Resolving Conflict and Effective Delegation to Implement Change (4, 2)

Question 1

What are advantages and disadvantages of conflict in the supply chain?

Answer 1

\+Innovation and new ideas
\+Challenging the status quo
\+Addressing long standing issues
\+Stimulation of interest and creativity
\+Test motivations
-Demotivate individuals
-Climate of mistrust could develop
-Individuals pursuing own interests
-Prevent individuals contributing

Question 2

What are the three categories of perception on conflict?

Answer 2

1. Unitary believes teams should be harmonious throughout and conflict is bad
2. Pluralist believes conflict between competing groups is inevitable
3. Radical believes conflict is the natural outcome

Question 3

The themes introduced by the contingency models of organisation can be applied to conflict resolution. What are they?

Answer 3

• One way won’t work for every situation
• Each solution will be bespoke for that situation
• Theres a need for flexibility in thinking

Question 4

What is the informal organisation?

Answer 4

-Informal networks
-Informal leaders
-Group norms
-Personal friendship or rivalries
-Informal power structures
-Personal and group values, beliefs and feelings
Each of these can help or hinder change management and conflict resolution

Question 5

What are potential sources of conflict identified by Laurie Mullins?

Answer 5

Power
Politics
Lack of resource
Poor communication
Poor leadership

Question 6

What strategies did Laurie Mullins suggest for managing conflict within teams?

Answer 6

• Clear policies and procedures
• Equitable treatment of staff (fair selection, rewards and punishment)
• Group training or integration of departments
• Fair distribution of resources
• Clarification of goals to avoid misunderstandings
• Participative leadership demonstrating trust

Question 7

What are 5 categories of assertiveness and co-operativeness as in Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmanns model?

Answer 7

Accommodating
Avoiding
Compromising
Collaborating
Competing

Question 8

Delegation is the passing of ____ and ____, but ____ can’t be passed. Complete the blanks and explain what they mean.

Answer 8

Authority - the right to take action or make a decision
Responsibility - the appropriate use of authority
Accountability - can’t be delegated and remains the leaders

Question 9

What should a leader consider before delegating?

Answer 9

• The nature of the task
• Circumstances of the task
• Skills, attitude and knowledge of individual
• Resources available
• Degree of delegation to offer

Question 10

Delegating isn’t just about giving someone work to do. What must a leader do after delegating?

Answer 10

Monitoring - checking the quality of work delivered

Review - looking back at activities done with a view to understanding lessons learnt