Conflict Management

Consider the following case study:

City Township School District is an organization that oversees eight elementary and six middle schools in Fairfax, Virginia. Recently, PTA leaders and other parents have begun protesting the district’s new policies regarding the reduction of education fundamentals (i.e., reading, writing, and math), the discontinuation of Physical Education and recess times, and the elimination of arts education.

The primary concern is the opening of several new charter schools in communities where the district’s largest elementary and middle schools are located. These charter schools offer a full spectrum of arts and physical education, college-preparatory curricula, student mentoring, healthy meals, and wellness education.

City Township parents are up in arms that their children are being deprived of quality education and are threatening to pull their children from City Township schools. This would be catastrophic for the district as the organization would lose millions in funding and would likely have to begin layoffs and possible school closures.

Identifying the types and sources of conflict that may occur with an organization and suggesting effective interventions to address the associated problems are important skills for the OD consultant. How do you believe that different approaches to managing conflict may result in different outcomes? Do you believe transformation is possible for City Township School District? Why or why not?

To prepare:

Review the City Township School District case study and this week’s Learning Resources. This school district is currently facing challenges with conflict among stakeholder groups and financial concerns.

By Day 4

Post a response to the following:

• What are the various types and sources of conflict in this case study?
• What do you see as the OD’s role in managing conflict?
• What would be the most effective ways to address these conflicts?
• How might different conflict management styles affect the outcome of the conflicts?
• What are some possible interventions for addressing the problems?

Required Readings

Côté, S. (2014). Emotional intelligence in organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 459–488. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-09…

Hultman, K., & Hultman, J. (2018). Self and identity: Hidden factors in resistance to organizational change. Organization Development Journal, 36(1), 13–29.

Trippe, B., & Baumoel, D. (2015). Beyond the Thomas–Kilmann model: Into extreme conflict. Negotiation Journal, 31(2), 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/nejo.12084

van der Vaart, W. (2016). How has appreciative inquiry lived up to its promises? What will the future of appreciative inquiry look like? AI Practitioner, 18(1), 5–9. https://dx.doi.org/10.12781/978-1-907549-26-7-1

Document: Mastermind Group Overview

Required Media

Collaborative Growth. (2010, January 28). Marcia Hughes discusses emotional intelligence in conflict resolution [Video file]. Retrieved from

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.

Gaining Traction. (2015, March 30). What is a mastermind group? [Video file] Retrieved from

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

Kelm, J. (2011, October 4). What is appreciative inquiry.mov [Video file]. Retrieved from

Appreciative Living. (2011, October 4). What is Appreciative Inquiry.mov [Video file]. Retrieved from

. Used with permission of Appreciative Living.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.

Kilmann Diagnostics. (2014, July 7). TKI whiteboard animation [Video file]. Retrieved from

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.

The Drucker School. (2011, September 1). Appreciative inquiry: A conversation with David Cooperrider [Video file]. Retrieved from

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.