Alice and Bob - The Escalation of a Conflict Tutorial

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two collaborators,

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Alice and Bob,

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were responsible for an ambitious project.

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Although they worked thousands of miles apart,

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technology was supposed to be their ally.

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One Monday,

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Alice sent an email to Bob.

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I was thinking of using Trello to track our progress.

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Is that OK with you?

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Bob,

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an avid Asana user,

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replied,

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Not a fan of Trello.

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Let's use Asana,

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much more professional.

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Alice,

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surprised by the direct response,

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wrote,

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I have already set everything up on Trello.

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She clicked send,

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letting a hint of irritation show.

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She was convinced that Trello was the best tool and refused to budge.

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The next day,

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during a video conference,

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Bob said,

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Alice,

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you could also improve your connection.

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It's the 3rd time it's cut off.

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Bob was convinced that the poor connection

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was due to Alice's lack of professionalism.

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Alice,

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already annoyed by the previous day's disagreement,

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replied sharply,

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Maybe if you had accepted Trello,

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we wouldn't have to do so many video calls.

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In the following days,

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each email,

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each message escalated the conflict a notch.

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Instead of discussing the project,

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they got bogged down in sarcastic comments.

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Alice sent a chart saying,

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At least some of us are making progress,

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while Bob retorted,

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if only they were moving in the right direction.

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Their dispute was no longer really about Trello or

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Asana nor about the quality of the internet connection,

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which were the true sources of disagreement and

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could have been easily discussed and resolved.

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It was now about judgments,

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emotions,

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poor communication,

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and the difficulty of working remotely without building a trusting relationship.

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A month later,

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their manager noticed the project's delay.

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When he tried to organize a meeting,

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neither Alice nor Bob wanted to participate if the other was present.

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The initial insignificant conflict had turned

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into a professional feud highlighting the importance

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of good and quick management of disagreements in the world of remote work.

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