Elements and Performance Criteria

Conflict and escalated complaint situations may relate to:
customer complaints
conflicts among work colleagues
refused entry
drug or alcohol affected persons
ejection from premises
late customers
denied requests for refunds or exchanges
dissatisfaction with seats allocated

Organisational constraints may include:
budgetary constraints
strict refund/exchange policy
no availability of replacement goods, services or tickets

Underpinning skills and knowledge

Assessment must include evidence of the following knowledge and skills:

types of conflict in the workplace and typical causes
conflict theory, including signs, stages, levels, factors involved, results
group processes and roles people play

conflict resolution skills and strategies incorporating communication skills of:

assertiveness
listening
non-verbal communication
language style
problem solving
negotiation
procedures for handling customer complaints in a given industry or workplace context

Linkages to other units

This unit has strong linkages to the following units, and combined assessment and/or training is recommended:

CUECOR02B Work with others
CUECOR03A Provide quality service to customers
Note that conflict resolution in relation to colleagues is included in both this unit and the unit CUECOR02A Work with others. Care should be taken to avoid duplication in training and assessment.

Critical aspects of evidence

The following evidence is critical to the judgement of competence in this unit:

knowledge of conflict resolution techniques
ability to apply conflict resolution techniques and resolve a range of different conflict situations in contexts appropriate to the job role and workplace

Method and context of assessment

The assessment context must provide for:

activities that allow the candidate to address a range of commonly-occurring conflict situations that may be found in the workplace. These should be related to the usual work roles of the candidate, such as handling escalated customer complaints in a front-of-house environment, resolving disputes with colleagues over work aspects, dealing with contractors or suppliers who fail to meet obligations
interaction with others to demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills for resolving conflicts

Assessment may incorporate a range of methods to assess practical skills and the application of essential underpinning knowledge, and might include:

direct observation of the candidate demonstrating complaint handling or negotiation skills, either in the workplace or through role plays
case studies to analyse and resolve conflict situations arising in various work contexts
incident reports prepared by the candidate
written or oral questions to assess underpinning theories related to conflict resolution
review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands and the needs of particular groups (eg people with disabilities, and people who may have literacy or numeracy difficulties such as speakers of languages other than English, remote communities and those with interrupted schooling).

Resource requirements

Assessment of this unit requires access to:

typical organisational complaint and conflict policies and procedures

Communicating ideas and information
Assessing the nature of a conflict situation (2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Using positive communication to encourage different points of view (2)

Planning and organising activities
Working out the most appropriate way to deal with a dispute or complaint (2)

Working with others and in teams
Negotiating to solve differences with colleagues (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
- (0)

Solving problems
Resolving an escalated complaint (2)

Using technology
- (0)