Case Study Analysis

background

a director and union member, Robert, who want an 8 percent raise of his work unit. because he notices his department contribute to a 15 percent profit increase for the organisation. he feel his team should be compensated for hard work and long hours in last few years.

Kay know Robert’s team value and acknowledge their achievement, but the company has plan to expand, this mean company need profit increase for at least the next five years. she is willing to sit down and talk about this thing to Robert. the condition for Robert and his team is, more opportunities and overseas assignment.

now to Robert, he is adamant that his team needs to be compensated with a monetary increase. he threaten that ask union involved if his request connot be successful.

conflict-handling styles

conflict-handling styles:

1. accommodating（迁就/适应）：the party making the offer win, another party loss. for this senario, Robert is one of the party who make the offer, kay is another party
2. avoiding （回避/拒绝）: the party making the offer loss, another party win. because the party making the offer connot successful.
3. competing （竞争）: two parties compete with each other. in this style every party can win, but after competing, maybe the relationship will be broken.

for this senario, after Robert make this offer, Kay do not want accecpt his offer because of some reasons. however Robert want insist his requirement. we can see Kay give avoiding conflict-handling style to Roberts, but it is not avoiding style, because Robert and his team do not want accommodating, it becomes competing conflict-handling styles. Robert even give competing method that threaten Kay.

bargaining approach

bargaining approach introduction:

1. distributive: like competing style, must one loss one win.
2. Integrative: like cooperate, can be win-win style.

for this senario, integrative must be a best approach for Robert and company.

if it is distributive appraoch, there are two results. one is Robert win, he get more profit support for his team, but company cannot expand in next five years. now for company, it will become dissatisfied to Robert’s team. in future, if there are more opportunities or overseas assignment, it will give other team rather than Robert’s team. another one result is company win, Robert’s team must dissatisfied to company, maybe resign or quit.

how about integrative? it can maintain both company and Robert’s team relationship and benefit. it cannot be that one win and another one loss situation. it will become win-win situation, it is benefit for their cooperation to Robert’s team and company. no side will dissatified with another one.

What aspect is contributing to the poor working environment?

What aspect of interpersonal communication is contributing to the poor working environment? people alway focues on their own benefit or profit. they consider themsleves more than others, it is normal and resonable. however, if people can stand on the others’ point, it can get more benefit, not only profit, but also people’s relationship. communication is not benefit and profit, it is relationship with people, and relationship with people can bring more and more profit. for this senario, Robert just focus on profit for his team, they donot consider company, he did not realize if he maintain the relationship with company, he can get more than 8% profit in the future. for kay and company, she try to find best way to Rober’s team, but it looks like Robert’s did not want sit down and talk about this thing, he just insist his mind and toughly ask company complete his request.

Hall’s Model

in this senario, it is Low context culture, because of Robert. he just focus on his own profit and benefit, he did not consider about company’s future. he even threaten company, it must become shorter relationships, his team will be fast changed in short time.

if he can consider more about company, he will aware that in the future, there are more opportunities and profit. if he insist his requste, he also want get more profit support now. at least he should sit down and talk about this request to Kay, ask her what the most profit that the company can give. maybe not his requst,8%, but maybe 3%, for company and his team both can satisfied in this situation.

conclusion

people is difficult to focus on other’s benefit, it is reasonable. but if people can jump out of this mind, they will find more benefit and profit can get than before. people need communicate with others rather than insist own request and force others complete own request. it will broke others’ relationship, next time cannot cooperate.