Who Manages the Conflict in Your Organization?

The typical answer is the Human Resources department. But why aren't your employees and managers more effective in resolving conflict on their own? Our conflict management workshops are designed to give your team the tools they need to be effective managers of the large and small conflicts that arise each day.

Is Conflict Good or Bad?

The answer is YES. Conflict is good when the outcome is a win-win resolution. Conflict is good when the relationship between the people in conflict is strengthened as a result of the conflict. But few people are skilled in the interpersonal skills necessary to manage conflict effectively, and when conflict isn't managed it generally goes bad. And when it goes bad it can get really bad.

The drama of conflict gone bad can have a devastating effect on the attitudes of everyone involved, and if it isn't resolved it can linger and spread like an infectious disease. The result is negativity, low employee morale, and a dramatic drop in productivity.

Conflict Management and Conflict Styles

Most people don't really think about how they approach conflict. It just happens. When conflicts arise, we tend to play out our roles like scripts based on our behavioral and conflict styles. Effective conflict management can only be achieved when an individual begins to really see how her or his conflict style is actually self-destructive.

Our conflict management workshops examine conflict styles and allow participants to really see their own self-destructive behavior patterns. Through behavioral style assessments, interactive discussions, role-play and effective training, we help workshop participants to change the way they view and handle daily conflict. The result is a re-alignment of attitudes and a tremendous increase in teamwork. When your people really begin functioning as a team, everyone will feel the difference.

Adult Children Learning to Grow Up

Most of us don't like to admit it, but we often revert to childish behaviors during conflict. We have learned to disguise our motives and actions with a facade of maturity, but we're not fooling anyone.

Emotional immaturity is at its worst during conflict. Have you ever seen a manager or employee throwing a temper tantrum? Adult forms of pouting, name-calling, bullying and whining can be found in nearly every workplace around the world. And these traits are never mentioned in resumes, and are seldom detected during the interviewing process.

In our conflict management workshops, we focus on the value of emotional maturity. It's easy to look around and point the finger at your emotionally immature co-workers, but our workshops bring the focus back to you, and how you can manage your own behavior. Conflict management begins with self management, and the recognition that everyone has the power to change their own behavior.

"Why Do I Have to Be the One Who Changes?"

The earliest conflict behaviors children develop are blame, defensiveness and rationalization. These behaviors continue through adulthood and become the greatest obstacles to personal change and growth. "Why should I change? My boss is the problem!" We tend to blame others, defend ourselves, and rationalize our emotionally immature behavior.

In order to change, you have to want to change. Our conflict management workshops give participants an objective, personal view of the results of their behaviors. Our behavioral and communication style assessments are unbelievably accurate, and function as a mirror for participants. Since the whole group is in the workshop, no one is singled out. We examine the results of childish, ineffective conflict styles both in the workplace and in your personal life. And participants often really see themselves accurately for the first time.

If you expect to work at changing yourself, you have to answer the question, "What's in it for me?" Our workshops do just that. Effective conflict management improves the value of your relationships - with your boss, co-workers and friends; with your spouse or partner; with your children and all the members of your family. When you really begin to see how your behaviors are sabotaging your own life, the question, "What's in it for me?" is answered. These are the seeds of wisdom, and wisdom is the beginning of change.

A Conflict Management Workshop Tailored to the Needs of Your Organization

We don't deliver canned workshops. Contact us and we will send you more information about our conflict management workshop including fees and a wide range of options. If you're interested, we will set up a phone conference to discuss your needs and the specific areas of conflict your group is experiencing. After the call, we will send you a detailed outline for the workshop we recommend, tailored in style, format and content to the needs of your group.

Effective conflict management is situational. That is, you must apply emotional intelligence to deal with each person and situation differently. We design our workshops the same way. We include all the right elements to really reach your people, including humor, role-play, direct confrontation, facilitated discussions, exercises and group activities. Whether you are interested in a single workshop, multiple workshops, or an ongoing training program with individual and small-group coaching, we can customize the perfect program for your organization. Contact us today to begin the process.