What would you do?
Read the conflict and strategize with your partner about how it might be best resolved. For each, what are you looking to accomplish? What strategies might you employ to achieve what you want to achieve? You can define “resolved” however you wish, but be prepared to share what you think it means.
(Factors not yet incorporated: gender, race, culture, age, etc…)
Conflict Scenario #1:
You have been given an assignment to complete a project that will culminate in a public performance in three weeks. You are working with a group of four students (you and three others). About one week into the project, a student from another group is added to your group, bringing the total to five. The plans your group made for the presentation involve four students and you don’t want to change. To add to the problem, the new student in your group has come up with a few ideas about how he thinks you could “improve” the project. You and your other group members like what you have done already and you don’t want to change for this student. You figure out a small portion of the project to give to the new student and tell him to just do that and nothing else. He refuses and leaves the room. You know all students have to participate in the performance to receive a good grade. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #2:
You are working with a partner to complete a major project. You respect your partner’s intelligence and are happy you were paired with her. You split up the tasks and begin your work. Every few minutes your partner seems to be looking over your shoulder. After a little while, your partner begins making comments about your work. She is continually suggesting that you change your work to how she thinks it should be. Eventually, it seems like she is trying to take over the project. You know she could do a good job and you want a good grade, but you want to have some input as well. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #3:
You are working in a group of five students (you and four others). You have been given a project description that has some “minimum guidelines,” but leaves much leeway for students to decide what they wish to produce. You begin brainstorming ideas with your group about what to create, but two of the group members keep asking why everyone doesn’t just do what’s on the “minimum guidelines” handout. The other three members of the group clearly want to be more creative and go beyond the minimum. The two students who only want to do what is on the handout refuse to do any “extra” work. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #4:
You are working in a group of four (you and three others). Two members of your group had been dating earlier in the year, but there was a recent falling out between them. When your group assembles to work on the project, the tension between the former couple is thick. Neither of these group members is participating and a few snide comments are passed between them during group work. Your group if falling behind because these two seem unable to work with one another. What do you do?
Read the conflict and strategize with your partner about how it might be best resolved. For each, what are you looking to accomplish? What strategies might you employ to achieve what you want to achieve? You can define “resolved” however you wish, but be prepared to share what you think it means.
(Factors not yet incorporated: gender, race, culture, age, etc…)
Conflict Scenario #1:
You have been given an assignment to complete a project that will culminate in a public performance in three weeks. You are working with a group of four students (you and three others). About one week into the project, a student from another group is added to your group, bringing the total to five. The plans your group made for the presentation involve four students and you don’t want to change. To add to the problem, the new student in your group has come up with a few ideas about how he thinks you could “improve” the project. You and your other group members like what you have done already and you don’t want to change for this student. You figure out a small portion of the project to give to the new student and tell him to just do that and nothing else. He refuses and leaves the room. You know all students have to participate in the performance to receive a good grade. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #2:
You are working with a partner to complete a major project. You respect your partner’s intelligence and are happy you were paired with her. You split up the tasks and begin your work. Every few minutes your partner seems to be looking over your shoulder. After a little while, your partner begins making comments about your work. She is continually suggesting that you change your work to how she thinks it should be. Eventually, it seems like she is trying to take over the project. You know she could do a good job and you want a good grade, but you want to have some input as well. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #3:
You are working in a group of five students (you and four others). You have been given a project description that has some “minimum guidelines,” but leaves much leeway for students to decide what they wish to produce. You begin brainstorming ideas with your group about what to create, but two of the group members keep asking why everyone doesn’t just do what’s on the “minimum guidelines” handout. The other three members of the group clearly want to be more creative and go beyond the minimum. The two students who only want to do what is on the handout refuse to do any “extra” work. What do you do?
Conflict Scenario #4:
You are working in a group of four (you and three others). Two members of your group had been dating earlier in the year, but there was a recent falling out between them. When your group assembles to work on the project, the tension between the former couple is thick. Neither of these group members is participating and a few snide comments are passed between them during group work. Your group if falling behind because these two seem unable to work with one another. What do you do?