Track 1: Diplomacy and Tact - SKILL BENCHMARK

 

Managing Conflict

Question:

Reflect on your own behavior and that of others in your workplace and then match the observed behavior to the appropriate personality type.

• Analytical-Obsessive - Melanie is methodical, logical, and detail-oriented, but has difficulty letting go of anything that isn't perfect
• Expressive-Impulsive - Victor is enthusiastic, people-oriented, and enjoys motivating others, but is not good with details or follow-through
• Skeptical-Negative - Shirley is more interested in what is bad than what is good, and pulls people down instead of raising them up
• Dominant-Controlling - Jose is outgoing, bold, assertive, and enjoy challenges, but can get impatient with others who are slow or indecisive

Question

:

What are some techniques that can be used to reduce conflict with customers in a support center environment?

• Steer the conversation by not responding to insults or taunts
• Listen actively to customers, and convey that they have your full attention
• Establish customer rapport by saying "please" and "thank you"
• Distract customers so that they forget their anger

Question

:

You're a CFO. A peer tells you your assistant, Sue, is violating the company's employee dating policy. You decide to talk with Sue about the situation.

Match each mindset to the relevant quote.

• Open minded - "I want to hear what you have to say."
• Collaborative - "How can we make sure this doesn't affect your position within the company?"
• Empathetic - "I understand that this might be a bit uncomfortable to talk about."
• Engaged - "What you're saying is that this will have no impact on how you do your job. Is that correct?"

Question

:

Match the causes of conflict with examples of the effects they have on a team.

• Unmet expectations - Marco loses trust in his team leader Sheila when she starts micromanaging his work, even after she said he'd be working independently
• Perceptions of unfairness - Ulrike voices her annoyance at being the only one on the team who wasn't told about the company restructuring
• Unmanaged diversity - Chadrick is upset that his much younger team members don't understand the way the business works, and he refuses to go along with their ideas
• Change - Debbie is transferred to a new team and takes a few weeks to settle into her new role, causing the team's productivity to decrease

Question

:

Which behaviors are unacceptable in the workplace?

• Behaving in a manner that leads to bullying

• Taking harmful or unsafe actions

• Taking hostile or violent actions

• Engaging in illegal or unethical behavior

Question

:

Match each example to the kind of listening roadblock it illustrates.

Bias - Laura's dislike of Nick's manner influences her thoughts about his ideasEmotions - Joel is always annoyed by criticism and feels a need to respond instantly to itImpatience - Shirley spent the whole time Jeremy was speaking thinking up a perfect responseJudgment - Gina mentally reaches conclusions about what the speaker is saying, rather than staying neutral

Question

:

Serge believes he is playing a useful "devil's advocate" role within the company but, in reality, he's someone who's always complaining and who chooses to be "the skeptic" instead of being a team player.

What traits are associated with Serge's skeptical-negative behavior?

• He is persistently critical of any announcement or development within the company
• He blames everyone else for his problems
• He can appear analytical, dominant, and expressive, but always with a negative undercurrent

Question

:

What are the potential effects of uncontrolled changes on a project?

• Schedule delays

• Increased costs

• Scope creep

• New or increased risk

• Dissatisfied stakeholders

• Low quality

Question

:

What are five common styles that can be used in dealing with workplace conflict?

• Your Way

• Part Way

• Both Ways

• Ignore It

• My Way

Question

:

You are awaiting a report from Maureen, a colleague whose analytical-obsessive traits are a strength when it comes to processing data. In the past, Maureen has repeatedly failed to make deadlines, because of her tendency to prioritize quality rather than speed. Recently, Maureen agreed to new ground rules that prioritize the schedule, but it's already clear to you that she is taking too long in her work on the current report.

What is your best option for reinforcing the ground rules with Maureen?

"In the interest of getting this done in line with the schedule and ground rules you've agreed to, can you move forward? Can you limit further analysis? Is it possible to summarize a few key points or action items?"