Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
Chapter 09
Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
True / False Questions
1. (p. 264) Groups may cooperate on one point and conflict on another.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
2. (p. 264) Management should strive to eliminate all conflict among members and groups.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Management should strive to eliminate only the conflict that interferes with the organization's ability to attain its goals.
3. (p. 264) Disfunctional conflict can be thought of as a type of creative tension.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Functional conflict can be thought of as a type of creative tension.
4. (p. 264) Beneficial conflicts either resolve themselves or remain beneficial.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Beneficial conflicts often turn into harmful ones.
5. (p. 266) A group's tolerance for stress and conflict can depend on the type of organization it
serves.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
6. (p. 266) Performance is unaffected by conflict levels that are too low.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: When the conflict level is too low, performance can suffer.
7. (p. 266) Most managers have been conditioned to eliminate all types of conflict, regardless of
whether it is functional or dysfunctional.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
8. (p. 266) Managers are often rewarded for the lack of conflict in their areas of responsibility.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
9. (p. 268) Research has corroborated that a point of reevaluation and transition occurs near the
end of a project.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: A point of reevaluation and transition occurs around the midpoint of a project.
10. (p. 268) Low-performing teams tend to experience an escalating pattern of relationship
conflict throughout their existence.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
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11. (p. 268) Highly functional teams don't conflict with other teams.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Every group comes into at least partial conflict with every other group with which it interacts.
12. (p. 268) Under circumstances in which one group's output serves as the input for another,
conflict between groups is more likely to occur.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
13. (p. 268) The pooled performance of all groups determines how successful the organization
is.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
14. (p. 269) As the subunits of an organization become specialized, they often develop dissimilar
goals.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
15. (p. 270) When limited resources must be allocated, mutual dependencies decrease.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: When limited resources must be allocated, mutual dependencies increase.
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16. (p. 270) Intergroup conflict is more likely to occur when the reward system is related to
overall organizational performance rather than to individual group performance.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Intergroup conflict is more likely to occur when the reward system is related to individual group performance.
17. (p. 270) Conflict often escalates when one group has primary responsibility for distributing
rewards.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
18. (p. 270) Intergroup conflict can spread dysfunction to third-party groups, such as clients.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
19. (p. 270) Deadlines seldom have any influence on the importance that groups assign to their
various activities.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Rationale: Deadlines substantially influence the priorities and importance that groups assign to their various activities.
20. (p. 271) Status conflicts are often created by work patterns between groups.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
21. (p. 271) Inaccurate perceptions often cause one group to develop stereotypes about other
groups.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
22. (p. 271) When loyalties to a particular function or discipline are greater than loyalties to the
overall organization, conflict is likely.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
23. (p. 272) When a group is in conflict, it usually becomes less task oriented.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: When a group is in conflict, its members usually emphasize doing what the group does and doing it very well.
24. (p. 272) Conformity to group norms becomes less important in conflict situations.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Conformity to group norms becomes more important in conflict situations.
25. (p. 272) During conflicts, group members develop stronger opinions of the importance of
their units.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
26. (p. 273) When intergroup conflict takes place, managerial intervention is usually not
necessary.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: When intergroup conflict takes place, some form of managerial intervention is usually necessary.
27. (p. 273) Super-ordinate goals are unattainable by a single group.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
28. (p. 274) Avoiding a conflict could be misinterpreted as agreement with group actions.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
29. (p. 274) Avoidance of a problem is never the best solution.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Eventually, conflict has to be faced. But in some circumstances, avoidance may be the best temporary alternative.
30. (p. 274) If differences between groups are serious, smoothing is the best long-term solution.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: If differences between groups are serious, smoothing is at best a short-run solution.
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
31. (p. 275) Using authoritative command to resolve a conflict usually works in the long run.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Using authoritative command to resolve a conflict is a short-term solution.
32. (p. 277) The goals of a negotiator from a highly individualist culture will tend to focus on
personal needs.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
33. (p. 277) A negotiator from the United States is not likely to use a win-lose negotiation
strategy.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: A negotiator from a highly individualist culture like the United States will likely use a win-lose or competitive negotiation
strategy.
34. (p. 277) Differences in communication style can influence the outcomes of cross-cultural
negotiations.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
35. (p. 278) Pre-negotiation tasks differ, depending on whether the other negotiator is internal or
external to the organization.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Regardless of whether the other negotiator is internal or external to the organization, the same procedures apply.
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
36. (p. 278) The element of surprise, if used at an appropriate time, can greatly benefit a
negotiation process.
FALSE
Difficulty: 65
Rationale: The element of surprise, which is valuable in many business situations, only serves to delay and hinder a negotiation process.
37. (p. 278) Even if the same issue is negotiated multiple times, the outcomes may differ.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
38. (p. 278) The greater the number of options that can be identified, the greater the likelihood
that both groups can benefit from the negotiation process.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
39. (p. 279) Bargainers often exaggerate minor problems' importance in order to gain
concessions on what really matters.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
40. (p. 280) Groups that are led by managers of equal rank are not good candidates for direct
negotiating alternatives.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Groups that conflict often or are led by managers of equal rank are likely candidates for an alternative to direct negotiation.
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
41. (p. 280) One benefit of using a mediator during negotiations is that disagreeing parties don't
have to compromise themselves in order to settle an issue.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
42. (p. 280) Team building is less useful when groups consist of individuals from various
national and cultural backgrounds.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Team building is particularly useful when groups consist of individuals from various national and cultural backgrounds.
43. (p. 281) Moderately diverse teams outperform highly diverse teams in the long run.
FALSE
Difficulty: Hard
Rationale: Research has shown that highly diverse teams outperform moderately diverse teams in the long run.
44. (p. 281) Team building is a short-term strategy to reduce intergroup conflict.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: Team building requires a long-term commitment.
45. (p. 282) Team building will fail without a committed management group with a long-term
focus.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
46. (p. 282) A willingness to share feelings is critical to successful team building.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Rationale: A willingness to share information is critical to successful team building.
47. (p. 283) If an organization is unionized, the union should excluded from any team building
effort.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
Rationale: The union must be an active participant in the team-building effort.
48. (p. 283) Threatening information can stimulate functional conflict within a department and
improve performance.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
49. (p. 283) Carefully planted rumors can stimulate new ideas and reduce apathy among the
staff.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
50. (p. 284) Awards and bonuses for outstanding performance often stifle competition.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Rationale: Incentives, such as awards and bonuses for outstanding performance, often stimulate competition.
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
51. (p. 284) Managing intergroup conflict through stimulation can quickly become dysfunctional
conflict.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
Multiple Choice Questions
52. (p. 264) Conflict between individuals can be most easily resolved through
____________________.
A. New mechanisms
B. Existing mechanisms
C. Negotiation
D. Manipulation
Difficulty: Medium
53. (p. 266) ____________________ values have historically be reinforced in the home, church
and schools.
A. Anti-conflict
B. Conflict
C. Compromise
D. Dominance
Difficulty: Easy
54. (p. 266) Most religious doctrines stress unquestioning acceptance of all the following values
except:
A. Peace
B. Acceptance
C. Tranquility
D. Self-preservation
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
55. (p. 266) Some have argued that intragroup conflict leads to all of the following except:
A. Improvements in group performance
B. Improvements in satisfaction levels
C. Improvements in strategic planning
D. Organizational growth
Difficulty: Medium
56. (p. 267-268) High-performing teams generally experience:
A. Less conflict than low-performing teams
B. More conflict than low-performing teams
C. The same amount of conflict as low-performing teams
D. No conflict
Difficulty: Medium
57. (p. 267) ____________________ conflict deals with the delegation of tasks and
responsibilities to different team members.
A. Relationship
B. Task
C. Process
Difficulty: Medium
58. (p. 268) The ____________________ performances of all its groups determine how
successful an organization is.
A. Sequential
B. Pooled
C. Reciprocal
D. Sequential and reciprocal
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
59. (p. 268) The conflict potential in ____________________ interdependence is relatively low.
A. Sequential
B. Pooled
C. Reciprocal
D. Sequential and reciprocal
Difficulty: Medium
60. (p. 268) ____________________ interdependence requires one group to complete its task
before another group can complete its task.
A. Sequential
B. Pooled
C. Reciprocal
D. Sequential and pooled
Difficulty: Easy
61. (p. 268) ____________________ interdependence requires each group's output to serve as
input to other groups in the organization.
A. Sequential
B. Pooled
C. Reciprocal
D. Sequential and pooled
Difficulty: Medium
62. (p. 268-269) The interaction between airport control towers, flight crews, ground operations
and maintenance crews is an example of ____________________ interdependence.
A. Sequential
B. Pooled
C. Reciprocal
D. Both sequential and reciprocal
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
63. (p. 270) All of the following are factors that cause groups to form differing perceptions of
reality except:
A. Different time horizons
B. Status in congruency
C. Inaccurate perceptions
D. Group size
Difficulty: Medium
64. (p. 270) What often occurs in limited-resource situations is a ____________________
competition that can easily result in dysfunctional conflict.
A. Lose-lose
B. Win-lose
C. Win-win
Difficulty: Medium
65. (p. 271) When the differences between groups are emphasized, all of the following happens
except:
A. Goals are reassessed
B. Stereotypes are reinforced
C. Relations deteriorate
D. Conflict develops
Difficulty: Medium
66. (p. 271) The statement "all loan officers behave the same" is an example of
____________________.
A. Status incongruence
B. Inaccurate perception
C. Negative stereotyping
D. Specialist-generalist conflict
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
67. (p. 272) All of the following are changes that are likely to occur within groups involved in
intergroup conflict except:
A. Changes in goals
B. Increased group cohesiveness
C. Focus on activity
D. Emphasis on loyalty
Difficulty: Medium
68. (p. 273) Communication between groups in conflict usually ____________________.
A. Decreases
B. Increases
C. Breaks down
D. Ceases
Difficulty: Medium
69. (p. 273) Managers spend about ____________________ of their time managing conflict.
A. 90 percent
B. 75 percent
C. 50 percent
D. 20 percent
Difficulty: Hard
70. (p. 273) The statement, "I've always known union leaders are crooked. Now they've proved
it" is an example of ____________________.
A. Status incongruence
B. Inaccurate perception
C. Distorted perception
D. Negative stereotyping
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
71. (p. 274) Which of the following is the most likely to cause intergroup conflict?
A. Limited resources
B. Too little compromise
C. Altering the human variable
D. Too much smoothing
Difficulty: Easy
72. (p. 274) Compromise can be used effectively when the goal sought
____________________.
A. Can't be divided equitably
B. Can be divided equitably
C. Isn't the source of the problem
D. Is attainable by only one party
Difficulty: Medium
73. (p. 275) ____________________ is the oldest, most frequently used method for resolving
intergroup conflict.
A. Compromise
B. Smoothing
C. Authoritative command
D. Avoidance
Difficulty: Medium
74. (p. 275) Which of the following techniques is the slowest method of resolving intergroup
conflict?
A. Establishing super ordinate goals
B. Avoidance
C. Altering the human variable
D. Altering the structural variables
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
75. (p. 277) Someone from England who shakes his/her head up and down during a negotiation
probably means ____________________.
A. Yes
B. No
C. I hear you
D. I disagree
Difficulty: Medium
76. (p. 277) ____________________ negotiators tend to favor negotiation strategies that
preserve trust, social harmony and face.
A. Chinese
B. American
C. Spanish
D. Norwegian
Difficulty: Medium
77. (p. 277) Group negotiations take place whenever one group's work depends on the
cooperation and actions of another group, over which the first group's manager has
____________________.
A. Dominance
B. No control
C. The most resources
D. More subordinates
Difficulty: Medium
78. (p. 278) All of the following are negotiation tactics except:
A. The nibble
B. Joint problem solving
C. Low-balling
D. Dividing the competition
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
79. (p. 278) The ____________________ negotiating tactic involves getting an additional
concession or perk after an agreement has been reached.
A. Nibble
B. Power of competition
C. Splitting the difference
D. Low-balling
Difficulty: Easy
80. (p. 278) The most effective defense against the ____________________ negotiating tactic is
to remain objective.
A. Nibble
B. Power of competition
C. Good-guy/bad-guy
D. Low-balling
Difficulty: Hard
81. (p. 278) The ____________________ negotiating tactic can be useful when two groups
come to an impasse.
A. Nibble
B. Power of competition
C. Splitting the difference
D. Low-balling
Difficulty: Medium
82. (p. 279) The ____________________ is task- and results-oriented, seeks challenges and
opportunities and is potentially confrontational.
A. Power seeker
B. Persuader
C. Reliable performer
D. Limited performer
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
83. (p. 279) The ____________________ lacks self-confidence, needs a sheltered environment
is nondecisive and introverted and is likely to crack under pressure.
A. Power seeker
B. Persuader
C. Reliable performer
D. Limited performer
Difficulty: Easy
84. (p. 279) The degree of a manager's ability to successfully understand and handle
____________________ will ultimately determine his or her negotiating success.
A. Pressure
B. Multiple tasks
C. People
D. Time limits
Difficulty: Hard
85. (p. 279) In the negotiation process, there will be a greater likelihood of a beneficial outcome
if a high degree of ____________________ exists between the conflicting groups.
A. Trust
B. Friendship
C. Common interests
D. Communication
Difficulty: Medium
86. (p. 280) Team building encourages people who work together to meet as a group in order to
do all of the following except:
A. Identify common goals
B. Improve communications
C. Build self-esteem
D. Resolve conflicts
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
87. (p. 282-283) All of the following are critical to team building success except:
A. Offsite training time
B. Management commitment
C. Trust
D. Sharing information
Difficulty: Medium
88. (p. 283) Team members usually need training in all of the following, except
____________________, in order to counteract habits and attitudes left over from the
previous work environment.
A. Project management
B. Team building
C. Listening
D. Communication
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
Fill in the Blank Questions
89. (p. 264) A ____________________ conflict is a confrontation between groups that enhances
and benefits the organization's performance.
functional
Difficulty: Medium
90. (p. 274) The technique known as ____________________ emphasized the common interests
of conflicting groups and de-emphasizes their differences.
smoothing
Difficulty: Hard
91. (p. 275) ____________________ refers to the fixed relationships among the jobs of the
organization and includes the design of jobs and departments.
Structure
Difficulty: Hard
92. (p. 276) ____________________ entails having two sides with differing or conflicting
interests come together to forge an agreement.
Negotiation
Difficulty: Hard
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
Short Answer Questions
93. (p. 264) What is a dysfunctional conflict?
Any confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders the
achievement of organizational goals.
Difficulty: Easy
94. (p. 266) Researchers have identified three types of conflict that can influence group
functioning. What are they?
Task conflict, relationship conflict and process conflict.
Difficulty: Hard
95. (p. 268) Name the three distinct types of interdependence that exist among groups.
Pooled interdependence, sequential interdependence and reciprocal interdependence.
Difficulty: Hard
96. (p. 273) What happens during the confrontation method of problem solving?
Conflicting groups meet face-to-face in order to identify conflicts and resolve them.
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
97. (p. 273) What is a goal that cannot be achieved without the cooperation of conflicting groups
called?
A super ordinate goal.
Difficulty: Medium
98. (p. 275) What would likely cause groups in conflict to temporarily resolve their differences
and unite?
A common enemy or problem.
Difficulty: Medium
99. (p. 279) Name the four most common types of personalities found at the negotiation table.
The power seeker, the persuader, the reliable performer and the limited perfomer.
Difficulty: Hard
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
Essay Questions
100. (p. 268) Explain how the interdependence among the players on a baseball team is an
example of both sequential and pooled interdependence.
The team has a sequential interdependence because the actions of the game occur sequentially
(pitching precedes hitting, which precedes catching and so on.) However, it is the pooled
interdependence of the team that wins the game.
Difficulty: Medium
101. (p. 270) Differences in group goals are an obvious contributor to differing perceptions.
Describe a real or imagined scenario in which two people, groups or organizations had
differing goals that resulted in conflict and/or differing perceptions.
Student answers will vary.
Difficulty: Medium
102. (p. 271) Line manager dependence on staff knowledge is a common cause of line-staff
conflict. Why?
Line managers, who are often generalists, often don't have the technical knowledge necessary
to manage their departments. This makes them dependant on specialists, who are generally
lower in the organizational hierarchy than the manager. This lack of knowledge and
dependence can make managers feel threatened, which can result in them downplaying the
value of line-staff input. This, in turn, can cause the line staff to feel under-valued and/or
under-appreciated and less receptive to future requests for assistance.
Difficulty: Medium
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Chapter 09 - Conflict and Negotiation, Organizations
103. (p. 280) What is the difference between a mediator and an arbitrator?
A mediator is an impartial third party who works with both sides of a negotiation to help them
reach an agreement that benefits both. An arbitrator performs a similar task, but has the ability
to render a decision to which both groups have previously agreed to be bound.
Difficulty: Medium
104. (p. 276) Name five techniques that can be used to resolve intergroup conflict.
Any five of the following: (a) problem solving, (b) super ordinate goals, (c) expansion of
resources, (d) avoidance, (e) smoothing, (f) compromise, (g) authoritative command, (h)
changing the people, (i) changing the organization's structure, (j) identifying a common
enemy, (k) negotiating processes and (l) team-building processes.
Difficulty: Medium
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