In: Operations Management
I need to respond to my classmates' discussion post
"Hunter's situation is an unfortunate one. I believe Hunter's captain is certainly in the wrong by doing this. However, there are multiple ways Hunter may react once the conflict escalates. If Hunter were to use an avoidance style in this conflict he may quit his job or he may seek someone else's help in resolving the conflict remotely. Quitting his job would be the most direct form of avoidance, however, it may not be the best for him and his girlfriend may not like that solution either. Hunter may begin triangling via his girlfriend or other officers. Triangling is a style of avoidance in which a person discusses their conflict with a third party in hopes that the third party confronts or resolves the conflict for them without them having to do anything directly. Maybe Hunter could hope his girlfriend would confront his captain about their past relationship and how he is treating Hunter because of it. Another style Hunter could adopt is one of accommodation. This style can be seen as cooperative to a fault of the cooperator. The best way to accommodate his captain would be to break up with the girl he is dating. This may make the captain happy, however, Hunter will be hurt in the process. A forcing style, or a win at all costs style, would have Hunter push forward and continue his relationship while disregarding the push-back from his captain. This may prolong and escalate the conflict between the two parties. Also, Hunter's win at all costs reactions may affect his relationship with the girl he is dating. It would be bad if his drive to date her became entwined with his need to win against his captain. Collaboration is considered a resolution style where both parties win. However, it may be difficult for both parties to win in this situation. Maybe the best route would be for Hunter to talk directly with his captain and reach an understanding. If the captain can move past his resentment then both parties will feel better. However, if that is not possible, they may simply have to compromise. Compromise is difficult in this situation. It may require mediation and discussion similar to the collaboration style. In the end, the captain may just have to compromise his feelings while Hunter compromises something of his (Aamodt, 2016). I think collaboration or compromise would be the best solution here. If that does not work, a higher power may need to intervene to ensure Hunter is not discriminated against because of his personal relationships."
Based on the context given, I believe Hunter is in a tricky situation. He needs to carefully evaluate his approach in order to sustain his position in the team and his relationship with his girlfriend. Here, we will evaluate the options Hunter has to respond to his captain.
I believe resigning from the team or triangulating through his girlfriend as suggested in the essay will only make the matters worse. Firstly, resigning from the team will not only have negative effect on his personal satisfaction but also on his behavior with other people including his girlfriend. On the other hand, trying triangling approach will involve putting his girlfriend in an extremely uncomfortable position of dealing with her ex-boyfriend. So, I think Hunter should avoid adopting any of these two strategies. Breaking up with his girlfriend just because his captain is not liking it, is also not very effective considering the fact that this will cause significant heart burn to both him and his girlfriend. This is not good for anyone involved and is lose-lose scenario.
I believe a combination of collaboration and compromise can be an effective strategy to deal with te current situation. First, I would suggest Hunter to avoid confrontational approach with the captain and try to build some confidence and friendship with his captain during his interactions on and off field. This may not be very easy and may take some time. While this may or may not develop friendship between both of them, it will definitely help in not worsening the situation and may help improving the situation a little. On the other hand, Hunter should also be open with his captain and make him understand his captain that it is in best interests for both of them to not escalate the situation and take things in the stride. He may also take compromising approach by proposing to avoid bringing his girlfriend into their discussions and to their games for some time while the captain focuses on his game and moves on in his life. This will also help the captain to avoid difficult conversations with the other team members, reduce negativity and helps improve his focus on better things. As the situation improves, I think captain will slowly understand the benefits of moving on and may appreciate the efforts put in by Hunter.
Involving higher powers should be taken up as last option when both these approaches fail. While this may temporarily solve the problem of Hunter facing the backlash, it will not help improve his game or his team morale.