Purpose
We encounter conflict in our lives every day. From minor disagreements to disruptive altercations, our lives are filled with opportunities to resolve conflict and find harmony with those around us. The purpose of this assignment it to better understand and apply principles of conflict resolution in your own life.
Instructional Content
For this assignment, your instructor will place you in a small group of approximately four people. There are two parts to this assignment, which are to be completed as a group. By the time you are assigned to your group, you should have already read this article on conflict resolution (hawkes.biz/conflict).
Directions
Part 1 – Why You Should Resolve Conflict
As a group, discuss each of the following scenarios. Then, in 250+ words each (i.e., 3 × 250+ words), illustrate at least one of the reasons given in the article as to why they should resolve the conflict. Feel free to take liberties with the scenarios, adding specific information that might be important to note in considering why this conflict should be resolved.
*Note: Your groups may "divide and conquer" the actual writing of these three responses, but you may only do that after 5–10 minutes of group discussion on each scenario regarding what direction the writer(s) should go. The writer(s) should take notes and ask clarifying questions during the discussion.
Scenarios:
-
Dominic and Jackson are college freshmen who were randomly paired together as roommates. They have very different expectations when it comes to dorm room cleanliness.
-
Harriot and Olga are college students who are working as camp counselors for the summer, and they do not agree about how to correct bad behaviors in their 10-year-old campers. While Harriot tends to be more patient and hands-off, making suggestions about how the children can change bad behavior, Olga is quick to raise her voice and stop the behavior immediately before it gets out of hand.
-
Boris, Sandra, Jose, and Starr are taking a business course on entrepreneurship. They have been placed together for a final project that is worth of their individual final grades. Their task is to put together a business plan for a brand-new business. They have the option to create a new product (e.g., a soft drink, a smartphone, etc.) OR a new service (e.g., a nail salon, a painting company, etc.). While Boris and Starr both come from families who have started service-based businesses and would prefer to go that direction, Jose and Sandra had already privately discussed a number of new product ideas. The pairs are now at a standoff, and the stakes are high (Remember, this is worth of final grade!).
Part 2 – Successfully Resolving a Conflict
As a group, choose any one of these scenarios to extend into a seven-step plan for conflict resolution (based on the article). Each section of the plan should be 150+ words.
*Note: Your group should spend 10–15 minutes discussing which direction to go and what steps to take before starting this writing assignment.
Part 3 – Reflection
As your group discussed Parts 1 and 2 of this assignment, you were collectively forced to make a number of decisions. It is likely that there was not agreement at every juncture. Your task now is to reflect, individually, on any conflict or disagreement (experienced, perceived, or privately felt) that came up in your group discussions. In 500+ words, apply what you learned in the article to what you experienced in your group negotiation. Provide specific examples, and display mastery of your understanding of the article by integrating at least five ideas from it. Be sure to cite your source each time!
Finally, in 250+ words, discuss how this article, assignment, and reflection (all three) might benefit your academics, relationships, OR work. Choose one; be specific.