Conflict Orientation

5 minutes 5 Questions

Conflict orientation revolves around the perception and approach towards conflicts within a scrum team. All team members don’t react to a conflict in the same way. Some might stay quiet and accept the decision, others may argue or look for compromise. The scrum master's role here is to make the tea…

Guide to Conflict Orientation in Scrum

Conflict Orientation is a vital concept in Scrum, as it helps the team to manage differences and disagreements in a productive and constructive manner. It is essentially an individual's or a team's approach towards handling conflict.

Its Importance:
It allows the team to work together more efficiently by reducing friction caused by differing opinions or ideas. It also aids in developing a more inclusive and accepting team environment, fostering a sense of respect for each member's perspectives.

How It Works:
There are generally three types of conflict orientation - Avoidance, Engagement, and Resolution. The first type, Avoidance, involves steering clear of conflict and debates altogether. The second, Engagement, embraces conflict as an opportunity for growth and learning. The final one, Resolution, seeks to resolve conflict in the fairest and most efficient way possible.

Exam Tips:
While answering questions on Conflict Orientation in an exam:
1. Define the Conflict Orientation, its types, and why it is important in managing a Scrum team.
2. Give examples of how different Conflict Orientations may be applied in a Scrum team.
3. Exhibit an understanding of how handling conflicts appropriately can result in overall team effectiveness and efficiency.
Reinforce your answers with references to real-world Scrum applications whenever suitable, to showcase your comprehensive grasp of the subject.

Important:
Make sure to elaborate your answers by demonstrating your understanding of how adjustments in Conflict Orientation can create a more harmonious Scrum team work environment and facilitate a more productive development flow.

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CSM - Conflict Orientation Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Conflict Orientation

Question 1

During a heated argument between two team members in a Sprint Retrospective, what should be the Scrum Master's primary focus to maintain a positive conflict orientation?

Guide the discussion towards identifying the root cause of the conflict and finding a mutually agreeable solution. Postpone the discussion until the next Sprint Retrospective to give the team members time to cool down and reflect on their behavior. Intervene and make a decision favoring the team member with the most compelling argument to quickly resolve the conflict. Allow the team members to continue arguing until they reach a resolution on their own, as it encourages self-organization.

Correct Answer: Guide the discussion towards identifying the root cause of the conflict and finding a mutually agreeable solution.

During a heated argument in a Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Master's primary focus should be on guiding the discussion towards identifying the root cause of the conflict and finding a mutually agreeable solution. This approach promotes a positive conflict orientation by encouraging the team to work together to resolve issues constructively. Allowing the argument to continue without intervention or postponing the discussion does not address the immediate problem and may lead to further escalation. Making a unilateral decision favoring one team member over another undermines the team's ability to collaborate and find a solution that works for everyone.

Question 2

You're the ScrumMaster of a team that constantly avoids conflicts. This has led to slow decision-making and lack of team growth. How should you approach this situation?

Ignore the situation and hope it'll solve itself over time Split the team into individuals so that they don't have to deal with conflicts Introduce a culture that normalizes conflict, emphasizing its benefits on team growth and decision speed Deal with all conflicts yourself to keep your team out of stressful situations

Correct Answer: Introduce a culture that normalizes conflict, emphasizing its benefits on team growth and decision speed

The best approach in this situation is provided by the first answer, which suggests introducing a culture that normalizes conflict, emphasizing its benefits on team growth and decision speed. This is because conflicts are normal and necessary for growth and innovation in Agile methodologies like Scrum. When handled positively, they can help teams to cultivate different ideas, encourage critical thinking and improve decision making. The other three answers are less effective. Dealing with all conflicts yourself to keep your team out of stressful situations is not a sustainable solution as it doesn't allow the team to learn conflict resolution skills. Furthermore, ignoring the situation in hope that it'll solve itself over time could actually intensify conflicts, hurt team morale, and lead to project failure or delay. Splitting the team into individuals to avoid conflicts completely disregards the essence of Scrum, which promotes self-organizing, cross-functional teams with a collective responsibility.

Question 3

Two team members are engaged in a heated debate over a technical issue, causing a delay in the sprint. As the ScrumMaster, how should you handle this situation?

Intervene and make a decision on the technical issue to resolve the conflict quickly and get the team back on track with the sprint Encourage the team members to take a break and reconvene later when emotions have settled to avoid further escalation of the conflict Ask the team members to present their arguments to the product owner, who can then make the final decision on the technical issue Facilitate a structured discussion to help the team members find common ground and reach a mutually agreeable solution

Correct Answer: Facilitate a structured discussion to help the team members find common ground and reach a mutually agreeable solution

As the ScrumMaster, the best approach is to facilitate a structured discussion between the team members to help them find common ground and reach a mutually agreeable solution. This aligns with the Scrum values of collaboration and self-organization. Encouraging the team to take a break may temporarily ease tensions but does not address the underlying issue. Intervening and making a unilateral decision goes against the principle of team autonomy and may not result in the best solution. Involving the product owner is unnecessary, as technical decisions should be made by the development team. The ScrumMaster's role is to facilitate effective communication and decision-making within the team.

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