Workplace Conflict and Organizational Dynamics Flashcards
7 cards from real CCM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Workplace Conflict and Organizational Dynamics flashcards as text
A conflict manager observes that two departments have been avoiding each other for months, resulting in project delays. This pattern is BEST described as:
Answer: Conflict avoidance with organizational consequences
Prolonged avoidance that causes operational harm is dysfunctional conflict avoidance, not a neutral strategy, and requires active intervention.
Which stage of Pondy's Conflict Model involves the parties' internal experience of frustration, tension, and anxiety?
Answer: Felt conflict
Felt conflict is the stage in Pondy's model where parties emotionally experience the conflict through feelings such as anxiety, tension, and hostility.
In addressing workplace conflict, the concept of 'interests-based' resolution differs from 'positional' bargaining in that it:
Answer: Seeks to understand underlying needs behind stated demands
Interests-based resolution looks beneath stated positions to identify the underlying needs, concerns, and motivations that drive each party.
Which organizational change is MOST likely to generate conflict among employees who previously had stable roles?
Answer: Restructuring reporting lines and eliminating management layers
Restructuring that alters reporting lines and eliminates management positions directly threatens job security and status, generating significant conflict.
A CCM practitioner facilitating a team conflict notices one party consistently interrupting the other. The BEST immediate intervention is to:
Answer: Redirect the conversation by reminding all parties of ground rules on turn-taking
Redirecting to previously agreed ground rules maintains neutrality while reestablishing a structure that allows both parties to speak.
Psychological safety in the context of organizational conflict management refers to:
Answer: Employees' belief that they can speak up, disagree, or raise concerns without fear of retaliation
Psychological safety means team members feel safe to express disagreement, admit mistakes, and raise concerns without negative consequences to their standing.
Which of the following BEST describes 'distributive' conflict outcomes?
Answer: One party's gain comes directly at the expense of the other party's loss
Distributive (zero-sum) outcomes mean resources are fixed and one party's gain necessarily equals the other party's loss.