Managing conflict is a critical competency for every leader and employee. There are high financial and emotional costs when people avoid resolving conflict. Many people choose simply to ignore conflict and hope it goes away, often using the logic that workplace conflict is simply a part of the job or that it’s not my job to resolve it. Conflict is an essential part of the workplace especially when there is a need to be innovative and creative, when deadlines are tight, and when there is a high priority to deliver promised outcomes. But while conflict is an integral part of the workplace, ignoring it is the worst way to handle it.
Conflict in the workplace arises from many different sources including: differences in personality, differences in organizational power, the lack of trust between individuals, differences in communication style, stress, and a variety of other factors present in the modern workplace. Conflict in the workplace can be emotionally draining, and can often result in a toxic workplace. The cost of unresolved workplace conflict can be measured in many ways, but ultimately there is a human cost that can have lasting consequences at the emotional, personal, and career level for those involved.
Resolving conflict is not complicated or especially difficult when you are equipped with the right mindset, skills, and conflict resolution tools. The best part is that learning how to resolve conflict is not especially hard and can be learned in a short time. Gaining mastery of the skills essential to resolving conflict take a little time and some practice, but the results can be dramatic. Ultimately knowing that you have the skills to resolve conflict can makes you feel more confident in your ability to resolve conflict, and can also have very positive emotional benefits.
The goal of conflict resolution training is not to create a conflict free workplace, but instead is to create a productive and safe work culture where conflict is addressed and where people can focus on getting their jobs done, improving creativity, and fostering innovation.
At ProTech we teach a win/win interests based approach to resolving conflict that takes a relationship anchored perspective. The goal is to achieve the benefits of effective conflict resolution in the context of developing and maintaining productive and effective workplace relationships. We also teach assertiveness as a tool for effective conflict resolution. Together with strategies to de-emotionalize conflict, you will uncover the opportunity to practice these new skills in a safe environment where the goal is to build confidence in your ability to effectively resolve conflict.
In this 30 minute presentation, we introduce how conflict can be resolved once the proper tools and skills are acquired. Brent is an experienced Human Resource development specialist and professional coach with strong coaching and facilitation skills. For over 15 years, Brent has been working with people at all levels of an organization; from front line employees to senior executives and leaders. He specializes in the area of conflict resolution, emotional intelligence related skills development, leadership effectiveness, communication effectiveness, sales effectiveness, corporate vision, and personal and professional goal development.