1. Read the case below. 

2. Divide into groups of 3–5, and nominate a spokesperson for each group to report its conclusions to the whole class. 

3. As a group, use the coordination-conflict model and conflict resolution approaches discussed in this chapter to (a) identify the causes of the conflict between production and sales, and the main obstacles to resolving it; 

(b) devise an action plan for resolving the conflict that will create a good postconflict relationship between both parties specifying (i) the appropriate conflict resolution techniques to use, and (ii) ways to design a new control and reward system to help eliminate such conflict in the future. 

4. When asked by your instructor, the spokesperson will describe your group’s analysis of the causes of, and solutions to, this conflict.

You are the top management team of a large company that manufactures personal computers. You have been given the task of resolving the growing conflict between your production managers and sales managers. Your computers are customized to the needs of individual customers, so it is crucial that Sales provides Manufacturing with accurate information concerning each customer’s specific requirements. Over the last few months, however, Production has been complaining about Sales. They say, first, that Sales provides this information too late for it to make the most efficient use of its resources; second, that Sales are increasingly making errors in describing each customer’s special needs; and third, that Sales are demanding unreasonably quick product delivery times for their customers. For its part, Sales is complaining about Manufacturing’s poor workmanship in the final product which has led to an increased level of customer complaints; its increasing delays in the delivery of computers to customers; and its unwillingness to respond flexibly to unexpected last-minute customer requests. The problems within your company are escalating. At the last meeting between senior production and sales managers, harsh words were spoken during a heated exchange of charges and counter charges.