1. What are the signs (symptoms) of conflict in this case?
2. Use the conflict model to (a) identify the structural causes of conflict and (b) discuss the escalation of conflict described in this case.
3. If you were Dan Jensen, what action would you take in this situation?

Tamarack Industries manufactures motorboats primarily used for waterskiing. During the summer months, a third production line is normally created to help meet the heavy summer demand. This third line is usually created by assigning the experienced workers to all three lines and hiring college students who are home for summer vacation to complete the crews. In the past, however, experienced workers resented having to break up their teams to form a third line. They also resented having to work with a bunch of college kids and complained that the kids were slow and arrogant. The foreman, Dan Jensen, decided to try a different strategy this summer and have all the college students’ work on the new line. He asked Mark Allen to supervise the new crew because Mark claimed that he knew everything about boats and could perform every job “with my eyes closed.” Mark was happy to accept the new job and participated in selecting his own crew. Mark’s crew was called “the Greek Team” because all the college students were members of a fraternity or sorority named with Greek letters.