Reference no: EM132684232
Tom is a manager at a small copy supply firm. Their marketing team consists mainly of two employees: Janna and Kim. Kim is incredibly assertive, while Janna is incredibly cooperative. They sometimes have the discretion to negotiate with each other over who is responsible for which task in the project. Janna seems always to do the most tedious, unpleasant task. When asked if she is happy with what she contributes to projects, Janna has maintained, "I don't mind. I don't want to make any waves."
You sense that Janna is clearly unhappy but also scared of a confrontation with Kim, who is also getting more recognition and compliments from the CEO because she does high profile work. You know that this puts Janna at a disadvantage in her career. On the other hand, Kim is overly assertive. You know that if you ask her to be more cooperative, it could cause more conflict in the office. As we learned about relationship conflict, it's almost never beneficial. Yes, it may be unfair to Janna, but you don't want to disrupt the team by bringing conflict into the office. You also know that conflict tends to spread in the office - if Kim and Janna are at odds with each other, it may distract people on other teams.
Questions:
1. Please explain what alternatives are available before Tom to resolve the issue(s), and which of these might be preferable?
2. If Tom does nothing in this situation, do you think Janna and Kim can resolve the situation themselves? How? If not, then why not?