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Case Study: When Two Leaders on the Senior Team Hate Each Other

• Boris Groysberg
• Katherine Connolly Baden

How should a CEO address friction between his CFO and the sales chief?

In this fictional case, the CEO of a sports apparel manufacturer is faced with an ongoing conflict between two of his top executives. Specifically, the head of sales and the CFO are at each other’s throats and the tension is having a ripple effect on their teams and the rest of the organization. The CEO, who tends to avoid conflict himself, is struggling with how to respond. His options include changing the company compensation scheme to encourage better collaboration, firing the two leaders, getting them each a coach, and doing more team building activities.

The feedback in the 360-degree reviews was supposed to be anonymous. But it was crystal clear who’d made the negative comments in the assessment of one executive.

• BG Boris Groysberg is a professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate at the school’s Race, Gender & Equity Initiative. He is the coauthor, with Colleen Ammerman, of Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). bgroysberg
• KB Katherine Connolly Baden is a research associate at Harvard Business School.

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Appendix A: Case Studies

List of case studies, case study 1: handling roommate conflicts, case study 2: salary negotiation at college corp, case study 3: oecollaboration, case study 4: the ohio connection, case study 5: uber pays the price, case study 6: diverse teams hold court.

Chapter Reference: Section 2.2 Approaches to Conflict

Whether you have a roommate by choice, by necessity, or through the random selection process of your school’s housing office, it’s important to be able to get along with the person who shares your living space. While having a roommate offers many benefits such as making a new friend, having someone to experience a new situation like college life with, and having someone to split the cost on your own with, there are also challenges. Some common roommate conflicts involve neatness, noise, having guests, sharing possessions, value conflicts, money conflicts, and personality conflicts (Ball State University, 2001). Read the following scenarios and answer the following questions for each one:

• Which conflict management style, from the five discussed, would you use in this situation?
• What are the potential strengths of using this style?
• What are the potential weaknesses of using this style?

Scenario 1: Neatness. Your college dorm has bunk beds, and your roommate takes a lot of time making their bed (the bottom bunk) each morning. They have told you that they don’t want anyone sitting on or sleeping in the bed when they are not in the room. While your roommate is away for the weekend, your friend comes to visit and sits on the bottom bunk bed. You tell your friend what your roommate said, and you try to fix the bed back before your roommate returns to the dorm. When they return, your roommate notices that the bed has been disturbed and confronts you about it.

Scenario 2: Noise and having guests. Your roommate has a job waiting tables and gets home around midnight on Thursday nights. They often brings a couple friends from work home with them. They watch television, listen to music, or play video games and talk and laugh. You have an 8 a.m. class on Friday mornings and are usually asleep when they returns. Last Friday, you talked to your roommate and asked them to keep it down in the future. Tonight, their noise has woken you up and you can’t get back to sleep.

Scenario 3: Sharing possessions. When you go out to eat, you often bring back leftovers to have for lunch the next day during your short break between classes. You didn’t have time to eat breakfast, and you’re really excited about having your leftover pizza for lunch until you get home and see your roommate sitting on the couch eating the last slice.

Scenario 4: Money conflicts. Your roommate got mono and missed two weeks of work last month. Since they have a steady job and you have some savings, you cover their portion of the rent and agree that they will pay your portion next month. The next month comes around and your roommate informs you that they only have enough to pay their half of the rent.

Scenario 5: Value and personality conflicts. You like to go out to clubs and parties and have friends over, but your roommate is much more of an introvert. You’ve tried to get them to come out with you or join the party at your place, but they’d rather study. One day your roommate tells you that they want to break the lease so they can move out early to live with one of their friends. You both signed the lease, so you have to agree or they can’t do it. If you break the lease, you automatically lose your portion of the security deposit

Works Adapted

“ Conflict and Interpersonal Communication ” in Communication in the Real World  by University of Minnesota is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Ball State University. (2001). Roommate conflicts. accessed June 16, 2001, from  http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/CounselingCenter/VirtualSelfHelpLibrary/RoommateIssues.asx.

Chapter Reference:  Section 2.4 Negotiation

Janine just graduated college, she’s ready to head out on her own and get that first job, and she’s through her first interviews. She receives an offer of a $28,000 salary, including benefits from COLLEGE CORP, from an entry-level marketing position that seems like a perfect fit. She is thrown off by the salary they are offering and knows that it is lower than what she was hoping for. Instead of panicking, she takes the advice of her mentor and does a little research to know what the market range for the salary is for her area. She feels better after doing this, knowing that she was correct and the offer is low compared to the market rate. After understanding more about the offer and the rates, she goes back to the HR representative and asks for her preferred rate of $32,500, knowing the minimum that she would accept is $30,000. Instead of going in for her lowest amount, she started higher to be open to negotiations with the company. She also sent a note regarding her expertise that warranted why she asked for that salary. To her happy surprise, the company counter offered at $31,000—and she accepted.

• What key points of Janice’s negotiation led to her success?
• What could have Janice done better to get a better outcome for her salary?

“ Conflict and Negotiations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

“Good & Bad Salary Negotiations,”  Salary.com , April 19, 2018, https://www.salary.com/articles/good-bad-examples-of-salary-negotiations .

Herner, M. (n.d). 5 things HR wishes you knew about salary negotiation. Payscale.com, accessed October 21, 2018, https://www.payscale.com/salary-negotiation-guide/salary-negotiation-tips-from-hr .

Chapter Reference:  Section 3.2 Creating, Maintaining, and Changing Culture

At OECollaboration, a technology company that develops virtual collaboration software for new companies, Mike Jones is a new manager. One of the biggest challenges he has faced is that the team that he is managing is well established and because he is an outsider, the team members haven’t yet developed trust in him.

Two weeks into his new employment, Mike held a meeting and discussed all of the changes to the remote work agreements as well as implementing new meeting requirements for each employee to have a biweekly meeting scheduled with him to discuss their projects. The team was outraged, they were not excited, and the following days he wasn’t greeted in a friendly way; in addition, his team seemed less engaged when asked to participate in team functions.

Tracy James is also a new manager at OECollaboration who started at the same time as Mike, in a similar situation where she is a new manager of an existing team. Tracy was able to hold a meeting the first day on the job to listen to her team and get to know them. During this meeting she also told the team about herself and her past experiences. Additionally, she held one-on-one meetings to listen to each of her team members to discuss what they were working on and their career goals. After observation and discussion with upper management, she aligned her own team goals closely with the skills and experiences of her new team. She met with the whole team to make changes to a few policies, explaining why they were being changed, and set the strategy for the team moving forward.

Because she got her team involved and learned about them before implementing her new strategy, this was well received. Her team still had questions and concerns, but they felt like they could trust her and that they were included in the changes that were being made.

• What challenges can a new manager encounter when starting to manage an existing team?
• What strategies can a new manager implement to ensure that their new team is engaged with them and open to change and growth?

Adapted Works

“ Organizational Power and Politics ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Giang, V. (2013, July 31). The 7 types of power that shape the workplace. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-types-of-power-that-shape-the-workplace-2013-7

Morin, A. (2018, June 25). How to prevent a workplace bully from taking your power. Inc. https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/how-to-prevent-a-workplace-bully-from-taking-your-power.html

Weinstein,  B. (n.d.). 10 tips for dealing with a bully boss,” CIO , accessed October 13, 2018, https://www.cio.com.au/article/198499/10_tips_dealing_bully_boss/.

Chapter Reference:  Section 4.1 Power

Janey worked as an executive assistant to a product manager at her company: Ohio Connection. Overall, she loved her job; she was happy to work with a company that provided great benefits, and she and found enjoyment in her day-to-day work. She had the same product manager boss for years, but last year, her manager left Ohio Connection and retired. Recently her new manager has been treating her unfairly and showcasing bullying behavior.

Yesterday, Janey came into work, and her boss decided to use their power as her manager and her “superior” to demand that she stay late to cover for him, correct reports that he had made mistakes on, and would not pay her overtime. She was going to be late to pick up her son from soccer practice if she stayed late; she told him this, and he was not happy.

Over subsequent days, her boss consistently would make comments about her performance, even though she had always had good remarks on reviews, and created a very negative work environment. The next time she was asked to stay late, she complied for fear of losing her job or having other negative impacts on her job. Janey’s situation was not ideal, but she didn’t feel she had a choice.

• What type of power did Janey’s boss employ to get her to do the things that he wanted her to do?
• What negative consequences are apparent in this situation and other situations where power is not balanced in the workplace?
• What steps should Janey take do to counteract the power struggle that is occurring with her new manager?

Chapter Reference:   Section 5.1 Interpersonal Relationships at Work

Uber revolutionized the taxi industry and the way people commute. With the simple mission “to bring transportation—for everyone, everywhere,” today Uber has reached a valuation of around $70 billion and claimed a market share high of almost 90% in 2015. However, in June 2017 Uber experienced a series of bad press regarding an alleged culture of sexual harassment, which is what most experts believe caused their market share to fall to 75%.

In February of 2017 a former software engineer, Susan Fowler, wrote a lengthy post on her website regarding her experience of being harassed by a manager who was not disciplined by human resources for his behavior. In her post, Fowler wrote that Uber’s HR department and members of upper management told her that because it was the man’s first offense, they would only give him a warning. During her meeting with HR about the incident, Fowler was also advised that she should transfer to another department within the organization. According to Fowler, she was ultimately left no choice but to transfer to another department, despite having specific expertise in the department in which she had originally been working.

As her time at the company went on, she began meeting other women who worked for the company who relayed their own stories of harassment. To her surprise, many of the women reported being harassed by the same person who had harassed her. As she noted in her blog, “It became obvious that both HR and management had been lying about this being his ‘first offense.’” Fowler also reported a number of other instances that she identified as sexist and inappropriate within the organization and claims that she was disciplined severely for continuing to speak out. Fowler eventually left Uber after about two years of working for the company, noting that during her time at Uber the percentage of women working there had dropped to 6% of the workforce, down from 25% when she first started.

Following the fallout from Fowler’s lengthy description of the workplace on her website, Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick publicly condemned the behavior described by Fowler, calling it “abhorrent and against everything Uber stands for and believes in.” But later in March, Uber board member Arianna Huffington claimed that she believed “sexual harassment was not a systemic problem at the company.” Amid pressure from bad media attention and the company’s falling market share, Uber made some changes after an independent investigation resulted in 215 complaints. As a result, 20 employees were fired for reasons ranging from sexual harassment to bullying to retaliation to discrimination, and Kalanick announced that he would hire a chief operating officer to help manage the company. In an effort to provide the leadership team with more diversity, two senior female executives were hired to fill the positions of chief brand officer and senior vice president for leadership and strategy.

Critical Thinking Questions

• Based on Cox’s business case for diversity, what are some positive outcomes that may result in changes to Uber’s leadership team?
• If the case had occurred in Canada, what forms of legislation would have protected Fowler?
• What strategies should have been put in place to help prevent sexual harassment incidents like this from happening in the first place?

“ Diversity in Organizations ” in Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Della Cava, M. (2017, June 13). Uber has lost market share to Lyft during crisis. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/06/13/uber-market-share-customer-image-hit-string-scandals/102795024/

Fowler, T. (2017, February 19). Reflecting on one very, very strange year at Uber. https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber.

Lien,  T. (2017, June 6). Uber fires 20 workers after harassment investigation. Los Angeles Times.  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-uber-sexual-harassment-20170606-story.html

Uber (2017, February). Company info. https://www.uber.com/newsroom/company-info/

Chapter Reference:  Section 5.3 Collaboration, Decision-Making and Problem Solving in Groups

Diverse teams have been proven to be better at problem-solving and decision-making for a number of reasons. First, they bring many different perspectives to the table. Second, they rely more on facts and use those facts to substantiate their positions. What is even more interesting is that, according to the Scientific American article “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” simply “being around people who are different from us makes more creative, diligent, and harder-working.”

One case in point is the example of jury decision-making, where fact-finding and logical decision-making are of utmost importance. A 2006 study of jury decision-making, led by social psychologist Samuel Sommers of Tufts University, showed that racially diverse groups exchanged a wider range of information during deliberation of a case than all-White groups did. The researcher also conducted mock jury trials with a group of real jurors to show the impact of diversity on jury decision-making.

Interestingly enough, it was the mere presence of diversity on the jury that made jurors consider the facts more, and they had fewer errors recalling the relevant information. The groups even became more willing to discuss the role of race case, when they hadn’t before with an all-White jury. This wasn’t the case because the diverse jury members brought new information to the group—it happened because, according to the author, the mere presence of diversity made people more open-minded and diligent. Given what we discussed on the benefits of diversity, it makes sense. People are more likely to be prepared, to be diligent, and to think logically about something if they know that they will be pushed or tested on it. And who else would push you or test you on something, if not someone who is different from you in perspective, experience, or thinking. “Diversity jolts us into cognitive action in ways that homogeneity simply does not.”

So, the next time you are called for jury duty, or to serve on a board committee, or to make an important decision as part of a team, remember that one way to generate a great discussion and come up with a strong solution is to pull together a diverse team.

• If you don’t have a diverse group of people on your team, how can you ensure that you will have robust discussions and decision-making? What techniques can you use to generate conversations from different perspectives?
• Evaluate your own team at work. Is it a diverse team? How would you rate the quality of decisions generated from that group?

Sources: Adapted from Katherine W. Phillips, “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter,” Scientific American, October 2014, p. 7–8.

“ Critical Thinking Case ” in  Organizational Behaviour by OpenStax is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Conflict Management Copyright © 2022 by Laura Westmaas, BA, MSc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Case Study #7: Empowered Process---Skilled Leadership: Diffusion, Party Capacity & Speaking Truth to Power

• Erbe, Nancy

This is the seventh case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Introduction to Conflict Case Studies

Case Study #1: Neutral Fact-Finding and Empowerment Within Conflicted Systems

Case Study #2: Intrapersonal Approaches to Conflict: Cognitive and Perceptual Biases

Case Study #3: Negative Intergroup Influence

Case Study #4: Empathy: Effective Response with Escalating Aggression

Case Study #5: Assessing Covert Bad Faith and Power Abuse

Case Study #6: Cultural Competence: Ethical and Empowered Response With Discrimination

Case Study #7: Empowered Process---Skilled Leadership: Diffusion, Party Capacity and Speaking Truth to Power

Case Series #8: Empowered Process: Multicultural Collaboration

Case Study #2: Intrapersonal Approaches to Conflict: Cognitive & Perceptual Biases

This is the second case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the first case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This series, Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action, presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying this introduction. Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided here is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the sixth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the third case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

This is the fourth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Case Study #5: Assessing Covert Bad Faith & Power Abuse

This is the fifth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Case Study #8: Empowered Process: Multicultural Collaboration

This is the eighth case study in the series Holding These Truths: Empowerment and Recognition in Action. This series presents case studies for a future conflict resolution textbook. It has been successfully piloted with several international classes. Those, who benefit most, stress the importance of carefully studying the introduction. (See Introduction to Conflict Case Studies, Nancy D. Erbe). Because the case study format is intentionally unique, written in an interactive and non-linear workbook style, unlike many introductions, the information provided there is required for understanding the case studies. Readers are encouraged to send comments and critiques directly to the author. Because of the deliberate one-of-a-kind format of the text, detailed page-by-page comments and questions are welcome. A list of the entire series is included below.

Resolving Conflict: A Case Study

by Catherine Mattice Mar 3, 2020

One of our clients had two employees who were struggling to get along. Both employees were key contributors, and the business owner was desperate for them to resolve their differences.

It all started when one employee (I’ll call her Susan) was quick to email out policy changes, which the other employee (I’ll call her Tiffany) perceived as snooty. On the flip side, Susan perceived Tiffany as gregarious and outspoken.

Over time, conflict erupted about every little thing. One didn’t acknowledge the other in the hall; fireworks. One didn’t answer the phone on time; fireworks. And on it went.

The owner was at a loss.

She was stressed, the conflict was lowering productivity for the two employees, and the tension was affecting the whole workplace. 

This was a job for our resident DISC trainer and coach , Toni . DISC is a leading assessment tool used to assist individuals in understanding their own communication preferences and develop skills for effectively communicating with others. Toni is our experienced conflict mediator (and all around amazing chick).

Resolving Conflict

Both employees took the DISC assessment, and Toni met with each to review their results report.

Toni also put together a collaborative report, which juxtaposes the profiles and provides tools for each to communicate effectively with the other.

In one – yes you read that right – in ONE MEDIATION MEETING, the employees were able to resolve much of their conflict and set ground rules for communicating with each other moving forward. 

Toni finds that DISC cuts through a lot of “stuff” that can usually take several meetings to uncover. Holding a DISC report in their hands makes it easier for people to own their behavior, rather than having to spend several meetings getting people to see that the behavior even exists in the first place.

As a result of the mediation and DISC reports, Susan and Tiffany could see the differences in their communication styles and understand the natural areas where conflict was bound to erupt. 

Susan could see that Tiffany naturally likes to build relationships. Tiffany could see that Susan naturally focuses on procedures. Where Tiffany might share a change in policy by showing up at your desk to tell you about it, building a relationship with you in the meantime, Susan is focused on getting the procedure out clearly and concisely, seemingly without relationships on the mind at all. 

Knowing this, the employees could take responsibility for their part and develop plans for change.

And, the business owner can use the tool post-mediation. She can refer the employees to their results and provide ongoing coaching without Civility Partners’ help. 

Neat, right?

Situations like this one are bound to happen in any organization.

Even in our small office where employees are in speaking distance of each other, where we have regular team meetings, and where we get along quite well – things happen.

While our open office concept can foster collaboration, it doesn’t necessarily ensure effective communication.

Register for our March 19 webinar if you want to:

• Learn more about DISC
• Gain insight on your communication preferences
• Get some tools for conflict resolution
• Understand how DISC profiles tie into employee engagement, or
• Brush up on personal leadership skills.

Our webinar’s going to be packed with all that and more. 

When it comes to communication, we could all use a little insight and a little self-awareness. It really does play a major role in creating and sustaining a collaborative company culture.

See you on the webinar!

P.S. Join us and get some Q&A time with Toni. Ask her your burning questions about conflict resolution and she’ll no doubt have an inspiring answer.

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How the Lack of Training Affects your Organization

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Why it’s Getting Harder for Some Women to Report Harassment

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Why Your Reward System For Employees Can Fail Badly

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Conflict Resolution in the Workplace: 9 Tips

We break down how to resolve conflicts at work and get employees on the same page.

Conflicts occur in every workplace. Whether it’s a disagreement about the best way to solve a problem or a clash of two different personalities, it’s only a matter of time until a conflict arises in your organization.

What Is Conflict Resolution?

Conflict resolution is the process of finding a peaceful solution to a dispute between two or more parties.

In this article, we’ll cover in more detail what conflict resolution is, why it’s important and how you can resolve conflict in the workplace.

Conflict resolution is the process of settling a dispute between two or more parties. Most commonly, this will be based on the principles of facilitative mediation, in which a mediator allows each party to share their side of the story, lead a discussion around the common points of contention and task participants with suggesting an agreeable resolution.

There is no silver bullet to conflict resolution, because every situation is different and involves different types of people with different experiences, perspectives and communication styles. But with the right communication tools, you can try to understand where each person is coming from and get both parties back on track and pulling in the same direction.

Related Reading What Are Interpersonal Skills?

How to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace

There are several different paths you can take to resolving conflicts. If you are leading the discussion, here are a few steps you can take:  

1. Address Conflicts Early

It’s best to resolve a conflict as soon as possible. When conflict lingers over time, it can become more difficult to address.

“What’s needed is a discussion from the start,” Leslie Nydick, CEO of The Conflict Strategist , told Built In. “It has to be multi-directional; It can’t be one-way communication.”

When people stop talking about something, that can lead them to make assumptions, which then leads to confusion, and ultimately, conflict, said Courtney Chicvak, a conflict resolution specialist and lecturer at Columbia University .

“People often don’t express their concerns or they let things simmer for much longer than they actually should, and eventually there’s a blow-up,” Chicvak told Built In. “It makes it much harder to show up and resolve an issue if there’s a blow-up.”

2. Choose a Facilitator

Employees might not want to express their opinions to their direct manager because they may see them as part of the problem. They might also hesitate to share their feelings with HR because they are afraid of getting fired or having negative information added to their file.

Some companies have established ombuds offices, which can informally discuss workplace issues and conflicts outside of HR channels. Companies might also bring in someone from outside the organization, like a mediator trained in facilitating dialogue in workplace conflicts.

3. Find a Private Place to Talk

Managers or mediators should find a private environment that encourages people to be vulnerable and share their feelings. If the two parties are particularly heated, the facilitator may have to deescalate the situation by separating them in different rooms.

4. Set Expectations and Ground Rules

If the two parties are going to be in the same room, the facilitator should set some clear ground rules, such as not interrupting when the other person is talking. The facilitator might also ask participants to limit the scope of the discussion to the conflict at hand and not bring up past conflicts or grievances. Both parties should be treated with dignity and respect, and the conversation should not turn into a debate about who is right and wrong.

5. Actively Listen to Both Sides

Both parties should have an opportunity to share their side of the story without interruption, and both parties should try to understand where the other party is coming from.

The facilitator and participants should both “dial up their curiosity,” Nydick said, and realize that they may not have all the answers. You never know what you may learn from listening to other sides of the story. 

“Focus on what the person is saying without planning how you’re going to respond,” Nydick added. “Don’t take up space in your mind thinking about how you experienced something similar. If you’re thinking about what you want to say next, you’re not listening.”

6. Clarify the Source of the Conflict

Many conflicts are like icebergs, according to Jennifer Libby, district manager at Insperity . Most of it is under the surface. That unaddressed tension could be personal, or it could be indicative of a much larger issue that needs to be addressed. 

Sometimes the source of the conflict may not always be apparent, or it may be obscured by another reason. By carefully listening to all sides, you should aim to identify a conflict that can be discussed and ultimately resolved with a potential solution.  

7. Ask Open-Ended Questions

When discussing the conflict, the facilitator should ask neutral, open-ended questions. They should not ask leading questions designed to confirm their suspicions, as these typically put people on the defensive and cause them to shut down.

Instead of asking questions that start with “why,” Nydick suggests starting questions with “how” or “what.” “Why would you do it that way?” is much more likely to put people on the defensive than “How did you decide to do that?” or “Help me understand your approach to that situation.”

Nydick also suggests people pause before responding, which will allow time to reflect on what someone has said and allow time to craft a more intentional question. She also suggests asking one question at a time to prevent issues from getting unnecessarily complicated.

For participants, Chicvak suggests using “I” statements as opposed to “you” statements. Instead of saying “you hurt my feelings,” you could say “I feel disrespected when you do that.”

8. Agree on a Solution

When working toward a conflict, a manager or HR person may try to bring the two sides together by acknowledging their shared goal. You can acknowledge that each employee has the right to their own opinions, but make it clear that the company has shared expectations and values around treating each other with respect. 

“The reason the values are so important is because it’s shared language,” Libby told Built In. “Before we were in conflict, we could agree on these things. That means we can agree on something again. You’ve planted some foreshadowing in their mind about that outcome.” 

Under a facilitative mediation approach, both employees are asked to come up with a resolution that they can both agree on. The thinking here is that the two parties know the intricacies of the situation better than anyone else and are thus best-equipped to come up with a solution. By coming up with their own solution, the two parties are also more likely to feel a sense of buy-in and work toward a successful outcome. 

“When something’s imposed upon you, you’re much less likely to actually do it,” Chicvak said. “Whereas if you came up with this idea, you have some investment in it, and you’re more likely to actually follow through.”

Once a solution has been reached, both parties should walk out of the meeting certain of what actions are required on their part and what could happen if a similar conflict occurs again.

9. Follow Up

You’ll want to monitor the relationship between the employees and check in with each of the two parties to gauge whether the agreed-upon plan of action has been effective in resolving the conflict. If it hasn’t been effective, you may want to meet with the two parties again to develop another solution.

As a manager or HR leader, you can also use this experience as a learning opportunity to understand which circumstances are likely to create conflict in the future. By learning about the root causes of conflict and honing your conflict resolution skills, you can create space for disagreement and transform conflict into a force for improvement and innovation.

Related Reading What Is Employee Relations?

Why Is Conflict Resolution Important?

Most people try to avoid conflict because it is uncomfortable. But Nydick argues that conflict is the result of different ideas, and that talking through those differences offers an opportunity to find a better way of working — and potentially a new business strategy.

Conflict resolution is also key for building a healthy company culture. A 2017 survey of 1,344 full-time employees found that 53 percent of employees ignore “toxic” situations. By taking swift action to resolve a conflict, managers can prevent an isolated conflict from spreading across the team, creating a toxic culture of division and resentment.

Failing to properly manage conflict at work can result in additional consequences:

• Poor productivity.  Employees spend more than four hours per week dealing with conflict at work, according to a Myers-Briggs study . That time could be better spent elsewhere.  
• Low job satisfaction.  Employees who spent more time dealing with conflict had lower job satisfaction , according to the Myers-Briggs study. And people who viewed themselves as good at managing conflict had higher levels of job satisfaction.  
• High turnover.  If employees are feeling stressed or resentful about unresolved conflict, they will likely leave at the first chance they get to find happier coworkers and a healthier company culture.

Types of Conflict in the Workplace

Workplace conflicts are generally either substantive conflicts or personality conflicts.

1. Substantive conflicts are rooted in the work of an organization. For example:

• Two workers from different departments clash due to conflicting priorities.
• Teammates disagree on the best strategy for a project.

2. Personality conflicts are disagreements driven by emotions. For example:

• An employee complains that their ideas aren’t being heard because their coworker dominates every discussion.
• An employee with an expressive communication style assumes their coworker does not like them because their messages are terse.

According to Libby, substantive conflicts are “usually not malicious,” but often rooted in a passion for the mission of the organization or the craft of their profession: “People have strong feelings about things, and they care how things are done.” If a conflict is simply interpersonal, Libby often suggests looking inward to see how one can improve the situation.

Conflict mediators will want to keep the type of conflict in mind, as it can help determine the appropriate course of action. For instance, the solution of a personality conflict may simply involve one person changing their behavior, while a substantive conflict may require multiple parties to meet and discuss a viable path toward collaboration.

Examples of Conflict in the Workplace

Workplace conflicts can show up in many different ways, such as:

• Team members are given shared responsibilities and it’s unclear who is responsible for certain tasks.
• Workers disagree with senior leadership’s strategy for the company and begin to complain about it to their managers.
• An employee argues with a coworker because they have different feelings about current events.
• A dispute arises between two company leaders over the allocation of resources for their respective departments.
• An employee feels frustrated when they don’t understand their manager’s directions and are blamed for not meeting expectations.
• An employee believes they were unfairly passed over for a promotion by their manager.
• An organizational restructuring leaves some workers feeling confused and frustrated about their roles.
• Some employees feel that their coworkers take an unfair amount of time off.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is conflict resolution.

Conflict resolution is the process of finding a solution to a dispute. In a workplace conflict, HR leaders, ombuds or third-party mediators will typically resolve a conflict by facilitating a dialogue between the two parties and finding a solution both parties can agree on.

What are the 5 conflict resolution strategies? 

Researchers Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann identified five strategies that people use to resolve conflicts: avoiding, competing, accommodating, collaborating and compromising. By identifying your conflict resolution strategy, you can learn how to become more assertive or cooperative to adapt to different personalities and situations.

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Must-Have Conflict Management Case Study Examples with Templates and Samples

Ananya Bhaduri

“Avoiding conflict doesn’t make it go away; it just goes away and sharpens its fangs.”- Amy Alkon.

Conflicts often emerge like untamed brushstrokes on a canvas in the vast tapestry of the modern workplace, where diverse personalities and ambitions intertwine. Like skilled artists, adept leaders know conflict management is critical to transforming these chaotic clashes into harmonious masterpieces. Picture a symphony conductor orchestrating a medley of differing notes, rhythmically merging dissonance into a harmonious melody. Workplace conflict management is akin to that conductor, delicately navigating the complexities of human interaction, listening to the various voices and perspectives, and conducting a harmonious resolution. It is the art of understanding, empathy, and communication, allowing teams to transcend discord and embark on a collective journey toward collaboration and success.

Importance of Conflict Management

Conflict management or conflict resolution is essential for fostering productive and harmonious relationships in both personal and professional contexts. It is pivotal in promoting understanding, resolving differences, and facilitating growth and innovation. Effective conflict management enables individuals and groups to navigate disagreements, negotiate compromises and maintain a positive and collaborative atmosphere.

By addressing conflicts constructively, conflicts can be transformed into opportunities for learning and development. Conflict management helps to prevent escalation and destructive outcomes, such as strained relationships, loss of trust, and decreased productivity. It promotes open communication, active listening, end empathy, allowing parties to express their concerns, interests, and needs.

Moreover, conflict management is crucial for promoting diversity and inclusivity. It encourages the exploration of various perspectives and fosters a culture of respect and acceptance. By acknowledging and valuing differences, conflicts can be seen as a means to challenge assumptions, foster creativity, and drive innovation.

In summary, conflict management is of utmost importance. It enables individuals and organizations to handle disagreements and differences constructively, improving relationships, increasing productivity, and creating a more inclusive and resilient environment. 

Suppose you're willing to offer practical training for your team and colleagues regarding conflict management. In that case, you can check our training module, which focuses on workplace conflict and prevention techniques.

Template 1: A Case Study on Conflict Management at Workplace 

Explore the following template that showcases a case study on workplace conflict management. Use this pre-designed template to outline the context of the conflict within your organization. This concise yet comprehensible template enables your workforce to effectively grasp the conflict's background. Get this template now!

Download now

Template 2: A case study on Conflict Management at the Workplace

Use this slide to highlight the decision regarding conflict management in your organization. This template describes the decision taken and the outcome of the decision. This ready-to-use template is column structured. One explains the decisions taken, and the other denotes the outcomes. This format easily attracts customers; you can edit the decisions and outcomes per your requirements.

Template 3: Recommended Conflict Management Solution Template

This content-ready template helps you showcase the recommendations regarding the conflict management solution. It states that the decisions should be based on facts, and there should be proper reasoning when making the decisions. On the other hand, it also mentions using external assessment firms for making such decisions. Lastly, you can formulate workplace behavior rules and regulations to control aggressive employee behavior. Since this template is customizable, you can add more recommendations according to your needs. 

Template 4: Case Study on Employee Dispute at Workplace Template

This PPT Slide allows you to describe the background of the employee dispute in your workplace. Disputes or conflicts can be based on discrimination. In this template, you can highlight the conflict between the employees and what are the issues faced by them. Get this slide now to get started!

Template 5: Conflict with Manager Template

Use this slide to emphasize the background of the conflict involving the manager. This specific slide highlights the conflict stemming from divergent perspectives on a project. Our dedicated experts have designed these templates to be easily editable, enabling you to incorporate the conflict's background according to your specific needs. Access this template from the given link.

Template 6: Conflict Resolution Approach Template

Discover this PPT Template that showcases the conflict resolution approach adopted within your organization. Within this template, the initial resolution articulates a clear and rational rationale for the change in approach. The second resolution emphasizes the significance of mutual agreement through a constructive dialogue between the employee and the manager. You have the flexibility to customize the resolutions based on the conflict background prevalent in your company. The captivating structure and enriching content of this template will undoubtedly captivate your audience. Act now and seize this opportunity!

Template 7: Mediation at Workplace Template

Mediation holds utmost importance in resolving workplace conflicts among employees or teams. To address conflicts within your company, avail yourself of this downloadable template. It provides a platform to outline the background of the conflict comprehensively. The template emphasizes conducting a role play to effectively resolve the conflict, suggesting the involvement of three individuals as volunteers to portray the employees' roles. However, you have the liberty to customize the template to suit your specific requirements. Download this template right away.

Template 8: Outcome of the Decision Template

This template allows you to focus on the Outcome of the decision. It states that the mediation process helps when communication doesn't work. With this template, you can identify the cause of failure and find new ways of working together. Grab this template now!

Template 9: Conflict Resolution Template

Use this PPT Slide to define your actions regarding the resolution of conflict when both of them were part of your team. With the background of the incident, you can act to resolve the conflict. The colorful and rich content can easily attract your customers. Get this template from the given link!

Template 10: Approach and Outcome Template

This template helps you to find the approach and outcomes of conflict resolution in the workplace. It states to review the entire situation first, then the concerned employees and the managers should be interviewed, and lastly, there should be some psychometric tests to assess the personality. This will lead to understanding the persistent stress level of the employees.

Wrapping up

The above ten templates related to workplace conflict management will help you point out, avoid and mitigate workplace conflicts. Do you know these templates are easily customizable? Also, you can use and save these powerpoint graphics in the format of your choice. 

FAQs on Conflict Management

What is a good example of conflict management.

X manages a customer service team. She oversees 16 employees, and it's her first leadership role. She has one team member, Y, with a low customer satisfaction score. In a previous meeting, she told Y she would like her to raise the score, but it's been a month without improvement.

In such cases, X could work to develop her leadership and communication skills by conducting a training session.

What is an example of a conflict case?

X is an accountant for a software production company. He requires all the sales figures each month to create his reports. One of his colleagues on the sales team, Mr. Y, always gives him the figures late, which affects X's report.

What are the five types of conflict management?

Five types of Conflict management includes-accommodating is the situation when the issue is not essential to you as it is to the other person; avoiding involves simply ignoring the issue; compromising is the opportunity to find a middle-ground solution; collaborating is beyond finding the middle ground to finding a solution and competing that involves sticking to your argument.

What are the 5 Cs of conflict management with examples?

The five C's include- carefully listening, considering the situation, having a calm discussion, conscientiously looking at the facts, and cooperatively working together.

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Written communication and energy transfer to fix a dysfunctional team: a case study in conflict resolution in an educational institution

LBS Journal of Management & Research

ISSN : 0972-8031

Article publication date: 2 November 2023

Task conflict and relationship conflict are common in organizations. This paper aims to present a unique case of the use of the targeted conflict-resolution technique. The revival of positive group dynamics is aptly shown.

Design/methodology/approach

This descriptive case study is developed as a practice insight to showcase how a peculiar case of misunderstanding is resolved in the most unconventional way through the intervention of a mediator who unearths the real cause of contention. The mediator works through logic and emotion to remove negativity. Narration, a necessary component of the case study approach, peeps into the research subject involving flashbacks, flash forward, backstories and foreshadowing. The mediator uses reframing as a tool very efficiently, encouraging the people in conflict to understand the nothingness in their cold war and eventually prompting them to collaborate and compromise.

The shifts in communication dynamics post-mediator’s intervention are subtle and full of wisdom, encouraging introspection and constructive interaction, eventually bridging the differences. The possibility of achieving a state of homeostasis in the future magnifies. The belief in the power of affirmation and manifestation is validated. The heavy, difficult, hardened negativity loses ground and gets transformed.

Social implications

Conversation/prayers at the deepest level in several meetings are the communication tools that have immense social relevance in the Indian context.

Originality/value

A unique combination of intermediation encompassing written communication and energy transformation is adopted to resolve ongoing conflict by stroking the positive psychology of the partakers. To some, the method may appear to have a spiritual connotation.

• Intermediation
• Narrative style
• Transformative method mediation

Rai, P. , Gupta, P. and Parewa, B. (2023), "Written communication and energy transfer to fix a dysfunctional team: a case study in conflict resolution in an educational institution", LBS Journal of Management & Research , Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/LBSJMR-10-2022-0066

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Pratibha Rai, Priya Gupta and Bhawna Parewa

Published in LBS Journal of Management & Research . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

The elders of the village settled disagreements in the past through intermediation ( Cohn, 1965 ). However, modern conciliation differs slightly since the mediator doesn't suggest to the partakers what to do. Instead, they aid in equilibrating the power in the affiliation, ensuring that everyone gets an opportunity to have an impartial go and that their anxieties are well perceived and understood. From time immemorial, a disagreement or conflict that arises between close associates or family members is settled by unbiased and sorted individuals through mediation who have no vested interest in the case. However, a delay in dispute settlement may lead to several problems. Invariably, this intensifies into conflict as the disagreement and disharmony become deep-rooted. That eventually risks things mounting up to where the possibility of resuming a cooperative relationship becomes a far-fetched dream.

In this paper, a simmering conflict amongst a team of faculty members of an educational institution is taken to understand the complex and intertwined nature of the conflict, and the newness in the paper lies in the method adopted to resolve it. The members of this department worked together very cohesively for years together succeeded in bringing laurels to their department and the college through their joint intellectual capital. However, after fifteen years of close cooperation, cracks appeared in the fabric of this alliance. Somehow constituents got delineated from each other to become too visible, and their delineation affected them to the extreme. Regular professional communication almost became impossible. The negativity around the stalwarts amongst whom the differences took birth started impacting the newcomers in the department unknowingly. In this scenario, the most common issues that the team experienced were a complete lack of trust and commitment, a distraction from results leading to unaccountability ( Lencioni, 2012 ).

The intense negative emotion, sometimes called anxiety, needs to be addressed to resolve a conflict that may or may not manifest itself openly. There is a need to identify the trigger and reason. The anxiety experienced amongst the group members and the felt emotion needed an expression enabling people to think precisely and clearly and thereby prepare them to unravel the problem. Comella (1996) has beautifully presented the emotional side of organizations.

This paper focuses on the conflict resolution approach through mediation offered by the mediator without being asked by any aggrieved party. In this unique case, the observer (also a co-worker) who sensed the negativity amongst the colleagues during a couple of meetings essentially initiates to end the cold-fighting and attempts to rekindle the lost amicable relationship. The initiatives taken are unique and unconventional. The uniqueness of those initiatives is enough motivation to document them. As is well known, mediation diffuses and de-escalates disputes by shifting the center to problem-solving rather than cold fighting. Here, the charisma and character of the mediator also assume a critical role. By not being involved in an issue, they are the people who could perceive the minor nuances of the problems amongst the professionals and co-workers from an unbiased perspective. However, some facilitation of reconciliations in an unconventional way is desirable. The case study discussed here and the approach taken was slightly different because the mediator attempts to strike a reconciliation amongst the concerned individuals after sensing the differences without a call by aggrieved parties. The facilitator’s approach of this type comes in the category of “Mavericks at Work” ( Taylor, LaBarre, & Whitener, 2006 ). These individuals may be non-conformists, but they look at every issue from a moralistic perspective. They are the people who believe in the goodness of beings in general but also accept “all rose bushes have thorns.” Given this realization, such people are fully aware that one may experience negativity from people who have been very close at some point in time.

2. Review of literature

Conflict is ubiquitous, pervasive in nature and has assumed numerous connotations and meanings as expressed in the writings of many. Coser (1956) considers it a struggle for scarce status and personal values. Robbins (2005) observe conflict arise while performing assigned tasks. The cause of conflict in organizations is competitive supremacy, the paucity of resources that are required to be shared, and due to differences in leadership style ( Bernard & Ashimi, 2014 ). Offering to resolve conflicts means challenging normal procedures and processes to increase efficiency and productivity or introducing systems that are innovative ( Robbins, 2005 ).

Mediation as a conflict-resolving technique is a social process that is intricate and facilitates not only intergroup but international negotiations as well ( James & Wall, 1981 ). Transformative mediation is also not uncommon. In the process of resolving the dispute, each method has its place. Mediators select a blend of styles depending on the peculiarity of the case conflict and the type of parties involved. Transformative mediation is often a subject of criticism because it has received less focus, is considered too idealistic, and is less useful for business and court matters ( Zumeta, 2018 ). However, such characterizations are challenged by mediators using evaluative and transformative techniques. Riskin (2003) believes these styles to be the most interventionist. They consider it to be more of a continuum than distinct differences.

Pizarro et al. (2020) in “The Mediating Role of Shared Flow and Perceived Emotional Synchrony on Compassion for Others in a Mindful-Dancing Program” and Kolb and Bartunek (1992) states that non-rational approaches are more often used in informal conflict resolution and consider this method as stressing “the unconscious or spontaneous aspects of a dispute governed by feeling and impulse of participants and not by their cognizance.” They are endeavoring to claim that the manifestation of emotions in any form does not essentially suggest a loss of reason. On the contrary, emotion is considered an adequate expression in conflict resolution. Moreover, rational methods of conflict resolution score over emotional methods of handling conflict resolution because the latter is considered an informal method.

The transformative structure centers on and reflects relational ideology. Human beings are fundamentally socially formed in and through their relations with other human beings, essentially connected to others and motivated by a desire for both personal autonomy and constructive social interaction However, empowerment shift, recognition shift and positive dynamics and regenerative interaction are recognized in transformative models ( Bush & Folger, 1994 ).

However, the transformative model theorizes that despite ensuing conflicts amongst people, they have an innate ability to change the quality of communication and interaction to reflect upon relative personal strength or self-confidence (the empowerment shift) and relative openness or responsiveness to the other (the recognition shift) to avoid the potentially destructive effects of conflict. Furthermore, as these affirmative subtleties and dynamics feed each other, the relations can revive to assume a humanizing character. It is a unique approach to conflict intervention ( Bush & Folger, 1994 ) as an alternative framework based on personal strength and compassion.

The parties' rights, needs and interests are the primary focus of mediation, and it essentially is a “party-centered process.” Optimal solutions for the involved parties are case-specific. They require diverse techniques that direct the processes constructively and pragmatically. The facilitation is done by the mediator in a manner so that open communication is possible. Mediation is evaluative if the mediator analyzes issues and relevant norms and refrains from giving prescriptive assistance to the involved ones.

The validity and power of emotion should be given appropriate weightage to gain an all-inclusive picture of conflict dynamics. A word of caution is that intense emotion can sometimes be so reactive that it creates smoke around resolution. As per Gilbert (1992) , “The problem that triggered the emotions is never addressed; emotions are merely generated and circuited and re-circuited through the system” when seen in the context of a family from a systems perspective. From this perspective, emotions are neither good nor bad and the level of duration and intensity of feeling in which it occurs matters. Table 1 presents the selected literature review, which is relevant to the methodology chosen in this study.

3. Methodology

As illustrated in this paper, workplace conflict is a gamut of emotions and the consequent connection with wise reasoning. The mediator role is essential in unearthing and working through emotion. For making the way toward resolution, the mediator's role is vital in unearthing and working through them. Therefore, the narration is an essential component in the case study approach of this paper. This Narrative [1] style peeps into the research subject involving flashbacks, flash forward, backstory and foreshadowing. Common technique relevant to the narrative perspective is the practice of double listening, counter-story construction and mapping the effects and externalizing conversation.

In social sciences, storytelling methodology is revelatory and exploratory. The background story of the team covers the reasons for differences amongst the group members without too much detailing of specific events. The story becomes an object of study that focuses on individuals or groups who either make sense or non-sense of actions and events that happen and influence their lives ( Mitchell & Egudo, 2003 ). The mediator's letter (appears in section IV (ii)) serves as a supporting tool for the members in conflict to have an unbiased perspective/assessment of a well-wisher on reasons for the conflict. The request to end the conflict in the interest of all is also the clear intent of the mediator. The push is on nurturing positive psychology ( Seligman, 2002 ).

The theoretic substructures to narrative approaches are drawn in the letter since they can facilitate sense-making and help construct identity. The path of mediation chosen by a co-worker leads to some thawing of negativity and paves the way for initiating conflict resolution within a department of an educational institution, followed by consequent cleansing of negativity through the transfer of negativity onto paper/papers and then surrendering those papers to flames. Introspection and sharing and discourse analysis all find a place under the section titled bringing to the negotiating table. In addition, the choice of a peaceful setting to finally draw a curtain on differences to be remembered as an experience to learn from, has been used by the mediator for the affected parties to accommodate, compromise and eventually collaborate.

True self-discovery is about viewing the resolutions and comprehending those meticulously, leading to the most authentic discoveries emanating from within. However, most of the time, psychodynamic perspectives ( Bornstein, 2005 , 2006 ) are not known to people.

Some signs are visible in the current literature that the narrative approach ( Kim, 2016 ; Winslade & Monk, 2000 ) is progressively gaining acceptance in many disciplines, including the ones that are outside the realm of social sciences. The method is said to capture social representation in the form of processes involving imagery that raises positive emotions but is indeed time-consuming. It offers the potential to address complexity and ambiguity in the approach followed by individuals and groups, which are part and parcel of organizational phenomena. ( Mitchell & Egudo, 2003 ). Creating healthy and productive organizations is so very important ( Costantino & Merchant, 1996 ).

The person taking the lead in solving differences amongst people may not be an expert in the mediation process, yet can solve the problems if the mediator has a fair intent.

The case offers a new direction in future research because the relationship rekindles after following not the set but an unconventional procedure in the intermediation process.

The study hinges on three-phased detailing done under the case study section in line with the methodology adopted to achieve informal conflict resolution. The background of the team presented will indirectly hint at the nature of the conflict. Moral appeal through written communication will present a generalized analysis of the conflict from the mediator's perspective. Burning the negativity comes under the realm of an unconventional conflict resolution technique which may have a placebo effect. Reframing [2] ( Schütte, 2015 ) was used effectively by the mediator to have willing participation. This indicates the mediator's triumph since the mediation ( Bush & Folger, 2004 ) process became voluntary, and the mediator participated the least in the outcome. The disputing parties themselves have control over the tacit agreement.

It hinges on a five-phased approach adopted to achieve informal conflict resolution. (1) The background of the team presented will indirectly hint at the nature of the conflict. (2) Moral appeal through written communication will present a generalized analysis of the conflict from the mediator's perspective. (3) Burning the negativity comes under an unconventional conflict resolution technique that may have a placebo effect. Finally, the practical insights are concluded by covering (4) discussions amongst the group and (5) the outcome of the social science experiment. The sequenced approach sets the structure of the paper as well.

4. The case study

The case study (see Figure 1 ) appears in the form of anamnesis ( Allen, 1959 ) i.e., recollection, an account of the whole case, which is the subject of analysis in this paper.

The three subsections cover: (1) Background of the team presents the shades of the relationship of past and present amongst the team members. It is desirable to wake the department from slumber and encourage them to overcome the inertia by ending the negativity in the group. (2) Moral Appeal through written communication details the letter written by the self-styled way of a mediator to resolve colleagues' conflict, which gives a fair and unbiased analysis of the nature of the conflict. (3) In this section, the technique that may appear to have spiritual connotation is discussed, christened as burning the negativity as an unconventional conflict resolution technique.

4.1 Background of the team: the conflict

A cohesive team of an educational institution belonging to the same department achieved milestones in their career by setting Robotics Laboratory, Fab Laboratory. It carried out research with joint efforts and much more. If the work centers within the department, all members share great affinity and bonding. They work as a close team, and they hardly participate in activities beyond their department. There was an element of groupthink. Each member believed that all members approved of a particular decision taken by anyone of them. No one expressed dissenting opinion because each person thought that it is in the larger interest of the group and it would undermine the cohesion of the group. To preserve the group's harmony and well-being, they had become increasingly out-of-touch with outside (external) reality ( Rummel, 1991 ). Groupthink ( Janis, 2008 ) is probable in cohesive groups that are socially homogenous that are separated from outsiders.

Cracks appeared in this harmony as this groupthink ( Wekselberg, 1996 ) tendency started to wither away since some members had to work outside the group to meet higher institutional goals. The members' readiness to accept this situation was very poor; hence, the blame game, distrust for each other and other differences started raising ugly heads. After a couple of heated discussions and continued infighting, the whole department fragmented into two subgroups, generating negativity. As a result, communication broke between the two groups. The faculty who did most of the talking with the administrative head started getting appreciation and recognition while they engaged themselves in working outside the group. The result of such recognition being given to only one member by the institution's administrative head was looked upon by other members as a violation of a tacit agreement broken by the member because they always worked in-group (one's own group) and not out-group (other groups).

4.2 Moral appeal through written communication: analysis of conflict

This situation of tacit infighting and broken communication due to differences created continued for a couple of years, around four years. Another colleague makes a fair assessment of the hostile work environment and considers it to be an outcome of collective doing. As a realist, this colleague assumes the role of a mediator and floats a letter to all department members to bring out the positive group psyche. Another colleague working in a different department gets a chance to work with this department. The communication by the mediator was like Hyperbole. There was an element of over-exaggeration to make a point. A spiritual mantra to lead a worldly life is to either forgive or seek forgiveness.

Dear colleagues,

A small initiative is taken since I chose to respond to Angel's whisper.

A lot of hope backs this initiative. This is written with an expectation that at least it would be read carefully. Whatever differences are within the department are not right. It is worthy of close observation because the harms caused are known to everybody, but none consider themselves responsible for it. Instead, the blame is on others. Deep analytical introspection and soul searching would reveal the delusion. The journey of life, including a professional one, is being led according to lessons learned from a set of experiences, belief systems and a certain fixed way of looking at things, issues and events. If you can respect this effort, the transmission will be effective; else, it will remain an effort only. Both conditions are acceptable.

In professional decision-making, sometimes the decisions taken may be correct in a relative sense but not appropriate in an absolute sense. The decision can be considered accurate in a complete sense when it does not hurt anybody and deems it to be correct in relative importance when it may be correct when seen from a specific perspective but maybe hurt someone. If seen from the lens of the person deciding from a particular perspective, it may appear valid. Every individual, in a contextual sense with a compartmentalized outlook, tries to make a correct decision. In the process of decision-making, harm to an individual may occur. The person attempts to justify oneself on one plea or the other rather than looking at it in its entirety. Whenever one reviews the decision taken in totality, the lacunae in the decisions appear. The options that could ensure no one is harmed and hurt in the decision-making were overlooked and not exercised. The failure to acknowledge the situation generally is under a supreme false ego. The ideal situation would be if such a miss happens unknowingly, then it is the archetype to seek forgiveness or forgive the other person who commits the mistake unknowingly ( Bell, 2008 ). The problem is we never seek forgiveness from within nor forgive. We create distances unnecessarily. There is an urgent need to bridge these distances. The persistence of such a state kills infinite possibilities that are neither good for an institution nor suitable for any individual associated with that institution.

A spiritual mantra to lead a worldly life is to either forgive or seek forgiveness. ‘A quote by a neighbor-friend impacts me as if some cosmic force or angel whispers these words. The question before me is whether I share this churning of thoughts. There were multiple reasons for not sharing, but sometimes one reason is sufficient to take a decisive call. This initiation did flash a fear in the mind of the mediator that the collective impression would be an ‘attempt to pose as a leader or an uncalled-for intervention.

It is essential to reiterate that the motivation is not to prove superiority in understanding situations. Under professional compulsion, small time-bound responsibilities are taken and accomplished, and many times there is a complete lack of consistency at a personal level. However, the situation is analyzed better by a third person who is not an aggrieved party. A group whose contribution has been immense can contribute more if harmony comes in the department is the forthright opinion of the third person. Hence, the third person wants acceptance from the team to at least allow to try to resolve the matter as a mediator. Society has given immensely, and we owe it and should pay it back. Therefore, if an opportunity comes by, one should take it as the will of the Almighty to reduce one’s dues, and who knows, this could be part of a larger “scheme of things.” The role of the mediator should be seen in this light.

The internal differences in the department and even at the institution level could be due to several factors. One, while resolving contemporary issues, we hurt each other's interests unknowingly, and the one who is hurt takes it as a deliberate attempt by the other. Second, administrative decisions by the head of the institution leading to role change also sometimes create unnecessary confusion between the core group and hurt the members. The frequent change in job roles by the administrative head sometimes leads to confusion and misunderstanding. The work done by the team of faculty at the committee level is quite extensive and requires passionate pursuit. The change in job roles appears to be a decision taken in consultation with associated faculty, a close associate. However, sometimes it is dictated by the whims and fancies of the authorities, but the suspicion is on one’s own colleagues. Third, a friend or colleague not expressing disapproval on the hurts inflicted by the seniors on the fellow colleague impairs their relationship. One should not disregard the fact that such situations are for self-evolution and self-actualization and the best way to move on is to forgive all people who are knowingly or unknowingly the cause of one’s pain (mental forgiveness) ( Bauer et al. , 1992 ).

Firstly, working to accomplish the task with a sense of detachment is the highest way of action. When a certain task is being taken away without one's will (and one has exercised all ways of fairness in one's control to restrain it), then it should be considered by the doer as an indication of the need to change the direction of action governed by some positive cosmic forces. This realization leaves no space for negativity to breed. This may appear to be an ideal thing, but achieving the ideal state is the objective of life that cannot be refuted. Another way of looking at it is that one allows the administrative head to become unbridled and autocratic and allows unfairness. But this is going to continue the storm unabated within, which is not good.

Second, when a group works continuously on a project, the credit sometimes goes to the faculty who leads the project. There may be practically no realization of this fact because the one who leads the project thinks the group to be a collective identity of persona. When differences start appearing, the team members may manifest such trivialities. The departmental bonding and affinity, as displayed in yesteryears, could be an example, a precedent to be emulated. There is a need to rejuvenate and revive the same. Another question that may arise is that if the ‘larger scheme of things governs events ( Kendrick et al. , 1990 ), then why do cracks appear in the first place? A satisfactory answer could be that while members worked as a team in the past before the differences emerged, the individual members had lost their identity. The mutual dependence amongst some members had crossed limits that had started affecting their respective personal family life. In fighting the differences, some emerge as strong individuals who gain the ability to work independently. Groupthink will not appear now if they combine their energies. There can be a host of possible explanations, maybe debatable or un-debatable.

Third, the divisive functioning style of the administrative authority is the leading cause of the differences among the faculty. This line of argument is disputable. All members have worked closely with the executive head, and they have a host of positive experiences and negative experiences to share. Again, to restore positivity to dissolve the negative experiences, the best way is to seek forgiveness and forgive at the mental level. The position of the head of the institution comes with a host of administrative powers and restrictions. These powers may sometimes be misused/abused while meeting administrative challenges. Giving a benefit of the doubt that the abuse or misuse might have happened unknowingly will keep us away from undesirable hopelessness, cynicism and skepticism. Running an institution while accommodating multiple idiosyncrasies of the staff would not be a cakewalk. Discharging duties while maintaining the dignity of administrative positions would not be easy. If the idea that the institutional fragmentation is due to the administration's policies is entertained, then the differences would have been only with the head of the institution. Often, the faculty errs and does not accept the erring done against one another, creating impregnable walls around them. While working in small committees, the faculty take positions under certain circumstances and look from that perspective the decision is right. However, from the outside, we hold each other responsible without taking cognizance of the complex decision-making process.

Deeper introspection may lead to a convergence of views somewhere ( Freeberg, 2002 ). All will be able to understand the rigidity of the stands of subgroups holding amicable communication amongst the members. Although this writing is an outcome of an analysis of one person, there may be many unaddressed issues that may have been deliberately or otherwise avoided because of several opposing personal nuances. Further detailing may end up in bad taste. Whenever pearls are broken from a string, and then they are bound together after catharsis, they unite with spiritual strength. The strength of spiritual tie becomes very strong. However, if they reunite to serve personal gains due to situational convergence of interests, then the knot in the string will always leave scope for a snap to occur in the knotted string.

Warm Regards,

Your colleague.

4.3 Burning the negativity: unconventional conflict resolution technique

The members of the group did not respond immediately to the letter. Sometimes, the conflict as seen on the exterior does not convey in totality what's wrong, and sometimes deeper issues are simmering beneath the surface that makes it more problematic. Repeated requests by the mediator by being assertive and politely persuasive led to some thawing. Eventually, two members of the team wrote back to the mediator, the content of which was quite intense that revealed the prior too close an affinity and relationship. The hurts went beyond professional boundaries. The two who belonged to the opposite gender were carrying personal pains and complaints against each other that were more emotional in nature. The two were romanticizing the hurts given to each other. After seeking polite permission, the two letters marked to the mediator were exchanged with the respondents. This was meant to share the sensitivity on both sides. As a result, further thawing happened. The group members were talking to the mediator separately but were sidestepping coming to the negotiating table. There were certain nasty occurrences of the past holding them from going to the negotiating table. The mediator finally decides to write again to the two respondents of the team. The mediator had a straightforward approach and strong belief that, in certain circumstances, written communication is more powerful in creating an impact than verbal communication and vice versa.

The writing of this case clearly brings to the fore that mediation could work only if aggrieved members come across the table. Further reiteration by the mediator that how there was a longing on his part to see the department together, happy in their coziness of fraternity and respect for each other, probably made a desirable impact on the group. Generally, no difference lasts for so long if mistakes are not on both sides.

The letters and communication of the mediator, written with clarity and pure intent, created a crack in the vicious cycle of negative dynamics feeding each party's sense of self-absorption and weakness. The mediator was considered unbiased and sort of revered by all the members. These two members convinced the other members to come to the negotiating table. The colleague who had assumed the role of a mediator by some intent that flashed across now had no clue how to handle the parties on the negotiating table. An evening before the meeting, while browsing through the internet happened to hit on a video of Dhandapani. In this video, the spiritual guru, the motivational speaker, linked beautifully how experiences have emotions attached to them that feed the human mind. When one tries to relive it or write about it, it goes from the subconscious mind to the conscious mind, flows through hands into the piece of paper, and if the paper is surrendered to fire, it changes its form, eventually transforming the negative energy.

This motivated the mediator to try something new. The following day when the members met at 9 a.m., the mediator handed a piece of paper to each and asked them to jot down the hurts that they had received while working, partly working or not-working with each other in the same department, in the order of intensity of the hurts/grievances. The mediator also asked them to reflect upon and write about their own personal misses and omissions in avoiding the situation of conflict. This was a challenge for the mediator to motivate the group/department members to willfully transfer the hurts on a piece of paper (guided by Jensen, 2020 ) article in Harvard Business Review). The mediator continued, “Well, whatever we observe, test and validate, we believe it, and we can make the world believe it. There are many finer, deeper, complex nuances and processes of the human brain beyond human (scientific) comprehension. For instance, the chemical secretion in response to certain human brain triggers is not in the same amount. Maybe after meditative experiences, the chemical processes in two human brains may not be the same even if the two humans are undergoing those experiences in a controlled environment, so we say the receptivity levels are different. There is a lot of subjectivity, philosophical angles and scientific challenges in exploring this space.” This route is a kind of reframing tool that the mediator was trying to make use of. Reframe is a simple tool/strategy of holding the mutuality of the challenge in view to see what they can attempt together to resolve the conflict. The choice of a frame that best supports resolution is a key question for the mediator. The primary task of the mediator is to support the participants in experiencing a shift, whether it pertains to how they perceive the conflict situation, how they feel about one another, or how they view the world. A reframing from a negative to a positive perception removes the sting. In conflict resolution, the primary reframe is from conflict as a problem to conflict as an opportunity. This is not easy to appreciate when people conflict, but it’s easy for people outside the conflict zone to understand and facilitate as a mediator even if they are not experts in intermediation.

However, the participants were not too convinced with the rationale behind the writing/detailing about their hurts and their own mistakes in not managing conflict situations. After observing the members' reluctance, the mediator continued that this effort would prove fruitful and unless the unanimous decision is reached, the written content of each would be kept confidential and secret from everyone, even the facilitator would not read it. Some willingly and some unwillingly followed the instruction. After they were done with this exercise, the obvious question asked was how they felt. Two of them said that they felt lighter, few others also agreed that, to some extent, they felt better. All these writings were sealed in one envelope. The mediator requested the members to assemble again before leaving for the day in the evening. The mediator further suggested that they observe their inner self for a couple of hours and see if the lighter feeling stayed for a couple of hours or just fleeted in an hour. In the second meeting at 4 p.m., the mediator felt that the group was more peaceful, and the group also accepted the same. The mediator then asked them if some of the group members felt like transferring some of the remaining Negativity on a piece of paper, they could do it. Some of the members again wrote. These sheets of paper were sealed in the second envelope. After the experiment, there were two options available: One to read each other's hurts jotted on paper and the second to burn the negativity transferred in the form of writing.

The mediator suggested the second option to save them from embarrassment and further entanglement. The members were a little unsure but did not question the surrealism of the act and finally agreed to the mediator's suggestion. The facilitator took the group to the open field and lighted the two envelopes with a matchstick, the two thick envelopes slowly caught fire and all the members saw them burning to ashes in the silence of nature. The facilitator continued to share the rationale behind the experiment. If anyone desires to unveil the mysteries of the universe, one should strive hard to think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. Everything is made up of energy, and it vibrates at a certain frequency. It's true for emotional energy as well ( Hunt & Schooler, 2019 ). There was an unresolved negative emotional experience sitting in the subconscious mind of everyone here, consuming a tremendous amount of energy. Every experience had emotion attached to it; it was vibrating in the subconscious mind. In the process of writing, it passed from hand to the paper, and now the sealed envelopes were surrendered to fire; the emotion could get transformed into heat, flame, ash smoke and a bunch of different things. Obviously, the fire will not destroy emotion since it has certain energy but will transform it.

The mediator could see awe and disbelief on specific faces. This kind of expression took the explanation further. The mediator continued that this whole experimental process may appear surreal, obscure and may appear to have a spiritual connotation. When a four-year-old baby makes a birthday card for the mother or the father, it may not be significant in terms of quality of creativity, but what makes it priceless is the love that is transferred while making the card. The deep emotion, as in this case, gets transferred into the piece of paper. The warmth of the emotion of love is felt whenever the card is held by the parents, even after several years have passed. Likewise, one can transfer the emotion from inside to another matter. Likewise, neither energy can be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred or transformed from one thing to another.

5. Discussions: an outcome of the social science experiment

The biggest challenge in this case study was to bring the group to the negotiating table. Some members were very rigid and refused to come to discuss their traumas and their hurts. However, the open discussion with three members, A, B and C, helped a lot. Their share appears in the excerpts I and II.

5.1 Excerpt – I - discussions with member A and C

Member A- I and member B joined the college in the same year as ad-hoc faculty way back in 1997. In 1998 member B became permanent, and in the same year, two more members, C and D, joined the department as ad-hoc faculty. Member B, as senior most faculty, was pally with all the members. He shared special bonds with me. We all were from the science stream; laboratory sessions kept us in college till 4 p.m. We sometimes stayed back in college even if the laboratory class was that of our colleague. These long stays brought us very close. We all had faith in member A. We tacitly accepted him as a leader. Sometimes I shared my family issues, personal goals, and aspirations with him. He, too, did the same. The whole college knew about our friendship and bonding, which was so apparent among all four of us. I also became permanent in the year 2001.

We all used to work on tasks taken by senior faculty member-A since he was functioning as a Teacher-in-charge of our department without ever questioning him, but all the credit for the work was taken by him, and this continued for years in the department. Even when his tenure as a TIC was over, the administrative head discussed infrastructure and facility-related issues with him and assigned him tasks. We collaborated to complete the job assigned, yet the leadership quality of member B was acknowledged and recognized, and we felt we were equally competent, and this began to irk us (members A and C). Right from establishing an electronic laboratory for our course to setting up an advanced Robotics laboratory in several phases was collaborative teamwork. I always felt overshadowed. I was not happy with this situation and felt hurt sometimes, but I never talked to him about it.

We kept on ignoring our personal discomfort for several years. I started feeling that I am suffering from an identity crisis. However, our relationship and friendship at outer level seemed to continue.

In the meantime, I (member C) lost my job for technical reasons when the appointment for permanent faculty happened. I was very hurt since I blamed member B for not letting me know beforehand about the prerequisite for seeking a permanent appointment. Even if a faculty is working in the same college before the selection committee meets, his name is to be registered in the panel of the ad-hoc list of the parent department. I felt that as a senior faculty (member B) should have informed me about it and ensured this.

However, after six months’ time, the posts got advertised again, and I performed extremely well in the interview and then joined back the college. I internally continued to carry personal hurt and a grudge against member B.

Both members A and C had a feeling that he takes us and others in the department for granted. They felt that member B had narcissistic (Self-absorbed) attitude.

When member B was on long leave, the administrative head changed and he started contacting the faculty next in seniority, i.e., the two of us. We started doing the work, and obviously, our efforts got recognized. This was good for our self-esteem. The new administrative head different functioning style. However, when member B joined back, he found that there wasn’t the same kind of affinity between the three of them.

In one of the departmental meetings, he screamed at the two for a valid reason for taking a stupid position which was, according to him, not in the interest of the department. This incident created a visible rift among them, and member B stopped communicating with the two. We thought probably the feeling of dilution in his leadership was the cause for his conduct. The department got divided into two groups member B with five other faculty in one group, and members A and C formed another group.

Departmental meetings did not go well after this incident. The petty differences started surfacing now and then.

5.2 Excerpt – II - meeting with member B

The mediator shared the gist of discussions with members A and C. Member B was taken aback, especially for the phrase narcissistic used for him. He was so surprised to know that members A and C suffered from identity crisis. He clarified that in all the meetings, he did mention that the work done is the outcome of all the faculty members of the department. He could do nothing to change the functioning style of the erstwhile administrative head. He never realized his colleagues felt like that, and unfortunately, they never mentioned it. He felt sorry because they used to communicate so much earlier, but what was professionally bothering them was never shared. He could have got a chance to explain. He probably never realized that there was a kind of discontent amongst the colleagues due to the reasons mentioned by member A and C.

He also shared that he was instrumental in getting the appointment of member C, which out of magnanimity, he never shared. He had met the department head in person to inform him that due to technical reasons, member C was not selected as permanent faculty in the last interview and hinted at the areas of his expertise and strengths.

There was a lot of other unpleasantness that happened between the two groups that is too petty and not so significant to elaborate. All was reactionary and counter reactionary outbursts due to negativity amongst us. We all did that in the state of child ego.

He further went on to add that how I wish I had read psychology and cognitive behaviour theory to be more perceptive. Human behaviour is so complex, and I realize that to be successful one needs to have a balance between art and science. Probably whatever happened was for good because members A and C worked very hard during the years when differences had appeared, and they made several publications and rose to new heights professionally, converting potentiality to achievable possibility. Sometimes, it is designed by the Almighty to ensure you achieve desired goals by moving out of the comfort zone.

In addition, reliving the memories of extreme negativity and confronting them across the table, however, was averted through the technique of writing the hurts on paper. The mediator also convinced the group to sit together and have a couple of meditation sessions. The group saw the videos of Joe Dispenza: How to unlock the full potential of the mind, https://youtu.be/La9oLLoI5Rc , You are the Placebo [3] How to exercise the power of the mind, https://youtu.be/0Uw0hJxy7Y4 , Learn How To Control Your Mind (Use this to brainwash yourself), https://youtu.be/v7KQsS2kLM4 . All this was done to maintain the modified state of mind of the group members.

They continued to remain positive and exhibited faith and, therefore, the possibility of achieving a state of homeostasis got magnified. Homeostasis is a core concept necessary for understanding the many regulatory mechanisms in physiology. Bernard (1974) originally proposed the idea of the constancy of the “milieu Interieur” [4] but his discussion was rather abstract. Walter Cannon introduced the term homeostasis [5] and expanded Bernard's notion of “constancy” of the internal environment explicitly and concretely.

Harmony kept on increasing day by day. Once they started inching towards that state at the individual level, the friction and inertia started dissolving at the group level. Interestingly, no one was compelled into any agreement or decision. The unique technique of the mediator transformed the negativity, and facilitated self-determination, empowering the members in dispute to look at the differences that had caused their conflict and consider what they could accept, what had to change and how they could accomplish the change. The experiment seemed to have a Placebo Effect. Accomplishment is assessed not by resolution but by the way the members having group conflict shifted toward personal strength, constructive interaction, and interpersonal responsiveness through this transformative mediation ( Bush & Folger, 2004 ). The results were entirely in the members' own hands and were essentially based on their own choices.

In this case, intuitive sensitivity and imagination came into play. The subconscious mind ( Affendy and Nurilia, 2014 ) is the memory recall domain. When attention is paid, the imagery stored there gets activated. Dreaming is considered a good illustration. The levels of the subconscious also vary while dreaming. Sometimes recall of the dream is there, sometimes recall is faint, sometimes not. However, when some people experience negativity, they have trained themselves to throw it away even from their subconscious instantly not to affect them. They are generally more forgiving people. A mix of these must have been experienced by some of the team members. Probably, some of them felt an urgent need to end the conflict since it was adversely impacting their psychological health. Some people need some placebo effect type of thing to happen, like writing it on a piece of paper and burning it, leading to the transformation of the negative energy. This could be considered a purely intuitive and experiential way of looking at things. Neuro mapping [6] may help to decipher these conditions.

6. Conclusion

Interestingly, the dysfunctional group of the college department, in a short span of three months, resumed a working professional relationship. Since the mediator was a colleague of the group, hence kept on meeting them regularly and acted as a catalyst to bring the group together and was immensely satisfied with the outcome of the experiment. Once each of them identified the cause of the anxiety and emotions expressed (transferred), members could think more clearly, and come out of the hurts felt due to their earlier groupthink syndrome. They felt equipped to settle their departmental issues. The constructive interaction, and communication amongst the group, grew, and broken ties started strengthening. This was particularly because member A now knew that members A and C felt that he had a narcissistic attitude, and introspection made him realize that. Members A and C went through an identity crisis, unknowingly inflicted by member B. This realization diluted the differences to a great extent. However, the older ties of friendship never got revived due to changes in the relationship dynamics.

Although various qualities could describe the communication dynamics required in mediation, however, here the pure intent of the mediator, not too expert in the domain of mediation, could remove the bitterness and negativity that had set in amongst a group. The intervention and shifts in communication dynamics ( Mattsson & den Haring, 1998 ) were so subtle and full of wisdom that the heavy and difficult, hardened negativity lost ground by being transformed.

6.1 Implications

It remains to be validated whether the placebo effect ( Wei et al. , 2018 ) or actual transformation of negativity or bitterness got removed by adopting the transformative method. Therefore, more case studies using the technique need to be initiated in the future to test the efficacy of this technique. When the people involved were amid resolving the hurts and healing the contextually generated sensitivities and sensibilities, no one had in mind to bring this intense experience on paper. The mediator felt that it is an experience worth sharing with the people, and so it is seeing the light of day to find a humble place in the repository of knowledge sharing.

The mediator used Reframing as a tool very efficiently, transforming the conflict from being combative and contentious and bringing them on a collaborative and compromising platform. This proved to be most amenable to reaching a desirable, creative resolution. The mediator builds an argument that the past is history and can only serve to teach us lessons. The future epitomizes where the participant members are going and has the conceivable potential of hitting something superior. Therefore, the participants are encouraged to choose a future orientation.

The case study approach presented in the flow chart

Glimpses of the literature on the connotation of the study

Source(s): compiled by authors

Understanding narrative Inquiry, The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research, by Jeong Hee Kim (2016).

Reframing ( Schütte B., 2015 ) is used as a tool to change the view of something. It acknowledges that the setting or reframe that is utilized to make complete sense of an incident, state or relationship is not something neutral. The judgment as to the use of a specific frame, consequently, involves a mindful-conscious choice. Any times, reframing may be intellectualized as refocusing since the influence of the reframe leads to an innovative focus. For the mediators to function most effectively, the two 'refocuses' that are especially significant may involve the reframe from past to future and – demands to need.

Placebo effect causes miracles in your body, health and life. It can transform the experience and influencing the matter: by taking control of thought and emotions, we can reprogram our cells; We have the biological and neurological machinery necessary to do it. A placebo is a substance without any pharmacological power that, however, causes a positive effect on the patient ( https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect ).

“Milieu Intérieur” refers to the physiological regulation of the internal environment emphasized by Claude Bernard. In the field of medicine and physiology, it occupies an important position describing the interstitial fluid and its physiological capacity to ensure protective stability for the tissues and organs of multicellular organisms ( Bernard et al., 1974 ; Holmes,1986 ).

Homeostasis is the word derived from the two Greek words “homeo” meaning “similar,” and “stasis” meaning “stable.” Homeostasis refers to stability, balance or equilibrium within a cell or the body. Maintaining a stable internal environment which requires adjustments as conditions change inside and outside the cell. The maintenance of systems within a cell is called homeostatic regulation ( Yadav, Jain, Bissi, & Marotta, 2016 ; Rodova and Kim, 2016 ; Singh and Shoab Mansuri, 2016 ; Andrey and Vladimir, 2016 ; Cooper, 2008 ).

Brain (neuro) mapping is done to evaluate brainwaves and identify opportunities to improve communication between several regions of the brain and attempts to capture a window of brain activity, analyze the data and create a visual representation for each lobe of the brain and each specific brain wave (Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta). The mission of brain mapping is to define the structure and function of the human brain in health and disease ( https://www.uclahealth.org/neurology/brain-mapping ).

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge the trust and support given by seven colleagues of Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi, who supported this experimental study.

Corresponding author

About the authors.

Dr Pratibha Rai has over 24 years of professional experience, which includes a four-year stint in the corporate sector from 1991 to 1995. She holds a master ’s degree in economics from Banaras Hindu University and has pursued her M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the University of Delhi. Her teaching expertise spans various subjects within economics and management, specializing in environmental economics. Since August 1998, she has been an educator at the Department of Business Economics, Maharaja Agrasen College, University of Delhi. Dr Rai has an impressive publication record, with research papers covering diverse areas such as environmental economics, finance and spiritual ecology.

Dr Priya Gupta is working as Associate Professor at ABVSME, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has more than 20 years of teaching and industry experience. Her educational qualification includes MCA, M.Phil (Computer Science), JRF (Computer Science and Application) and Ph.D. from Birla Institute of Technology (Mesra), Ranchi. Her research interest lies in the area of data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, customer relationship management system, management information system, financial modelling, etc.

Bhawna Parewa is Ph.D. (management) research scholar at the Department of Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ABV-SME) of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, India. Her educational qualification includes B.Com, M.Com, UGC NET-JRF (commerce). Before joining ABV- SME, she worked as Assistant Professor in NCWEB. Her research interest includes financial markets and information technology.

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Case Study: Conflict at McDonald’s

Table of Contents

Fast-food chains like McDonald’s are always under scrutiny for their work culture and employee treatment. In 2019, McDonald’s was in the headlines for a conflict that arose between its management and workers at a restaurant in the UK. The dispute involved the use of zero-hours contracts, which allow employers to hire staff with no guarantee of work and pay them only for the hours they work. The workers at the McDonald’s outlet in Cambridge decided to go on a strike, which led to a public outcry and media attention.

Understanding the Conflict

The conflict at McDonald’s was a result of a disagreement between the employees and management over the use of zero-hours contracts. The workers at the Cambridge branch demanded job security and better pay, whereas the management insisted on retaining the zero-hours contracts, citing flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

The situation escalated when the workers went on a strike, which received support from various labor unions and activists. The strike caused disruptions to the restaurant’s operations, leading to loss of business and a dent in the company’s reputation.

Conflict Resolution Techniques

To resolve the conflict, McDonald’s management engaged in a dialogue with the workers’ representatives and labor unions. The company agreed to offer fixed-hour contracts to its employees, which guaranteed a minimum number of working hours per week. This move was a significant step towards addressing the employees’ concerns and improving their job security.

McDonald’s also promised to improve working conditions and increase pay for its employees, demonstrating a willingness to address the issues that led to the conflict.

Key Takeaways

The conflict at McDonald’s highlights the importance of effective communication and conflict resolution techniques in resolving workplace disputes. It also emphasizes the need for companies to prioritize employee welfare and take steps to address their concerns.

As a manager, it is crucial to listen to employee grievances and engage in a dialogue to understand their concerns. Companies should adopt policies that prioritize job security, fair pay, and employee welfare, which will lead to a happier and more productive workforce.

The conflict at McDonald’s was a wake-up call for the fast-food industry and a lesson in the importance of addressing employee concerns. By engaging in a dialogue with the workers and adopting policies that prioritize employee welfare, McDonald’s was able to resolve the conflict and restore its reputation. The case study provides valuable insights into effective conflict resolution techniques and the importance of prioritizing employee welfare in the workplace.

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11 Organisational Conflict

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Team-Building Strategies: Building a Winning Team for Your Organization

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• Negotiation Case Studies: Google’s Approach to Dispute Resolution

How Google's dispute resolution strategy combines elements of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes such as mediation and arbitration

By Katie Shonk — on April 11th, 2024 / Dispute Resolution

Here’s a great example on how to avoid litigation by pursuing negotiation with your counterparts. In the face of antitrust charges, Google’s guiding principle for dispute resolution is “Don’t litigate, negotiate,” according to the Wall Street Journal .

In the past, U.S. and European regulators have accused Google of abusing its dominance in online searches by promoting its own services, such as Google Shopping, at the expense of its competitors’ services. Rival comparison-sites such as Nextag complain that Google lists their products far below Google Shopping results, where they are less likely be found, in consumer searches.

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Negotiation Case Studies: Google and the FTC

Back in 2014, Google avoided formal charges by the Federal Trade Commission by agreeing to make small changes to its search practices. That February, Google reached a similar deal with European Commission regulators, promising to reserve space high on its European search pages for competitors to offer their own search results, albeit only after paying Google for the space. The rivals’ offerings would be shaded and marked as “alternatives.”

The deal allowed Google to avoid an official probe and a potential fine of up to 10% of its global annual revenue, which was $59.8 billion in 2013, according to the Journal. Google competitors, including Microsoft and Nokia, said the settlement terms did not go far enough.

In stark contrast to Google’s strategy of negotiation as dispute resolution, Microsoft fought European antitrust charges for a decade, a battle that ultimately cost the company more than $2.5 billion in fines.

Over the course of the three-year European investigation, Google worked closely with regulators, at times flying its engineers to Brussels, Belgium, to describe the intricacies of its products. After two earlier tentative agreements fell apart in the face of criticism, Google offered “slightly sweetened deals,” the Journal reports. Both sides said they had been eager to avoid a court battle.

Given the high costs and risks of litigation, it usually pays for parties engaged in dispute resolution to try hard to reach a settlement before taking their dispute to court, according to Harvard Law School professor Robert H. Mnookin .

Here are five strategies from Mnookin to help you and your lawyers turn disputes into deals:

Dispute Resolution Strategy 1:  Explore the possibility of engaging in a formal dispute-resolution process such as mediation before going to court.

Dispute Resolution Strategy  2:  Identify and express your myriad interests in the dispute, including those that are not financial, and encourage the other side to do the same.

For example, if you feel wronged, you might ask for a formal apology or evidence that the other party is taking steps to correct its mistakes.

Dispute Resolution Strategy  3: Ask your lawyers to systematically predict the outcome of a possible court case through decision-analysis tools such as decision trees.

Such analyses often make it crystal clear that a negotiated settlement would be a far less risky and costly option for dispute resolution.

Dispute Resolution Strategy  4: Open up to your lawyer about all of your interests and concerns, including those that are personal and emotional.

Too often, clients allow their lawyers to focus exclusively on financial claims—and unwittingly narrow the possibilities for a negotiated settlement.

Dispute Resolution Strategy  5: Align your interests with your lawyer’s through the use of ultimatums and incentives.

For example, you might promise your lawyer a financial bonus if she settles the case in a timely manner.

Which dispute resolution strategies did you find helpful? Leave a comment.

Related Dispute Resolution Posts: These Examples Illustrate the Importance of Negotiation in Business  – Negotiation case studies illustrating the benefits of engaging in integrative bargaining with business counterparts. Dealmaking: 5 Tips for Closing the Deal  – Five negotiation tips for sealing the deal at the negotiation table. How Case Studies Facilitate Negotiated Agreements  – An examination of the impact of case studies on forging negotiated agreements. Dealmaking: Before You Sign on the Dotted Line New Book Series: Breakthrough International Negotiation

Originally published in 2014.

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No Responses to “Negotiation Case Studies: Google’s Approach to Dispute Resolution”

6 responses to “negotiation case studies: google’s approach to dispute resolution”.

I have been a mediator for 12 yrs and conducted over 2100 mediations and mediated for over 7,000 hours. I absolutely agree with the 5 strategies. Many times, lawyers look past logic and reason and simply look to the finances. It’s a shame, but lawyers generally get paid the longer a dispute goes. Everything can be negotiated if the underlying reasons behind the dispute can be exposed and addressed. It is important that the client or the parties to the dispute maintain control of the negotiation using the “advice” of their counsel for what it is, “advice”.

Evidence is compelling..Litigation costs money…Negotiation saves billions…..You can’t afford not to adopt formal dispute resolution processes such as mediation.

Rather than calling it the “Google approach”, you might want to call it the “Non-American approach”. Because it feels more and more as if the American standard response to anything even remotely confrontational is litigation or even outright conflict. Words such as compromise and diplomacy seem to have been relegated to the “if nothing else works” position. A pity. For so much more can be achieved through negotiation, as Mr Mnookin so rightly points out, than through the “Shoot first, shoot hard” approach. And a large chunk of the rest of the world knows this, and gets things done smoothly and quietly through negotiating, bargaining, compromising, talking.

excellent!!!

Nice!! Where’ s number 5? Edit room cut? 🙂

The number 5 has rejoined the conversation Charley! 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!

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Case Studies - Water Conflict Resolution

The following Case Studies are adapted from:

Wolf, Aaron T. and Joshua T. Newton. 2008. "Case Studies of Transboundary Dispute Resolution." Appendix C in, Delli Priscoli, Jerry and Aaron T. Wolf. Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

The purpose of the case studies are to review the literature on water disputes and related water treaties to gain an understanding of why previous and current disputes over water have occurred and to seek out lessons to be learned in preventing similar future disputes. This work focuses on transboundary freshwaters. The case studies accessible below are summaries of the processes of conflict resolution are offered here for comparative purposes. PDFs of each case study are below; the maps can found in the Map and Image Gallery .

International River Basins

Nile Senegal

Euphrates-Tigris Ganges Indus Jordan (including West Bank aquifers) Kura-Araks Mekong Middle East Salween

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Aquifer systems.

Guarani aquifer US-Mexico aquifers West Bank aquifers (included with Jordan watershed)

Aral Sea Great Lakes Lake Titicaca

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Lesotho Highlands Project

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