Scenario: You are a project manager at a medium sized company that produces a variety of house appliance products. You have been working with a group of engineers and designers in creating a new toaster oven. The product is ready to be marketed, and the company seems to be extremely anxious to begin production. You approached the head of production to begin plans for production, and you were told that due to some of the specifications of the product, as well as some other products currently in assembly, production could not begin for more than a year. Apparently, you should have informed the head of production several weeks earlier about the product. Also, some of the production equipment will have to be refitted, and the process to do so will take three months. You insisted on beginning production immediately, but the head of production refused to begin before a year has passed. You and the head of production had a very heated exchange, after which you went to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She informed you that she wants you to work out the problems, and that the first product needs to roll off the line in six months.
Discuss the negotiation strategies based our text. Describe in specific details how you would approach the negotiation using these strategies. Include what concessions you would be willing to make, if any, to reach the goal the CEO set for you. Also, discuss what the greatest impediments to your success are. Which strategy is most likely to lead to success? Which is least likely?
Second Set of Questions: Conflict can be handled in many different ways. The parties can work to resolve the conflict themselves, or they can seek outside help from a third party. After reviewing the case, describe in details five potential strategies for conflict management that might be used to address the problems between the parties. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches to conflict resolution? Identify and describe a real incident of conflict from the media or your job situation. Which of the five approaches to conflict management is likely to be most effective in this situation and why?
Sample Solution