The person supervising a new advertising campaign was not sure that the team fully understood the technical side of the product they were working on…

The supervisor's primary concern is the team's potential lack of technical understanding and the need for a new perspective. Bringing in outsiders—such as engineers, product developers, or technical consultants—is the most effective technique in this scenario. These individuals would introduce specialized knowledge and a different viewpoint that the current team lacks. This influx of new information directly challenges the group's existing assumptions and stimulates constructive conflict, forcing a re-evaluation of the campaign's technical accuracy and leading to a better outcome.

B. Appointing a devil's advocate: This person would critique the group's existing ideas but may not possess the external technical knowledge needed to provide the specific new perspective the supervisor seeks.

C. Authoritative command: This is a conflict-resolution technique that uses formal power to end a dispute. It suppresses discussion and differing viewpoints, which is the opposite of the desired outcome.

D. Compromise: This is a conflict-resolution strategy where parties make concessions to reach an agreement. It is used to settle conflict, not to stimulate it for better decision-making.

1. Robbins

S. P.

& Judge

T. A. (2019). Organizational Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson. In Chapter 14

"Conflict and Negotiation

" the section on "Conflict-Stimulation Techniques" explicitly lists "Bringing in outsiders" as a method to add new perspectives to a group

stating

"Adding employees to a group whose backgrounds

values

attitudes

or managerial styles differ from those of present members can create conflict."

2. Daft

R. L. (2018). Management (13th ed.). Cengage Learning. In Chapter 19

"Managing Teams

" the discussion on managing team conflict identifies causing conflict as a potential leadership role. Techniques include bringing in outsiders to provide a fresh viewpoint and break up groupthink (Section 19-5c

"Causes of Conflict").

3. Luthans

F.

Luthans

B. C.

& Luthans

K. W. (2021). Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach (14th ed.). Information Age Publishing. Chapter 9

"Conflict and Negotiation

" discusses the stimulation of constructive conflict. It notes that introducing outsiders or new members to a group is a recognized strategy to overcome complacency and introduce novel ideas.