GM 570 SESSION PROJECT GUIDELINESThe purpose of this Preparation Guide is to provide you with some direction concerning the content, process, and structure of your final class project. In the sections below are offered some helpful information that will prove valuable with respect to facilitating your completion of a course project reflective of the high standards of quality work and personal learning that should be the aim of each participant in the course. ASSIGNMENTMembers of the class are required to prepare a session project, not to exceed 12 pages in length (excluding appendices), on the broad theme of workplace conflict resolution. Within this broad theme, the project is intended to be an opportunity to explore in some depth some topic related to the course that is of specific significance to you. In developing the project, select a specific conflict situation of interest to you. Think of yourself as a conflict resolution consultant and assume that a key manager has requested a thorough analysis and recommended course of action to resolve an actual conflict that will make a difference to the future performance of the organization. The project should develop on the following time line:WEEKACTIONS REQUIRED1Prepare draft project proposal.2Refine project proposal.3Submit written project proposal—describe conflict situation/organizational setting. [Note: get a jump start on your literature review NOW]4-6Continue to work on class Project7Completed Project submitted to instructor. Optional: you’re your Executive Summary in Document Sharing for the class.As should be evident, this course project is not designed as a “make-work” type of exercise. Rather, it is aimed at affording students the opportunity to bring major course concepts to “life” via their application to “real-world” conflict resolution situations. To maximize the prospects for success with this project, it behooves each student to carefully deliberate on the overall project and component tasks as...GM 570 SESSION PROJECT GUIDELINES

The purpose of this Preparation Guide is to provide you with some direction concerning the content, process, and structure of your final class project.  In the sections below are offered some helpful information that will prove valuable with respect to facilitating your completion of a course project reflective of the high standards of quality work and personal learning that should be the aim of each participant in the course. 

ASSIGNMENT

Members of the class are required to prepare a session project, not to exceed 12 pages in length (excluding appendices), on the broad theme of workplace conflict resolution.  Within this broad theme, the project is intended to be an opportunity to explore in some depth some topic related to the course that is of specific significance to you.  

In developing the project, select a specific conflict situation of interest to you.  Think of yourself as a conflict resolution consultant and assume that a key manager has requested a thorough analysis and recommended course of action to resolve an actual conflict that will make a difference to the future performance of the organization. 

The project should develop on the following time line:

WEEK ACTIONS REQUIRED

1 Prepare draft project proposal.

2 Refine project proposal.

3 Submit written project proposal—describe conflict situation/organizational setting. [Note: get a jump start on your literature review NOW]

4-6 Continue to work on class Project

7 Completed Project submitted to instructor. Optional: you’re your Executive Summary in Document Sharing for the class.

As should be evident, this course project is not designed as a “make-work” type of exercise. Rather, it is aimed at affording students the opportunity to bring major course concepts to “life” via their application to “real-world” conflict resolution situations. 

To maximize the prospects for success with this project, it behooves each student to carefully deliberate on the overall project and component tasks as defined in the section below.  Your paper must include, but is not limited to, the following sections: 

SECTION POINTS DESCRIPTION

Title Page

10

Title of Your Conflict Resolution Paper

Your name, Class, Instructor, Email address, and Date.   

Background

30

Provide an overview detailing the background necessary to fully understanding the context of the conflict scenario you wish to study. Present background/facts that will enable the reader to clearly understand the conflict situation and what is to follow. 

Literature Review

50

Connect the conflict situation you are studing to scholarly work in Managing Conflict in the Workplace.  Review at least 6 scholarly or professional studies or articles that seem relevant to your study. Be sure to cite all your sources in your paper. See specific guidelines below.

Analysis

50

Provide an identification and description of the causes of the conflict situation. Be sure the causes you identify relate directly to the conflict under study.  A critical element of the strength of this section is to apply conflict resolution concepts and models from our text, from class discussions, and from your literature review.  Discuss the concepts, ideas or insights that are most valuable in helping you make sense of the causes of the conflict resolution. Support your analysis with reference to appropriate research and to illustrations.

Conflict Resolution Recommend-tion

40

Suggest consequences if nothing is done differently or no actions are taken to address the causes of this conflict. Recommend a more desirable state of affairs (behaviors); compare this state to what happens if no changes are made. Describe exactly what should be done and how it should be done, including by whom, with whom, and in what sequence.   

Reflection

20

Think about this assignment and write a well-thought out reflective statement about how this assignment influenced your personal development in better understanding how to better manage conflict in the workplace.   

References

20

You must use no less than 6 resources outside your textbooks. Cite all sources.

All references must be cited in two places: within the body of your paper and on a separate reference list. Choose references judiciously and cite them accurately. Refer to the Writing the Research Paper: A Handbook by Winkler and McCuen to understand how to cite sources appropriately. 

Citing an author’s work within your text documents your research, identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper.  

To use the ideas or words of another person without crediting the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism in its purest form involves copying passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of the source.  The most common (and unconscious) form of plagiarism is to paraphrase a direct quotation. Paraphrasing does not relieve you of the conflict resolution to provide proper identification of source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or conclusions not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text.

Total 220 Note: Grammar, syntax errors and failure to properly use citations or failure to cite resources will result in point deductions from the total points earned.  

A Few Final Suggestions for the Session Paper:

Use the section headings in this guide as subtitles for your project.  It makes it easier for the reader to find all of the elements of your project.

Use this guide as a checklist. Make sure that each item is included and is located in the right place.  This will insure that you don’t leave things out and it will make reviewing your drafts and your final project much easier.

Review the Project Grading Rubric posted in document sharing.

Review the Literature Review Guidelines below.

LITERATURE REVIEW GUIDELINES

A literature review is a written discussion of published or unpublished research, commentary, and information on a topic. The “literature” refers to books, journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, company records and documents, and even personal interviews with knowledgeable industry conflict resolution experts. 

Your task is to search the management and conflict resolution literature to: (1) discover the most common underlying causes of the type of conflict symptoms you have uncovered; and (2) discover the various solutions to conflict resolution that may apply to your particular situation. 

You should supply some commentary on what you find. Don’t just describe what’s written in 6 articles. You should talk about the concepts, ideas, or insights that have the most value for helping you make sense of your project. What theories can you use? What writers say something of value? And why? Which models are the most helpful, and why?  

You should cite at least 6 sources in addition to the course text (6 is “B” level work, “A” level work would cite more). You must use the author-date citation system described in the “Writing the Research Paper” handbook. While newspaper articles can be excellent sources of information, it’s important that not all of your citations be newspaper articles.  You should access articles in management and CONFLICT RESOLUTION journals as well. 

A good place to start your review is in the course text and in the chapter notes at the end. Then, you can access Keller’s online library and its search engines. You can enter key words such as “perception and conflict” and you will access recent articles on the subject. Scan the titles of the articles that come up and look for interesting ones to read in full. Also, be sure to check the references of interesting articles or books. They will lead you to others. If your initial searches don’t produce what you’re looking for, try using different key words. If you find yourself totally spinning your wheels, send me an e-mail and ask for help. 

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