CASE STUDY - STOP STEALING MY STAFF
George and Ralph Tahashi are brothers that manage two different departments for the family business named Tahashi Technologies. Ralph is the newly appointed head of Technological development and is having transitional issues and conflict with his brother George. George is the manager of Product engineering. Ralph’s problem is that George is taking staff from his department and moving them into his own without prior approval rather than sourcing them from elsewhere. On the other hand, George feels that he is doing the right thing by taking staff from Ralph’s over staffed department.
Ralph does not agree that his department is overstaffed but believes they will have adequate work in the near future based on projections. He feels that George is interfering with his duties while George is sure that Ralph would do well with a leaner workforce.
The situation is compounded by the fact that most of the people who work under Ralph are asking to be transferred because they feel underutilized, mainly because there are many of them and there is little work to be done. Personnel in his unit are dissatisfied with being there out of boredom, insecurity and feel as if their talents are not being utilized or developed which is demotivating on the job. Furthermore there is the perception that an oversupply of workers exists which is anticipated may lead to staff cuts which is fueling the insecurity which is not being addressed by Ralph. These employee concerns are making it easier for George to ‘poach’ them and have them shift departments.
The brothers have very different personalities and it shows in how they conduct day-to-day business at work. George is very assertive and ambitious, with great interpersonal skills. He is very confident in his abilities as a manager and sees Ralph as being incompetent. Ralph on the other hand comes out as a reserved, private person, who does not work well with big teams of people and finds it difficult to relate to others. Rather than sit and talk about the differences between them and try to find solutions that can for both of them, the brothers directly confronted each other in front of their director. They exchanged accusations and countered accusations without offering any meaningful opinion on how they might come to an agreeable solution. It should be noted however that prior to this confrontation, Ralph had been buried deep in his work, and he did not seem perturbed or bothered by George’s poaching activities that had been going on for some time. It is clear however that they did affect him though he chose to ignore the effect.
John, a company Director, has to help resolve the conflict between the two managers after they bitterly confront each other in his presence. Apart from George and Ralph’s viewpoints the Director also has to consider the opinion of staff member Henry who was recently replaced by Ralph. Henry’s opinion about the conflict is important since he is the Lab manager who was recently replaced by Ralph. Henry had the same problems with George that Ralph is currently experiencing, but he was able to take care of them without directly confronting George.
QUESTIONS:
a. Fully explain any THREE (3) issues from the case that are a source of conflict for the parties involved. (9 marks)
b. Using examples, name and illustrate TWO (2) conflict management styles that are evident in the case and comment on the degree to which they were effective or not. (8 marks)
c. Justify what would have been the best conflict management style that could have been used to deal with the problem between Ralph and George. (3 marks)
Identify and explain any 2 (two) issues/problems negotiators face which could negatively affect a negotiation and how they can be overcome? (6 marks)
e. Discuss two (2) effective listening skills that negotiators use in conflict resolution. (4 marks)
Sample Solution
- Competition for resources: George is taking staff from Ralph's department without prior approval, which Ralph sees as a threat to his own department and his ability to do his job.
- Different management styles: George and Ralph have very different personalities and management styles. George is assertive and ambitious, while Ralph is reserved and private. This can lead to conflict when they have different ideas about how to manage their departments.
- Lack of communication and trust: The brothers have not communicated effectively about their differences or tried to find solutions that work for both of them. This has led to a breakdown of trust and a more adversarial relationship.
Full Answer Section
- Two (2) conflict management styles that are evident in the case and a comment on their degree of effectiveness
- Competing: George is using a competing conflict management style. He is assertive and focused on his own goals, even if it means harming Ralph's department. This style can be effective in the short term, but it can also damage relationships and lead to resentment.
- Avoiding: Ralph is initially using an avoiding conflict management style. He ignores George's poaching activities and does not try to address the conflict until it escalates to the point of a confrontation in front of their director. This style can be effective in the short term, but it allows the conflict to fester and can make it more difficult to resolve later on.
- The best conflict management style that could have been used to deal with the problem between Ralph and George
- Meet privately to discuss their concerns. Ralph and George should have met privately to discuss their concerns and try to understand each other's perspectives. This would have helped them to identify the root of the conflict and to develop a plan to address it.
- Brainstorm possible solutions. Once they had a better understanding of the conflict, Ralph and George could have brainstormed possible solutions. They should have been open to new ideas and willing to compromise.
- Negotiate a mutually agreeable solution. Once they had a few possible solutions, Ralph and George could have negotiated to find one that worked for both of them. This may have involved making concessions on both sides.
- Implement the solution and monitor the results. Once they had agreed on a solution, Ralph and George should have implemented it and monitored the results to make sure that it was working. They should also have been willing to make adjustments as needed.
- Cognitive biases: Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that can lead to inaccurate judgments. For example, the confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs. This can make it difficult to be objective during a negotiation.
- Communication problems: Communication problems can also negatively affect a negotiation. For example, if one party is not clear in their communication, it can lead to misunderstandings and conflict.
- Active listening: Active listening is a process of listening and responding to the other person in a way that shows that we are engaged and interested in what they have to say. It involves paying attention to both the speaker's verbal and nonverbal communication, and asking clarifying questions.
- Empathetic listening: Empathetic listening is the ability to understand and share the other person's feelings. It involves putting ourselves in their shoes and trying to see the situation from their perspective.