Chapter 6: Relating to Others at Work
Chapter Context
This chapter discusses strategies for relating to your manager and how you will use those
strategies on the job, horizontal communication, how to delegate a specific task or project to
Outcome-based Outline
Outcome
Learning Objectives
Critical Thinking
6.1 Review the four different
types of work relationships
Knowledge of Discipline
6.2a Define relational conflict
6.2b Describe ways of
managing relational conflict
6.3 Discuss negotiation
strategies and solutions at
work
6.4 Interpret the different
styles of conflict
6.5 Report the different ways
of managing conflict in the
workplace
Discussion Question Bank
This discussion question bank provides a listing of discussion questions (1-2 per module),
which are included for in-class use.
Module
Discussion Question(s)
6.1 Relating to Your Manager
1. How do person-focused and task-focused leaders
contribute to the development and maintenance
of constructive relationships in organizations?
Why do most leaders maintain a perfect balance
of task and person dimensions at the workplace?
2. Examine how positive and negative upward
communication help enrich the relationship of an
employee with his or her manager.
6.2 Relating to Your
Coworkers
1. Analyze the importance of developing quality
relationships with coworkers.
2. What are the issues associated with office
romance? Why do most companies have formal
policies regarding workplace romance?
6.3 Relating to Those You
Lead
1. Assess the reasons why successful managers
have loyal and trusting employees who go above
and beyond the call of duty for their manager.
2. How does effective downward communication
help in effective delegation of work?
6.4 Understanding Conflict
Styles
1. How do a person’s verbal statements reflect his
or her conflict style? What role do task and
person dimensions play in influencing the conflict
style of an individual?
2. Discuss why being aware of a person’s conflict
style is important in managing relational conflict
at the workplace.
6.5 Managing Conflict at
Work
1. Analyze the various communication skill sets
that need to be developed to manage conflict
effectively.
2. Why do a manager’s ethics play a major role in
handling conflict effectively at the workplace,
and how does it influence the employees?
Research Assignments
The following research assignments pertain to the main topics and/or themes of the chapter.
Please respond by writing a paper consisting of 1,000-1,500 words.
Creating a Conducive Environment at the Workplace
Write a report analyzing how a manager’s relationship with his or her employees influences
the quality of work and the climate at the workplace. Examine the need to effectively manage
Experiential Activity
Win-Win Negotiation
Goals
To negotiate a win-win resolution using the four strategies:
2. Focus on interests, not positions
4. Use objective criteria to evaluate proposals
Group size
Group size can vary. It can be done in dyads or teams of two.
Time required
Varies
Materials
A typed out script of a problem with roles students take on is
suggested. Sample suggestion:
One party represents the landlord/s
The other party represents the
tenant/s The problem is:
The neighbors of the house the tenants are renting are complaining to the landlord
about the weekend parties. The parties usually begin at 10:00 P.M. and last until the early
morning hours. There is usually music blaring and the street is filled with parked cars,
sometimes on the neighbors’ lawns or blocking their driveways. The next morning the front
The tenants have a one year lease and have paid first and last month’s rent. The
landlord does not want to evict the tenants since they pay the rent on time every month.
What can be done to resolve this situation?
Procedure
1. Distribute the problem to the class. Have two to four students volunteer to play
the roles of landlord and tenant.
2. Have the volunteers seated in the front of the classroom (fishbowl fashion) so all can
4. Once the resolution is achieved, open the format up to class discussion.
Discussion
How well were the four negotiation steps
followed? How did the landlord and tenant
1. Separate people from the problem
3. Invent proposals that are mutually beneficial