116 Chapter Seven re pon e, resorted to yelling and swearing to try to intimidate Bob into ehaving better (power-ha ed), which failed. Diane finally went to Sally, who would hopefully u e her authority (power-ha ed) to deal with Bob. Bob then initiated a hara ment complaint to deal with Diane (right -ba ed). As we can see, a large reason for the negative outcomes achieved by Sally, Bob, and Diane i that virtually every process they u ed fell into the rights and power category. Mo t of Sally, Diane, and Bob' behaviour became adversarial and co tly in term of time and energy; it damaged morale, pro­ ductivity, and relationships in the workplace. These are all the classic costs of conflict the parties experience when escalating up the stairway. What can a practitioner do after diagno ing the ituation u ing the 1/R/P model? Moving to the trategic u e of the 1/R/P model, we can look at some ideas for intervention that the model gives us. STRATEGIC DIRECTION FROM THE 1/R/P MODEL The 1/R/P model guides practitioners with the following strategie Default to using Interest-based processes first There are very few situations where rights or power should be used as a first choice. 3 Interest-based processes such as prob­ lem-solving, negotiation, and mediation are inexpensive enough and ucce ful enough that here hould be a pre­ sumption of u ing the e interest-ha ed processes first. In other words, the default approach should be interest-based, moving to right -ba ed only if the interest-ha ed fails, and moving to power-based only if the rights-based approach fails. Use the lowest-cost Rights or Power process Within each tep, there are processes that will cost more or co t le . For example, arbitration typically co ts le in time and 3. ll I approprtate ta defoult to Power first In emergency slruations. At the scene of a fire or durtng an ormed conmct, giving fir nght rs or soldiers ord rs that they follow immedlotely and without negotiation Is an appropriate first approad1. These situations, however, are rare. Chapter 7 pg. 109 - 114109 - 110111 - 112113 - 114Chapter 7 pg. 116 - 118116 - 117118 Top of Form Discussion 2: Conflict in a Multinational Organization Culture, ethics, and compliance are critical parts of today’s management and leadership practices. Maintaining a strict code of conduct and compliance polices can go a long way in helping to prevent conflict between international organizations and their employees. However, sometimes an employee’s customs and culture can create unintentional conflict between departments and organizations. Below you will find two different scenarios that involve conflicts within a multinational organization. Choosing one scenario, discuss how the conflict might be resolved, and assess the role of the manager or leader in resolving the international conflicts. Scenario 1 You are the department manager for a team that is located within the United States and Japan. Your team ...

1. 116 Chapter Seven
re pon e, resorted to yelling and swearing to try to intimidate
Bob into ehaving better (power-ha ed), which failed. Diane
finally went to Sally, who would hopefully u e her authority
(power-ha ed) to deal with Bob. Bob then initiated a hara
ment complaint to deal with Diane (right -ba ed).
As we can see, a large reason for the negative outcomes
achieved by Sally, Bob, and Diane i that virtually every
process they u ed fell into the rights and power category. Mo t
of Sally, Diane, and Bob' behaviour became adversarial and
co tly in term of time and energy; it damaged morale, pro-
ductivity, and relationships in the workplace. These are all the
classic costs of conflict the parties experience when escalating
up the stairway.
What can a practitioner do after diagno ing the ituation
u ing the 1/R/P model? Moving to the trategic u e of the 1/R/P
model, we can look at some ideas for intervention that the

2. model gives us.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION FROM THE 1/R/P MODEL
The 1/R/P model guides practitioners with the following
strategie
Default to using Interest-based processes first
There are very few situations where rights or power should be
used as a first choice. 3 Interest-based processes such as prob-
lem-solving, negotiation, and mediation are inexpensive
enough and ucce ful enough that here hould be a pre-
sumption of u ing the e interest-ha ed processes first. In other
words, the default approach should be interest-based, moving
to right -ba ed only if the interest-ha ed fails, and moving to
power-based only if the rights-based approach fails.
Use the lowest-cost Rights or Power process
Within each tep, there are processes that will cost more or co t
le . For example, arbitration typically co ts le in time and
3. ll I approprtate ta defoult to Power first In emergency
slruations. At the scene of a fire or durtng
an ormed conmct, giving fir nght rs or soldiers ord rs that they
follow immedlotely and without
negotiation Is an appropriate first approad1. These situations,
however, are rare.
Chapter 7 pg. 109 - 114109 - 110111 - 112113 - 114Chapter 7
pg. 116 - 118116 - 117118
Top of Form
Discussion 2: Conflict in a Multinational Organization

3. Culture, ethics, and compliance are critical parts of today’s
management and leadership practices. Maintaining a strict code
of conduct and compliance polices can go a long way in helping
to prevent conflict between international organizations and their
employees. However, sometimes an employee’s customs and
culture can create unintentional conflict between departments
and organizations.
Below you will find two different scenarios that involve
conflicts within a multinational organization. Choosing one
scenario, discuss how the conflict might be resolved, and assess
the role of the manager or leader in resolving the international
conflicts.
Scenario 1
You are the department manager for a team that is located
within the United States and Japan. Your team members work
together on several different projects, and they often provide
product demonstrations for various clients. Today, you have
decided to sit in on a product demonstration led by June, a
young female employee from the United States, and Haru, a
middle-aged male employee from Japan. During the
demonstration, you notice there seems to be a conflict between
Haru and June, which is affecting the demonstration. June is
trying to discuss her experience with the product and answer
questions raised by the client. However, Haru seems to be upset
by June’s discussion, and he keeps interrupting her.
Scenario 2
You are tasked with opening a new office located in Abuja, the
capital of Nigeria. You meet with the local manager and are told
that there is a problem. The building inspectors are running 3–6
months behind and your move-in date will be delayed until the
office can be inspected. However, the manager suggest that the
inspection could be expedited if the inspector was given a
generous donation. When you protest, the manager explains that
donations are the way business is done here. If you pay, you

4. could move in, as scheduled around the first of the month.
Otherwise, you will have to go back to the United States and
plan to return in about six months, just to be safe.
To prepare for this Discussion, pay particular attention to the
following Learning Resources:
· Review this week’s Learning Resources, especially:
· Chapter 7 Interests, Rights, and Power – See Attachment
· Managing Social Conflict - https://youtu.be/jyFYcQkduco
· The Clash of Worldview – https://youtu.be/tmovQqMIjxc
Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014). Managing conflict
through communication (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education.
Bottom of Form
Assignment:
Respond to at least two of your peers' postings in one or more
of the following ways:
· Consider your peers’ application of the Interests, Rights, and
Power model. How well did they apply this model to help
resolve the conflict? In what areas might this application be
improved?
· What did you find unique or a surprise in your peer’s post?
How could you incorporate this into your organization or
worldview to minimize future conflicts?
· What cultural factors or elements of world view in your peer’s
post would you consider intractable? How do you manage these
differences in order to maintain productive relations?
· 3 -4 paragraphs
· No plagiarism
· APA citing

5. 1st Colleague’s post – Natasha Mills
Natasha Mills
Conflict in a Multinational Organization
Top of Form
On the basis of Scenario 2, which involves the need for the
manager to give a generous donation to speed up the process of
inspection, concerns the cultural element of corruption, and how
acceptable it is for those involve in the situation. The culture of
giving donations is practiced widely in Nigeria as stated by the
manager in Abuja that donations are the way for doing business
in the country. A conflict is emerging because I do not think the
same because my culture views corruption as a vice and to some
extent an illegal practice. Therefore, my worldview of
corruption, and the worldview of the manager in Abuja are
different due to our cultural backgrounds. This is causing moral
conflict, which is characterized by one party coming across an
unexpected or unwanted pattern of doing things (Cahn &
Abigail, 2014).
As a manager, I play the central role of resolving the conflict in
a way that leaves both parties mutually satisfied. The primary
step to achieving this outcome is to understand that this is a
moral conflict consisting of intractable issues that are persistent
and difficult to resolve. For instance, it is critical to be aware
that the inspectors are used to acting fast only when they have
been given generous donations by the interested party. This
means that it is essential for me as a manager to understand that
this is a cultural issue that will not be resolved merely by my
refusal to follow through. “Participants in a moral conflict tend
to treat each other as mad, bad, sick, or stupid, and they
experience a crisis of rationality, feeling that they cannot reason
with people ‘like that’” (Cahn & Abigail, 2014, p.303). Based
on this understanding, my role in the conflict as a manager is
not to judge the cultural practice of the other but to find ways
of reaching amicable solutions.
Interest-based processes are the most effective in resolving the
conflict in Scenario 2. I will only consider the rights-based and

6. power-based approaches if the interest-based technique does not
work. According to Furlong (2005), interest-based processes
lead to mutually satisfying outcomes because the needs and
wants of both parties are usually considered and met. Simply
put, the interest-based approach is collaborative in nature,
which saves on time and costs. The common outcome of
interest-based approaches is a win-win. The rights-based
approach, on the other hand, results in win-lose outcomes
because either party is usually focused on the superiority of
their rights over the opponent’s (Furlong, 2005). The outcomes
of power-based processes are also negative since the approach
involves the bringing in of all resources available by the
conflicting parties in an effort to win, even though the outcomes
are commonly a lose-lose (Furlong, 2005).
From the above analysis, the interest-based processes are the
most effective in resolving the conflict in Scenario 2. Thus, as
the manager, my role will be to reach out to the inspectors and
explore common interests and needs, as well as ways of
ensuring that the solution we arrive at meets each of these needs
and interests. Only if unable to meet each other’s interests or
find mutually satisfying solutions through interest-based
processes will I consider the right-based and power-based
processes. The consideration and pursuit of the latter processes
will be dependent on the costs and time they will consume, as
well as the potential outcomes. Furlong (2005) points out that
rights-based and power-based approaches can be stressful,
emotionally draining, and reputation damaging, among other
negative outcomes. I will consider these factors.
My willingness to resolve the Scenario 2 conflict using the
interest-based processes will not translate to my complicity with
the culture of the other. Rather, it is an attempt to respect the
other’s worldview, a factor that is key in resolving intractable
issues (Cahn & Abigail, 2014). To minimize future conflicts, I
will apply the ripeness approach because such conflicts often
result in mutually hurting stalemates. Therefore, instead of
pursing avenues that would lead to such stalemates, such as the

7. use of the critical approach that advocate for the pursuit of
strategies to eliminate oppression and domination as is the case
with the inspectors, I will strive to use a negotiation approach
that is proposed by the ripeness theory (Cahn & Abigail, 2014).
This decision is based on the knowledge acquired from this
course that there are ways of resolving conflict that result in
win-win outcomes, regardless of the defining circumstances of
the conflict. The possible challenge I foresee with this change is
the potential for conflicts to escalate when the needs of the
parties of the conflict are too diverse and cannot be harmonized.
The rights-based approach is the most efficient in overcoming
this challenge.
Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014). Managing conflict
through communication (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education.
Furlong, G. T. (2005). The conflict resolution toolbox: Models
and mapst for analyzing, diagnosing, and resolving conflict.
Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada.
Bottom of Form
Bottom of Form
2nd Colleague’s post – Sandra Patterson
Sandra Patterson
RE: Discussion 2 - Week 8Top of Form
Week 8 Discussion: Conflict in a multinational organization
I chose the second scenario for this discussion. The cultural
factors that contributed to the conflict between the employees
included cultural miscommunication, cultural misunderstanding,
and misunderstanding of cultural norms. They should have tried
to make sense of the dilemma from a cultural point of view.
They should have tried to determine what the conflict was
about. They should have tried to determine why a higher
payment was necessary for expedited service. In addition, they

8. should have taken action based on what caused the conflict.
Then they could have tried to address the dilemma by
authorizing an advance payment. If that option was not
approved, a return to the US should have been considered. Then
when the funds would have been available for payment they
could have returned to the country. Ideally, they could have also
considered coming to the country with an American inspector
(Furlong, 2005). So, by assessing the cultural reasons behind
giving a higher payment for the inspection, the situation could
start being resolved. Since giving higher payments are the way
they do business in that country, then it looks like the new
office manager did not understand their culture. The manager’s
role needs to fill the role of a negotiator. He needs to
insightfully diagnose why a higher payment is needed by
skillfully balancing cultural expectations and cross-cultural
communication. The manager needs to frame the conflict
coherently. He needs to get the new office manager to have the
inspection done without having to expedite it. In addition, he
could tell the inspector that the inspection can be expedited
when arrangements can be made for an advance payment. The
manager can bring the conflict into a better focus by expanding
his thinking and challenging his assumptions. The manager
needs to remember and realize that they are already 3-6 months
behind. The manager can get approval for an advanced payment
for the inspector. The manager can specify that the inspector
does not have to expedite the inspection.
Interests, rights, and power models can help to resolve the
conflict because strategic steps will be used. These aspects can
indicate various ways to resolve the conflict by reconciling
interests, assessing who is right, and determining who is more
powerful (Maiese, 2004). Interests are needs that underlie their
positions. As a result, the new office manager and the local
inspector need to arrive at a solution that will meet each of their
needs. The inspector needs a higher payment, and the manager
needs to have his office inspected. That is why he will need to

9. choose to authorize an advance payment because that is how the
inspectors do business in that country. He can also choose to
have them return to the US until the funds are available. He can
even choose to have an inspector from the US. Furthermore,
rights are independent standards of fairness. So the new office
manager will have to weigh several options. Power is the ability
to be able to coerce someone into doing something that would
not be done in the first place. Therefore, the local inspector is
exercising power by imposing a higher payment. As a result, the
new office manager needs to wisely exercise his power by
getting approval for an advance payment for the inspector,
authorizing a return to the US, or hiring an inspector from the
US.
The steps that I would take to resolve this conflict would
include negotiation, mediation, and focusing on standards of
fairness. I would create a system where it can be resolved by
reconciling interests. I would be finding out if it’s an interest or
a need. If it’s an interest, the money would have to be available
for the office inspection. If it’s a need, the inspection will be
over-charged because it is the norm to keep the extra cash. The
main change that I would make to minimize future conflicts
would be to schedule inspections ahead of time. I will make
sure that the American inspector will not overcharge. In
conclusion, the possible challenges that I foresee with
implementing these changes would be in hiring a new inspector
from the US. In addition, I may have to anticipate that the local
inspector might not want to return in six months. There might
also be difficulties in getting an advance payment approved
within such short notice. There may be some difficulties in
planning to return to the US within such short notice too. I may
also not be able to find out ahead of time if a local inspector
will overcharge, and I may not be able to pay for my return trip
ahead of time.

10. References:
Furlong, G. T. (2005). The conflict resolution toolbox: Models
and mapst for analyzing, diagnosing, and resolving conflict.
Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada.
. Chapter 7, “Model #4: Interests, Rights, and Power”
Maiese, (2004) “Interests, Rights, Power & Needs frames”
https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/interests-rights-
power-needs
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2015). Leading and
working with culture [Interactive Media]. Baltimore, MD:
Author. Retrieved from https://cdn-
media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/MGMT/6175/08/audio_inter
face/index.html
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