A Conflict Resolution Tool for Project Managers: Evaporating Cloud

• Published in: Journal of international technology and information management Vol. 23; no. 3-4; p. 61
• Main Authors: Gupta, Mahesh C, Kerrick, Sharon A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Bernadino International Information Management Association 01.03.2014
• Subjects: Cloud computing; Collaboration; Conflict management; Conflict resolution; Cost estimates; Decision making; Engineering research; Industrial project management; Information technology; Management; Managers; Methods; Problem solving; Project management; Software utilities; Studies; Theory of constraints; United States > US
• ISSN: 1941-6679; 1543-5962; 1941-6679
• DOI: 10.58729/1941-6679.1076

Today's ever changing business environment requires managers to interact globally with people across functional areas with conflicting points of view. A preliminary literature review suggests that a generic tool to understand and resolve conflicts is desirable. This paper demonstrates how a theory of constraints-based logical tool, an evaporating cloud, can enable IT managers to better understand conflicts underlying most problems. Using a commonly encountered conflict as an example, we show how this tool verbalizes a problem through the logic of cause and effect, surfaces the assumptions causing the conflicting actions and decisions, and presents injections potential solutions--that can cause the conflict to evaporate (i.e., disappear or be resolved). Using a real-world IT project management case study, we also explain the usefulness and versatility of this intuitive tool via a web app for novice users. We conclude this paper acknowledging its limitations and providing some future research directions.