Organizational Behavior Case Study: Choosing Your Battles Analysis

This case study analyzes the 'Choosing Your Battles' case, focusing on conflict management within an organizational behavior context. The assignment addresses how to handle contentious issues in a workgroup by fostering open communication and psychological safety, as well as how conflict management strategies can benefit negotiators, as seen through the example of Campbell Soup's CEO. The solution provides examples of applying conflict resolution strategies and references relevant academic literature. Furthermore, the case study includes a personal reflection on a past experience, highlighting the importance of open communication and its impact on employee morale and productivity. The assignment emphasizes the significance of effective leadership in managing conflicts and creating a positive work environment.

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 1
CASE STUDY: CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES
By
Name of the Class
Professor
Name of the University
The Date

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 2
Question One
Handling and providing an optimal solution to the issues causing controversy in a
workgroup would be my primary objective in order to ensure sufficient discussion of the
contentious issues. This can be made a reality by creating an atmosphere among the workgroup
members which favors everyone to open up in case of an issue without confining anything. An
example of creating this favoring atmosphere from the case study is ensuring that every
individual is psychologically safe to open up. The above can be facilitated by upholding a policy
which is free from victimization (Malekoff 2015). Managers can bring out the unspoken conflicts
without making them worse for example by not blaming any individual and solving an emerged
conflict. Refraining from concentrating on the winning or the losing team and stressing over the
common benefits is the other example which will be realized after solving a conflict successfully
(Bain and Band 2016).
Question Two
Negotiators can use conflict management strategy for their advantage, for example from
the case, the CEO of Campbell soup adopted a strategy which stressed on the higher purpose of
the organization efforts rather than on the side which was winning a conflict. The above
drastically helped the company to perform its intended function and emerged as a top performer
Company, for example, recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability. Negotiators therefore upon
embracing conflict management strategies, would solve differences in interests hence performing
according to their intended function which will, in turn, provide a positive integrative solution
(Einarsen et al. 2018).
Question Three

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 3
In one of my vacations, I worked with a fast moving goods retail enterprise where the
supervisor was very strict and could not bear seeing anyone taking a rest due to a threat of firing.
The above experience made the workers confine whatever they encountered in the enterprise
which eventually forced many to quit their jobs. Embracing an open communication among the
members I believe would have solved the problem where the manager would have been involved
and possibly the supervisor transforming positively (Shen and Benson 2016). This would have
resulted in sufficient collaboration hence meeting the targeted goals rather than contradicting
them along the way.

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 4
References
Bain, N. and Band, D., 2016. Winning ways through corporate governance. Springer.
Einarsen, S., Skogstad, A., Rørvik, E., Lande, Å.B. and Nielsen, M.B., 2018. Climate for conflict
management, exposure to workplace bullying and work engagement: a moderated mediation
analysis. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(3), pp.549-570.
Malekoff, A., 2015. Group work with adolescents: Principles and practice. Guilford
Publications.
Shen, J. and Benson, J., 2016. When CSR is a social norm: How socially responsible human
resource management affects employee work behavior. Journal of Management, 42(6), pp.1723-
1746.