Writing an evaluation report on your classmate’s project is never easy. You are supposed to be objective in your judgment, show considerable understanding of the discipline in general and the topic in particular, and at the same time take into account that you are likely to interact with the project’s author in the future. Here is an evaluation report sample for you to see how it is done.
Alex Brown’s project on conflict management techniques contains information on the most popular and widely used conflict management techniques utilized in modern business environment, with some additional notes on tendencies in development of conflict resolution approaches in the recent years, both in American business and overseas. It also provides the author’s own evaluations of potential efficiency of particular techniques in different situations and suggestions of how conflicts should be best resolved to the benefit of all parties.
In general, the author’s estimation of different techniques seems to be logical and consistent, although I can put forward several minor points on which my opinion differs from that of the author’s.
The author discusses the following conflict management techniques: force (competition, direct conflict), win-win (collaboration, problem solving), reconciliation (compromise), withdrawing (avoiding conflict management) and accommodation (smoothing).
The main point of the project is the juxtaposition of two techniques: forcing and collaboration, with a heavy emphasis on the superiority of the latter. According to the author, collaboration as a conflict management technique has advantage over direct conflict in almost any situation, for a variety of reasons: for example, applying it not only solves the problem in question but strengthens the team in general as well, turns it into a more cohesive whole and diminishes the likelihood of similar problems emerging in future. It increases the productivity of work, encourages the sharing of ideas and has many other positive effects.
While all this is, without a doubt, true, I believe that the author slightly exaggerates the superiority and applicability of the win-win approach. Firstly, application of this technique requires the utmost trust between all the interested parties, and if this trust is in any way compromised, one has to fall back to the alternatives. Also, a win-win solution is usually a not very obvious one, and finding it requires a considerable investment of time and effort. While it remains a preferable outcome nonetheless, looking for a win-win solution in a situation that requires immediate action or reaction is often impractical – even if you find a solution everybody is happy about, there is not much use in it if you find it after the time to take action is long past. Therefore, sometimes there are situations when other methods (forcing, most likely) are preferable to collaboration.
Otherwise, my evaluation of the project is entirely positive. The author describes the other conflict management approaches in a sensible and professional manner, correctly depicting their positive and negative aspects, as well as potential fields of application.
As you may see, this evaluation report sample does two things: it provides a generally favorable review and points out a point that needs improving, suggesting what can be done about it. Follow the same approach, and it is certain to work out.