Organizational Behavior, 18e (Robbins)
Chapter 14 Conflict and Negotiation
1) ________ is defined as a process that begins when one party perceives another party has or is
about to negatively affect something the first party cares about.
A) Problem solving
B) Assessment
C) Conflict
D) Negotiation
E) Collective bargaining
2) In the past, researchers ________.
A) considered all conflict to be harmful
B) considered all conflict to be necessary to generate discussion
C) considered all conflict to be necessary to improve the creativity of a group
D) argued about whether conflict was uniformly good or bad
E) argued about whether conflict was rational and cannot be avoided
3) Conflict that hinders group performance is destructive or ________ conflict.
A) process
B) traditional
C) task
D) dysfunctional
E) dyadic
4) Gwyn is struggling with personal issues of control within her team. Her outbursts and
underhanded nature of functioning within the team is destructive. This could be considered
________.
A) relationship conflict
B) dysfunctional conflict
C) dysfunctional task conflict
D) dyadic relationship issues
E) intragroup conflict
5) Studies demonstrate that ________ conflicts are almost always ________.
A) relationship; formal
B) relationship; informal
C) relationship; dysfunctional
D) relationship; functional
E) task; reactive
6) Conflict that relates to the content and goals of work is called ________ conflict.
A) job
B) task
C) relationship
D) process
E) communication
7) Conflicts related to how the work gets done are called ________ conflicts.
A) communication
B) task
C) job
D) relationship
E) process
8) Mike and Keith are on the same team; they work well with other people in the same team but
don’t get along with each other. This type of conflict can best be described as ________.
A) intragroup
B) bilateral
C) intergroup
D) dyadic
E) dual
9) Conflict between two people is called ________ conflict.
A) intragroup
B) bilateral
C) intergroup
D) dyadic
E) dual
10) Contemporary perspectives tend to differentiate types of conflict based on their ________.
A) effects
B) being good or bad
C) emotional impact
D) task orientation
E) relationship orientation
11) Which of the following is false about views of conflict?
A) There is no consensus over the role of conflict in groups and organizations.
B) The notion that conflict is good or bad is somewhat outdated.
C) Contemporary perspectives differentiate types of conflict based on their good or bad effects.
D) The idea that conflict is good or bad can be viewed as simplistic.
E) Contemporary perspectives differentiate types of conflict based on their effects.
12) When your work group disagrees, the disagreements usually concern how the group’s work
should be accomplished. The type of conflict experienced by your group is known as a ________
conflict.
A) task
B) relationship
C) process
D) traditional
E) reactive
13) Scholars generally agree that task and process conflicts are functional.
14) Relationship conflicts are almost always functional.
15) Conflict is uniformly good or bad.
16) The locus of conflict is synonymous with the framework within which the conflict occurs.
17) Studies demonstrate that in work settings, relationship conflicts are almost always
dysfunctional. Why?
18) Describe a functional conflict and dysfunctional conflict that could exist because of structure.
19) Identify the three basic types of conflict from the perspective of where the conflict occurs
and discuss why it is important to understand the loci of conflict in order to address conflict in
the workplace.
20) What is the difference between intergroup conflict and intragroup conflict? Provide an
example of each type of conflict.
21) Conservationists have had a perpetual conflict with the government of the United States over
the fast and rampant depletion of Earth’s natural resources. They argue that the United States
must reduce its consumption level significantly to rectify this problem. Which of the following,
if true, would most strengthen the conservationists’ argument?
A) The United States has been conserving forests for several years.
B) Most countries have not taken any measures to reduce their consumption levels of natural
resources.
C) There are several countries that have more requirements for resources than the United States.
D) The United States accounts for one-third of the total world resource consumption.
E) New resource deposits are constantly being discovered.
22) Matt works as a sales representative at Tandem Industries, which manufactures and sells
bicycles. He’s the best salesman on the floor, but he also receives the highest number of customer
complaints for late deliveries. Which of the following, if true, best explains this situation?
A) The company uses enterprise solutions to manage inventory.
B) The company’s manufacturing facility is functioning at optimum capacity.
C) The company’s sales and logistics functions are tightly integrated.
D) The company keeps inventory levels low in order to reduce costs.
E) The company has an efficient credit verification process.
23) Conditions that can create conflicts can be classified into three categories. Which of the
following is one of these three categories that includes variables such as jurisdictional clarity,
member-goal compatibility, and leadership styles?
A) communication
B) structure
C) personal variables
D) group interactions
E) process variables
24) Which of the following statements is true regarding conflict?
A) The smaller the group, the greater the likelihood of conflict.
B) The less specialized the activities of the group, the greater the likelihood of conflict.
C) People low in the personality traits of disagreeableness, neuroticism, or self-monitoring are
more likely to engage in a conflict.
D) Emotions can cause conflict even when they are not directed at others.
E) As the ambiguity about where responsibility for actions lies decreases, the potential for
conflict increases.
25) Stage II of the conflict process deals with the conflict being ________.
A) perceived and felt
B) apparent and experienced
C) expressed and resolved
D) analyzed
E) internalized
26) The ________ stage of the conflict process is important because it’s where conflict issues
tend to be defined.
A) potential opposition
B) cognition and personalization
C) intention
D) behavior
E) reaction and transference
27) ________ is the third stage in the conflict process and it intervenes between people’s
perceptions and their overt behavior.
A) Potential for opposition
B) Intention
C) Cognition
D) Attribution
E) Behavioral manifestation
28) The conflict-handling techniques are characterized by two dimensions, cooperativeness and
assertiveness. Cooperativeness indicates the degree to which ________.
A) one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns
B) one party attempts to suppress the conflict
C) the parties attempt to find a win-win solution
D) one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns
E) the parties are willing to involve a third party in conflict resolution
29) Assertiveness indicates the degree to which ________.
A) one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns
B) one party attempts to suppress the conflict
C) the parties attempt to find a win-win solution
D) one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns
E) the parties are willing to involve a third party in conflict resolution
30) When one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the
other parties to the conflict, that person is using the conflict-handling intention of ________.
A) competing
B) avoiding
C) accommodating
D) compromising
E) collaborating
31) ________ is a conflict-handling technique in which the parties in a conflict each desire to
satisfy fully the concerns of all parties.
A) Collaborating
B) Competing
C) Accommodating
D) Avoiding
E) Compromising
32) The conflict-handling intention of collaborating is ________.
A) assertive and uncooperative
B) assertive and cooperative
C) unassertive and uncooperative
D) unassertive and cooperative
E) affective and reflective
33) Which of the following conflict-handling intentions is unassertive and uncooperative?
A) competing
B) collaborating
C) avoiding
D) compromising
E) accommodating
34) The conflict-handling intention of accommodating is ________.
A) assertive and uncooperative
B) assertive and cooperative
C) unassertive and uncooperative
D) unassertive and cooperative
E) reflective and assertive
35) Luke’s cubicle neighbor Leia, though an understanding and great co-worker, talks loudly on
the phone. Luke gets annoyed every time Leia’s phone rings, but he has decided it’s simply not
worth the trouble to talk to her about it. Luke’s conflict-handling intention is called ________.
A) competing
B) avoiding
C) accommodating
D) compromising
E) collaborating
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36) A party who seeks to appease an opponent may be willing to place the opponent’s interests
above his or her own, sacrificing to maintain the relationship. We refer to this conflict-handling
intention as ________.
A) collaborating
B) avoiding
C) compromising
D) competing
E) accommodating
37) Macy does not like a few of the standard operating procedures adapted for the new project.
However, she discussed the items with the team and told them that she realized she was in the
minority and that she would adapt the new procedures to maintain smooth operations within the
team. This type of conflict-handling intention is called ________.
A) negotiating
B) accommodating
C) collaborating
D) compromising
E) competing
38) Which of the following conflict-handling intentions is assertive and uncooperative?
A) compromising
B) avoiding
C) competing
D) collaborating
E) accommodating
39) Which of the following conflict-handling intentions involves accepting a solution that
provides incomplete satisfaction of both parties’ concerns?
A) collaborating
B) compromising
C) avoiding
D) competing
E) accommodating
40) In which stage of the conflict process does conflict become visible?
A) outcomes
B) intentions
C) incompatibility
D) behavior
E) personalization
41) A conflict-intensity continuum has “annihilatory conflict” at the upper end and “no conflict”
at the lower end. In the context of this conflict-intensity continuum, which of the following
statements is true of conflict intensities?
A) Aggressive physical attacks fall in the lower range of the conflict-intensity continuum.
B) Conflicts that reach the lower ranges of the conflict-intensity continuum are almost always
dysfunctional.
C) Strikes, riots, and wars fall in the lower range of the conflict-intensity continuum.
D) In cases of annihilatory conflict, there is overt questioning or challenging of others.
E) Functional conflicts are typically confined to the lower range of the conflict-intensity
continuum.
42) The division manager at Xperience Inc. wants to replace the SAP ERP currently used in his
division with Epicor ERP as it costs 30 percent less to train new staff in Epicor ERP. But this
leads to a conflict with the general manager, who insists that they can simply hire only people
who already know how to use SAP ERP. Which of the following, if true, weakens the general
manager’s objection to the replacement of SAP ERP with Epicor ERP?
A) Currently all employees in the company are required to attend workshops on how to use SAP
ERP.
B) Once employees learn how to use an ERP system, they tend to change employers more
readily than before.
C) Experienced users of SAP ERP command much higher salaries than do prospective
employees who have no experience in the use of any ERP.
D) The average productivity of employees in the company is below the average productivity of
the employees of its competitors.
E) The high costs of updates and upgrades make Epicor ERP more expensive to maintain than
SAP ERP.
43) According to a newly added office smoking regulation, only employees who have an
enclosed office may smoke at their desks. This leads to a major conflict between various
employees as virtually all employees with enclosed offices are higher-level managers and all
other employees lack enclosed offices. Therefore, the lower-level employees who smoke argue
that they should be offered enclosed offices. Which of the following, if true, strengthens the
employees’ argument?
A) The company is a zealous supporter of the “Kick the Butt” campaign–a corporate anti-
smoking campaign.
B) Higher-level managers, who have enclosed offices, are willing to share their offices with-
lower level employees.
C) The smoking regulations allow all employees who smoke an equal opportunity to do so,
regardless of an employee’s job level.
D) Employees at the higher level, who do not smoke, do not have enclosed offices.
E) The company has a limited budget for infrastructure modifications.
44) Which of the following is a conflict-stimulation technique?
A) expansion of resources
B) compromise
C) bringing in outsiders
D) exercising authoritative command
E) problem solving
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45) Which of the following conflict management techniques involves designating a critic to
purposely argue against the majority positions held by the group?
A) altering the structural variables
B) altering the human variable
C) bringing in outsiders
D) exercising authoritative command
E) appointing a devil’s advocate
46) Conflict is dysfunctional when it ________.
A) provides a medium to release tension
B) reduces group cohesiveness
C) fosters an environment of self-evaluation
D) provides a means for expressing frustration
E) leads to change
47) Which of the following statements is true regarding negotiation that takes place in a
collectivist culture?
A) Collectivists are less likely to seek to preserve relationships and promote the good of the
group as a whole than individualists.
B) Collectivists are more likely to confront differences of opinion directly and openly than
individualists.
C) Collectivist cultures see people as autonomous, not as people deeply embedded in social
situations.
D) Compared to individualists, collectivists are less likely to see offers from their counterparts as
unfair and to reject them.
E) The method of conflict management preferred by collectivist managers is competing.
48) A collectivist Chinese manager is most likely to use which of the following techniques for
conflict management?
A) direct confrontation
B) authoritative command
C) avoiding
D) pressurizing
E) competing tactics
49) All of the following are benefits of conflict in organizations except ________.
A) increased self-evaluation and change
B) increased groupthink
C) increased creativity and innovation
D) increased curiosity among group members
E) increased opportunity to air problems
50) The potential for conflict increases when too much communication takes place.
51) A review that examined the effects of the four sets of behaviors across multiple studies found
that openness and collaborating were both associated with superior group performance, whereas
avoiding and competing strategies were associated with significantly worse group performance.
52) During the behavior stage of the conflict process, the parties decide what the conflict is
about.
53) Cross-cultural negotiations have no issues of trust.
54) Collectivists are more interested in demonstrations of concern and working through third
parties to resolve disputes, whereas individualists are more likely to confront differences of
opinion directly and openly.