Version 1 1
Student name:__________
1) The text presented seven recommendations for improving negotiations. List five of them.
2) Contrast functional and dysfunctional conflict. In your answer include the mechanisms, if
any, which allow conflict type change.
3) Can conflict be managed to promote organizational performance, if so how?
4) Explain the impact that intergroup conflict has on groups.
Version 1 2
5) There are a number of possible consequences of dysfunctional conflict. What are these?
Are some of these consequences more or less likely to occur in organizational conflict situations?
6) What general points would you give a fellow manager regarding the use of the different
conflict resolution approaches?
7) A _______________ conflict is any confrontation or interaction between groups that
harms the organization or hinders the achievement of organizational goals.
A) zero-sum
B) joint-problem
C) devil’s advocate
D) dysfunctional
8) ____________ is also known as distributive negotiating.
Version 1 3
A) Hyperfunctional
B) Type A
C) Combative
D) Zero-sum
9) An organization that has a high level of intergroup conflict is most likely to be
characterized by all of the following except:
A) Disruption
B) Interference with activities
C) Chaos
D) Apathy
10) Slow adaptation to environmental changes is associated with ___________ levels of
intergroup conflict.
A) low or no
B) optimal
C) high
D) torrid
11) In most cases, the point at which functional conflict becomes dysfunctional is
____________.
A) common across organizations
B) known as the transition point
C) impossible to identify precisely
D) All of the above.
Version 1 4
12) The tendency for every group to be at least partially in conflict with every other group
with which it interacts is known as “the law of _______________ conflict.”
A) systematic
B) interorganizational
C) interpersonal
D) random
13) ________ interdependence requires no interaction among groups.
A) Nominal
B) Virtual
C) Pooled
D) None of the above.
14) All of the following are types of group interdependence except:
A) Pooled
B) Circular
C) Sequential
D) Reciprocal
15) The conflict potential in _______________ is relatively low.
Version 1 5
A) pooled interdependence
B) sequential interdependence
C) reciprocal interdependence
D) dysfunctional interdependence
16) _______________ interdependence requires one group to complete its task before
another group can complete its task.
A) Pooled
B) Sequential
C) Reciprocal
D) Dysfunctional
17) The relationships that exist between the anesthesiology staff, nursing staff, technician
staff, and surgeons in a hospital operating room is an example of _____________.
A) pooled interdependence
B) sequential interdependence
C) reciprocal interdependence
D) functional conflict
18) In the Big City track meet, runners from five schools compete in separate events.
Individual runners are awarded points based on the place (1 st, 2 nd, and 3 rd) they finish in
their race, and these points are totaled to determine which school wins the meet. What type of
interdependence would best describe this situation?
Version 1 6
A) Pooled
B) Reciprocal
C) Sequential
D) Team
19) A traditional assembly line would most likely create a high degree of ___________
interdependence.
A) Pooled
B) Reciprocal
C) Sequential
D) All of the choices are correct.
20) Inaccurate _______________ often cause one group to develop stereotypes about other
groups.
A) perceptions
B) negotiations
C) directions
D) priorities
21) Status incongruence conflicts are often created by _______________.
A) personalities
B) work patterns
C) time goals
D) quotas
Version 1 7
22) When a group is in conflict, it becomes _______ task-oriented.
A) less
B) nominally
C) more
D) adversely
23) When a group is engaged in intergroup conflict, its cohesion tends to _______________.
A) decrease
B) remain the same
C) increase
D) Conflict has no effect on cohesion.
24) When a group is engaged in intergroup conflict, _______________.
A) cohesion tends to increase
B) democratic methods of leadership are likely to become less popular
C) it is not unusual for groups to overconform to group norms
D) All of the above are correct
25) Communications between groups in conflict usually _______________.
A) increase
B) are strictly task focused
C) remain the same
D) break down
Version 1 8
26) Conflict tends to ____________ negative stereotypes.
A) increase
B) decrease
C) balance
D) reinforce
27) One group may hold the most power because it _______________.
A) is higher up in the organizational hierarchy
B) controls critical resources
C) has allied with other groups
D) Any or all of the choices are correct.
28) A(n) _______________ party places maximum emphasis on meeting the needs of the
other group, while minimizing its own concerns.
A) accommodating
B) compromising
C) avoiding
D) dominating
29) _______________ seeks to resolve conflict by placing maximum focus on both groups’
concerns.
Version 1 9
A) Accommodating
B) Compromising
C) Avoiding
D) Problem solving or collaboration
30) You should use a _______________ approach on important negotiation issues when you
are certain you are right.
A) dominating
B) problem-solving
C) avoiding
D) compromising
31) You should consider using a _______________ approach when both groups are willing
to invest time and effort to reach a resolution that maximizes everyone’s outcome.
A) dominating
B) problem-solving
C) avoiding
D) compromising
32) _______________ is a good backup strategy if attempts at problem solving are
unsuccessful.
A) Accommodating
B) Compromising
C) Avoiding
D) Dominating
Version 1 10
33) It is typically best to use a(n) __________ conflict resolution approach in disputes that
are of far greater importance to the other group than they are to your group.
A) accommodating
B) compromising
C) dominating
D) avoiding
34) Members of the United Auto Workers union at the Ford Motor Company, in response to a
major downturn in automobile sales and profitability, agreed to caps on overtime and
unemployment pay and reductions in wage increases because the survival of the company was
threatened. This is an example of _________.
A) a bad faith approach by management
B) an avoiding approach by the union
C) focusing on a superordinate goal
D) deceptive management behavior
35) Changing the _______________ of the organization not only can help resolve intergroup
conflict, it can be an excellent way to create conflict.
A) structure
B) ethnic makeup
C) geographic location
D) product line
36) _______________ conflict is conflict that is deliberately and systematically created, even
when no real differences appear to exist.
Version 1 11
A) Imaginary
B) Systemic
C) Contrived
D) Programmed
37) Prior to an important decision, your team assigns you the role of critic with the job of
uncovering all possible problems with a particular proposal. Your function may be termed as
a(n) ______.
A) angel
B) change advocate
C) devil’s advocate
D) disturbance creator
38) A lack of conflict ______________.
A) is never beneficial
B) may prove beneficial in the short term
C) is the central goal of the “new” approaches to management
D) is considered a “hygiene” factor
39) Distributive negotiating is also known as _______________ negotiating.
A) win-win
B) win-lose
C) divisible
D) low-ball
Version 1 12
40) Issues involving _______________ are seen as conflicts over limited resources.
A) wages
B) benefits
C) working conditions
D) All of the choices are correct.
41) If negotiation fails, a conflict often _______________.
A) escalates
B) dissolves
C) resolves on its own
D) spreads to other groups
42) Mike goes to the market and haggles for a price that is less than the vendor’s cost. This is
an example of _______________ negotiating.
A) win-lose
B) Western
C) maximal
D) All of the choices can be correct.
43) What is a positive-sum situation?
Version 1 13
A) One party gains more than the other
B) Each party gains something, without a corresponding loss for the other party
C) The losses of both parties result in a net gain for a third party
D) A positive result is possible, but negotiations have stalled
44) A tactic that involves getting an additional concession or perks after an agreement has
been reached is the _______________ approach.
A) good-guy/bad-guy
B) nibble
C) joint problem-solving
D) power of competition
45) Striving to end up with a bigger piece of the pie than the other party is to focus on a
_______________ outcome.
A) related
B) constructive
C) primary
D) substantive
46) To negotiate in a manner designed primarily to maintain good relations between the
parties, irrespective of the outcome of the negotiation, is to focus on a _______________
outcome.
A) relationship
B) constructive
C) primary
D) substantive
Version 1 14
47) When a party to a negotiation suggests a split the difference early in the process
_____________.
A) they may be seeking a nibble to exploit later
B) it may mean they have already received more than they think they deserve
C) communicating they are committed to a win-win approach
D) a demonstrating joint problem solving
48) Tough negotiators use _______________ to make opponents think they don’t need them.
A) the power of competition
B) joint problem-solving
C) splitting the difference
D) a good-guy/bad-guy approach
49) During _______________, the chief role of the consultant is to improve the negotiating
climate so that substantive negotiations can take place at some point in the future.
A) mediation
B) arbitration
C) conciliation
D) consultation
50) During _______________, a third party has the power to impose an agreement.
Version 1 15
A) mediation
B) arbitration
C) conciliation
D) consultation
51) In ____________________ arbitration, the arbitrator has no real control over designing
the agreement.
A) game theory based
B) binding
C) final-offer
D) constative
52) ____________ is a type of planned intervention that is meant to build self-awareness and
camaraderie among members of a team.
A) Interaction management
B) Team building
C) Self-examination
D) Game playing
53) You can improve your cross-cultural negotiation by __________________________.
A) assuming authority
B) identifying if there is one decision maker or if group consensus is required
C) opening conversations using a dominating approach
D) All of the choices are correct.
Version 1 16
54) When conducting cross-cultural negotiations, if your counterpart is risk-adverse you
should ___________.
A) structure the negotiation to be a detailed step-by-step process
B) provide limited information to foster trust in your level of knowledge
C) proceed quickly to limit their cognitive stress
D) assume authority and force consensus
55) A negotiator from which of the following countries would typically have the most
informal negotiating style?
A) Spain
B) China
C) Mexico
D) United States
56) A negotiator from which of the following countries would typically have the most
indirect communication style?
A) Germany
B) United States
C) India
D) Japan
57) How has the organizational perspective to conflict changed over time?
Version 1 17
58) How does functional conflict benefit the organization?
59) What is the impact of conflict that is too low?
60) When managers and employees repress conflict, it can lead often to higher (and uglier)
levels of discord. Provide an example of an “ugly” conflict strategy that should be avoided.
61) When does work interdependence occur and how has it been classified?
62) How are reciprocal and sequential interdependence different?
Version 1 18
63) If your group were “under attack” from another, what would you expect in regard to
group cohesiveness?
64) You classmate says those in times of conflict; people turn to more participative forms of
leadership. How do you respond?
65) How do member perceptions typically change during times of conflict?
66) In a conflict situation, what would an external focus cause the group to concentrate on?
67) One way of viewing conflict-resolution efforts between groups is to examine the extent to
which a conflicting group has an internal and external focus with respect to resolution strategies.
Describe the perspectives.
Version 1 19
68) Do “internal focus” and “external focus” represent opposite sides of the same continuum?
69) Avoiding can be an effective and appropriate strategy in some conflict situations. When
used as a temporary alternative in a heated negotiation, what benefits can one expect to gain
from avoidance?
70) Provide an example of how a superordinate goal may impact a group outcome.
71) What is a negotiation?
72) What is the role or purpose of the devil’s advocate?
Version 1 20
73) What are the four elements that are typically part of all negotiations?
74) Think about the last time you had to negotiate something (e.g., a higher grade, the
purchase of a new or used car, etc.). Which negotiation tactic did you use and or the other party?
Identify which tactic was introduced and explain how it was introduced.
75) What is meant by win-win negotiating?
76) Conflict is neither inherently good nor bad, although it is inevitable.
⊚ true
⊚ false
77) Too little conflict leads to apathy and lethargy and provides little or no impetus for
change and innovation.
Version 1 21
⊚ true
⊚ false
78) Evidence suggests that conflict can improve the quality of decision making and employee
relations.
⊚ true
⊚ false
79) Even dysfunctional conflict can enhance and benefit an organization’s performance.
⊚ true
⊚ false
80) The same level of stress and conflict that creates a healthy and positive movement toward
goals in one group may prove disruptive and dysfunctional in another.
⊚ true
⊚ false
81) Every organization has an optimal level of conflict that helps generate positive
performance.
⊚ true
⊚ false
82) The “law and order” approach to conflict management, i.e., managers order people to stop
arguing and to get back to work, typically causes the conflict to subside.
⊚ true
⊚ false
Version 1 22
83) When managers keep potentially confrontational information (important to the group) to
themselves, it serves to repress conflict.
⊚ true
⊚ false
84) The law of interorganizational conflict proposes that every group comes into at least
partial conflict with every other group with which it interacts.
⊚ true
⊚ false
85) Work independence is a typical source of intergroup conflict.
⊚ true
⊚ false
86) Even groups with mutually exclusive goals can find themselves in conflict.
⊚ true
⊚ false
87) When limited resources must be allocated between groups, mutual dependencies
decrease.
⊚ true
⊚ false
88) Conformity to group norms becomes less important in conflict situations.
Version 1 23
⊚ true
⊚ false
89) In extreme conflict situations where threats are perceived, democratic methods of
leadership are likely to become more popular.
⊚ true
⊚ false
90) When a group is in conflict, it becomes less task-oriented.
⊚ true
⊚ false
91) Accommodation as a response to conflict should never be used as it projects weakness.
⊚ true
⊚ false
92) Compromising may sometimes involve third-party interventions.
⊚ true
⊚ false
93) A lack of disagreement can lead to suboptimum performance and inferior decision
making.
⊚ true
⊚ false
Version 1 24
94) Increasing conflict can increase the tendency for groupthink.
⊚ true
⊚ false
95) A lack of conflict is never beneficial to the organization.
⊚ true
⊚ false
96) A “devil’s advocate” is a person that introduces dysfunctional conflict into the
organization.
⊚ true
⊚ false
97) The use of incentives has no impact or effect on conflict among groups.
⊚ true
⊚ false
98) The final outcome of negotiations is almost always directly related to the power and
dependency relationships between the negotiators.
⊚ true
⊚ false
99) Although there is no one best way to manage, there is one best way to negotiate.
⊚ true
⊚ false
Version 1 25
100) When an opposing group offers to split the difference too early, it may mean that the
group has already received more than it expected to get or thinks it deserves.
⊚ true
⊚ false
Version 1 26
Answer Key
Test name: chapter 11
Version 1 27
Version 1 28