Conflict is a normal and healthy part of organizational life. Most people feel uncomfortable in the face of conflict, and turn out therefore to be conflict avoiders rather than conflict resolvers. This course teaches people how to surface legitimate differences, then illustrates a dozen different techniques for resolving those differences, and finally shows how to select from among them to choose a response that best fits a specific situation. This course supports the trend toward finding collaborative and collegial ways that professional people use to successfully work together in problem-solving groups.

Complete Course Description

PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP: Conflict arises because people care about their lives, their work, and their relationships. It arises also because the resources of this earth are limited, because all of us have different ideas and perceptions, and because we differ in our needs, wants, and preferences. Managing conflict means developing and using skills that help people reach satisfying agreements despite their many differences. The object of this course is to teach participants a set of techniques and skills which will help them discover exactly what their differences are, accept them as a natural part of the human experience, and work through them in a way that strengthens their relationships and accomplishes their purposes.

THE WORKSHOP CONTENT

These are the tools and techniques covered in this course:

TOPIC	WHAT PARTICIPANTS LEARN
1. The Nature of Conflict:	Why conflict arises, what makes it disruptive, how it operates differently between individuals and between groups, and why it is always potentially dangerous; at the same time, why conflict has benefits, how it stimulates interest and refreshes relationships.
2. Conflict Avoidance:	How we acknowledge and surface the fears and anxieties that undergird our expectations of a conflicted situation; how we then learn how to manage the emotional component of conflict.
3. Low Payoff Techniques:	How to examine conflict resolution techniques most people easily gravitate towards and employ most frequently, but that have very uneven results. The four examined here, in detail, are all various forms of “settling” or “winning”: Effecting a Compromise Splitting the Difference Searching for Third Parties Win-Lose power Struggles This module examines what these strategies consist of, the relative price/payoff of each, the skill content each requires, and circumstances where each might be a limited but effective choice.
4. High Payoff Techniques:	How to use competently the best techniques for managing conflict in contemporary organizations: Conjoint Problem Solving Interest-Based Negotiation Polarity Management The first of these three techniques consists of a methodology for defining a difference as a problem to be solved rather than a battle to be won or a situation to be manipulated; participants learn how to partner in solutions that are fair to both parties. The second is a needs-based negotiating process developed by Ury & Fisher for surfacing the interests of all parties in an open way, and then brain-storming solutions that maximize gain for all parties. The third is a technique developed by Barry Johnson which addresses a class of “unsolvable” problems, in which the opposite and inseparable sides of life’s most difficult issues (i.e., the “two sides of the same coin” we all have to live with) are seen as polarities to be managed and reconciled rather than problems to be nailed.
5. Persuasion & Influence:	A set of techniques for advancing the models described above in a way that others find convincing and also involving, so that they find reasons to engage in these processes and be committed to their outcomes.
6. Supportive Talk:	A broad set of skills which teach and then encourage participants to engage in the models described above with clear, direct speech, active listening, open minds, nurturing behavior, and collaborative attitudes.
7. Conflict Prevention:	Resolving conflicts is time-consuming and draining. This module teaches participants how to anticipate potential conflicts, deal directly with the situations that may cause them to erupt, and minimize the negative effects of those that simply cannot be avoided.

Every tool and technique provided in this course is geared to directing professional people toward a collegial and collaborative method for settling their differences.

The Workshop Format and Make-up.

We teach concepts and models in very short lecturettes. Participants then engage in a rich array of problems, cases, and role plays, where they learn to apply the techniques and skills they have just learned. The tenor of the workshop is therefore lively and interactive. Participants have a chance to learn from each other, working in small groups, as well as from the instructor.

Most participants in this course come from technical, professional, or managerial backgrounds. The ones who benefit most are those who often find themselves competing for resources, or who are pressured to meet deadlines when they are dependent on others for input, or those who regularly interact with strong-willed, opinionated, or dedicated people.

Eighteen to twenty-four people is an ideal class size.

The workshop is one day long.

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