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Within a month Shirley was angry because Abdul was representing himself to
others as the leader of the entire project and giving the impression that Shirley
was working for him. Now Shirley and Abdul are meeting with you to see if you
can resolve the conflict between them. Shirley says: "Right after the joint
leadership arrangement was reached with the General Manager, Abdul called a
meeting of the project team without even consulting me about the time or
content. He just told me when it was being held and said I should be there. At the
meeting, Abdul reviewed everyone's duties line by line, including mine, treating
me as just another team member working for him. He sends out letters and signs
himself as project director, which obviously implies to others that I am working
for him." Abdul says: "Shirley is all hung up with feelings of power and titles.
Just because I sign myself as project director doesn't mean she is working for
me. I don't see anything to get excited about. What difference does it make? She
is too sensitive about everything. I call a meeting and right away she thinks I'm
trying to run everything. Shirley has other things to do, other projects to run, so
she doesn't pay too much attention to this one. She mostly lets things slide. But
when I take the initiative to set up a meeting, she starts jumping up and down
about how I am trying to make her work for me."

1. Abdul and Shirley seem to have several conflicts occurring simultaneously.
Identify as many of these individual conflicts as possible.

2. What are the possible ways to deal with the conflict between Abdul and
Shirley (not just the ones that you would recommend, but all of the options)?

3. Given all the benefits of retrospection, what could or should have been done

to avoid this conflict in the first place?

(20 marks)

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