintaining the stability in the professional
relationships.
The rank of “often” has also been attached to the aspects of persuasion and
negotiation, which I think is effective for enhancing the mutual understanding. I liked that
fact that the person always favours collaborative attempt for solving an issue. This is done
through the means of exchanging the information, where I can relate the aspect of
transferrable skills for reducing the knowledge gaps. Here, I pose my counter argument
towards the disagreement, which has with the colleagues. Sometimes, the person uses his
power to influence others through “give and take” policy. I feel that approach is natural in
terms of the intentions towards becoming a leader. According to me, trying to satisfy others,
sometimes, is not correct, as the person needs to satisfy others for gaining effective
assistances and favours.
On the contrary, person B is designated as suffering from disagreements with sister.
From the tests, I have found that the person always prefers to keep the conflicts to himself.
This contradicts the aspect of disagreement. Along with this, I have found that very often the
person persuades others to accept his ideas by satisfying them. Collaboration, for him, occurs
sometimes, although he does not fragment the differences to achieve effective solutions.
However, I feel that the investigation needs to be conducted always for undertaking
decisions, which are favourable to him as well as his sister. I have learnt that the person
sometimes avoid discussions for differences in the opinions. According to me, this approach
contradicts exertion of authorities for achieving solutions. I think that accommodating to
others’ wish often, adds an interrogative parameter to the person’s independence in terms of
undertaking decisions and meeting targets.

3
MARKETING
I affirm with the fact that collaboration with sister for finding solutions helps in
avoiding misunderstanding. Sometimes negotiating with the sister contradicts persuasion of
the propositions of the person. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that this approach
adds to the fact that sometimes using the authority to win the argument contradicts the aspect
of achieving satisfaction of the sister. However, his concern to bring the issues in the
limelight depicts the intentions to achieve effective solutions, which can help him to
undertake beneficial decisions for betterment of his sister and his.
Analysis (exercise 11.1)
1. The conflict, which has arisen between the members of Web programming department, can
be considered to be interpersonal. The major drive behind the conflict is the new space
allocation, which is unacceptable to all of the members. This type of conflict reflects the
difference in thoughts, beliefs and attitudes, as the members belong to different socio-
cultural; backgrounds. Wilmot and Hocker, (2011), are of the view that disagreement to the
decision is one of the major aspects of this type of conflicts. However, the members are
interdependent on the team leader, Martin, for accomplishing the tasks. Herein lays the aspect
of influencing the team members through leadership approach, which Martin exposes through
“letting them trade off places”. Consciousness towards the fact that Bradley is senior and he
should get the best place can be considered as a bias, invoking misunderstanding and
conflicts between the team members. This issue further leads to the loss of trust, which
degrades the stability in the professional relationships.
2. The conflict between the members of Web programming is definitely relational.
Arguments regarding workspace degrade the stability in the relationship between the team
members and the team leader. As a result of this, the productivity is adversely affected.
According to Wilmot and Hocker, (2011), the content dimension in this aspect is that of the
spaces, which gets fragmented upon change of the location of the work spaces.

4
MARKETING
Communication gaps developed, giving rise to misunderstanding and trust issues, which
makes the team members, especially Bradley secluded from the mainstream activities.
Typical evidence of this lies in his less communication with the others. The relevant aspect in
this context is emotion, which is also adversely affected. As a result of this, Bradley loses
compatibility with the other team members, which he had earned through hard efforts.
3. Fisher and Ury’s principle of negotiation is an effective tool for gaining an insight into the
conflicts, which occur in the daily workplace life. The basic essence of this concept is the
merit rather than the competition, which shapes the decision making of the individuals. There
are four basic components of this concept: separation of the people from the problem; focus
in the interests and not on position, invoking options for enhancing mutual understanding and
using objective criteria for solving the issues (Fisher & Ury, 1981). In the current context,
interpersonal conflicts occur within the members of the Web programming department.
Separation in this case is not possible, as the issue revolves around the space, which they
intend to be perfect for exposing better performance. On the other hand, of the team members
are fragmented from the issue of space, they are masters in their creativity.
4.

5
MARKETING
Fig: Kilmann Thomas conflicting styles
(Source: Kilmann & Thomas, 1975)
Incorporating Kilmann’s assumptions is assistance in terms of understanding the
different conflicting styles of Sanjay, Rosa, Bradley and Kris. All of these members follow
the common conflicting style of accommodation. They are not ready to comprise with the
work spaces, which contradicts the style of collaboration. The style of approaching the team
leader, martin, for resolving is unique. Bradley faces trust issues.
5.
 Communicating the roles and responsibilities through detailed work breakdown
structures.
 Signing the Ethical Consent Form, developing acceptance towards narrowing down
the larger conflicts
 Face to face meetings for gaining an insight into the issues

6
MARKETING
References
Fisher, R., & Ury, W. (1981). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in. New
York, NY: Penguin Books, p. 15
Kilmann, R. H., & Thomas, K. W. (1975). Interpersonal conflict-handling behavior as
reflections of Jungian personality dimensions. Psychological reports, 37(3), 971-980.
Rahim, M. A., & Magner, N. R. (1995). Confirmatory factor analysis of the styles of
handling interpersonal conflict: First-order factor model and its invariance across
groups. Journal of applied psychology, 80(1), 122.
Wilmot. W. and Hocker. J. (2011), Interpersonal Conflict (pp. 146–148). American
Psychological Association