Managing Conflict

Course Number:  036-GO
Recommended Duration:  1 Day

Intended Audience:  All Employees

Course Overview
This course reviews why conflict occurs and how to mitigate its potentially harmful effects on productivity and morale in the workplace. Participants learn about the conflict cycle and an approach to handle and resolve conflict.

Objectives
As a result of taking this course, you will learn to:

• Recognize why conflict builds and occurs
• Better control a situation before it escalates into a serious conflict
• Conduct a constructive feedback discussion to resolve an inter-personal conflict
• Effectively utilize team or group conflict
• Mediate conflict situations
• Develop a personal action plan for resolving an actual or anticipated conflict situation

Prerequisites:  None

Topics

• Understanding why conflict occurs

• A discussion of the conflict cycle

• Thomas-Kilmann Styles Instrument

• Resolving conflict using a four step approach and applying this approach to resolve conflict

• Utilizing mediation techniques in conflict settings

• Communication during conflict

• How to effectively give and receive constructive feedback

• Deciding whether to give feedback

• Preparing for the discussion

• How to conduct the conversation

• A review of a feedback example

• Conflict resolution feedback exercise

• Effectively utilizing conflict in teams or groups

• Understanding the benefits of team or group conflict

• Tools to navigate a team or group through the “storming” or conflict stage

• Developing a personal action plan for resolving conflict