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ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Sources of conflict and techniques for conflict resolution

Nadia and Tomas are both team leaders. Nadia believes a project overrun should be fixed by authorising overtime, whereas Tomas thinks the schedule should be renegotiated with the client. Both are acting in good faith and both accept the shared aim of completing the project successfully. How is this conflict best described?

This is task-related, or cognitive, conflict. Nadia and Tomas share the same objective of completing the project but disagree about the method, with no suggestion of personal animosity, so the disagreement concerns the work rather than the relationship.

  1. ATask-related (cognitive) conflict over how to achieve a shared aimCorrect
  2. BRelationship conflict caused by personal dislike
  3. CConflict caused by a breach of the law
  4. DLatent conflict with no disagreement

Explanation

The two agree on the goal but disagree about the method, which is task-related or cognitive conflict. Nothing suggests personal animosity, so relationship conflict is wrong. The disagreement is open, so it is not latent.

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