Conflict resolution training courses deal with teaching employees how to negotiate both the informal or formal process that two or more parties use to find a peaceful solution to their dispute.
What Are Conflict Resolution Skills?
It is necessary to have Conflict resolution skills in business and they are required for a wide range of positions across many job sectors. This is because conflict within the workplace will inevitably reduce productivity and create a difficult work environment. This will lead to unwanted turnover in staff and a reduction in staff morale. Employees who are capable of resolving workplace conflict are often excellent mediators. They can often be extremely rational, and able to manage difficult personalities from a place of empathy. This is very beneficial to any work environment and is a skill set that will not only benefit you in your work life but also in your home and personal life too.
The Conflict Resolution Process
Engaging in conflict resolution in the workplace will generally utilise some if not all of these processes:
- Recognition by the parties involved that a problem exists.
- Mutual agreement to address the issue and find some resolution.
- An effort to understand the perspective and concerns of the opposing individual or group.
- Identifying changes in attitude, behaviour, and approaches to work by both sides that will lessen negative feelings.
- Recognizing triggers to episodes of conflict.
- Interventions by third parties such as Human Resources representatives or higher-level managers to mediate.
- A willingness by one or both parties to compromise
- Agreement on a plan to address differences.
- Monitoring the impact of any agreements for change.
- Disciplining or terminating employees who resist efforts to defuse conflicts.
Examples of Conflict Resolution Skills
If you decide to engage in a conflict resolution training course, you will learn and develop many new skills. There are several different skills associated with conflict resolution. Some of these skills include but are not limited to:
- Assertiveness by a supervisor who convenes a meeting between two employees who have engaged in a public dispute.
- Interviewing and active listening skills utilized by a human resources representative to define the nature of a conflict between a supervisor and subordinate.
- A supervisor encouraging empathy by asking opposing employees to describe how the other might feel in conflict situations.
- Managers of rival departments facilitating a brainstorming session with their staffs to generate solutions to ongoing points of conflict.
- Mediation skills by a supervisor who helps rival subordinates to identify mutually agreeable changes in behaviour.
- A co-worker seeking out a rival and suggesting that she would like to find a way to co-exist more peacefully.
- Creativity and problem-solving by a supervisor who redefines the roles of two conflict-prone staff to eliminate points of friction.
- Accountability established by a supervisor who documents conflict initiating behaviours exhibited by a chronic provocateur on his performance appraisal.
Potential Course Content
Taking up a course in Conflict Resolution Training can be very beneficial to you, both professionally and personally. There are many different courses available across the country. During the process of engaging in this type of training, the student will learn how to:
- Analyse the existence of a conflict in everyday personal and work life, to include reasons for conflict arising, signs and cues of conflict escalating and the distinction between conflict and violence
- Summarise different ways of perceiving conflict, to include positive dimensions of conflict and the importance of self-esteem and personal growth in facilitating conflict resolution
- Explore different approaches to conflict resolution, to include – mediation, arbitration, negotiation, avoidance, compromise, litigation, legislation and the consequences of unresolved conflicts for individuals and organisations
- Communicate clearly with others in social and work-related situations where conflict may arise, to include – use of active listening skills, and ability to ask nonaccusatory questions, and appropriate use of ‘you’ and ‘I’ statements
- Assess personal actions and reactions in situations where conflict has arisen, to include – making the distinction between an emotional and intellectual reaction and the impact of personal actions and reactions on others and the turn of events
- Communicate a wide range of emotions appropriately
- Exchange feedback with others, to include – a clear articulation of views and intentions, careful listening, analysis of arguments and underlying values, and the ability to summarise complex statements
- Use language to de-escalate conflict, to include – paraphrasing demands and statements, reframing inflammatory and aggressive statements, making observations without interpretation
- Distinguish between requests, demands, positions, interests and points-of-view
- Summarise the key principles of mediation, to include examples of mediation, issues related to trust, and the importance of confidentiality, neutrality and balance.
Some Other Potential Topics Covered
These courses can be quite varied. You could also learn some of the following:
- Types of Organisation
- Organisation Structure
- Organisation Culture
- Change in Organisations
- Understanding Conflict
- Conflict Management Styles
- Knowing Your Conflict Style
- Dealing with Anger
- Listening Skills
- Conflict between Groups
- The Process of Mediation
- Mediator Skills
- Crisis Mediation
- Introduction to Negotiation
- Joint Problem Solving
- Guidelines for Negotiation
- Problems in Negotiation
- Group Exercises.
Who should complete this course?
These courses are very beneficial to many different types of people and all different levels of employment. Some people who might really benefit from taking one of these courses are:
- People working with teams in the community or voluntary sector or HR departments.
- People who need to build skills in negotiation or conflict resolution.
- People involved working with groups of people e.g. sport, not-for-profit organisations, unions.
- People who wish to gain a professional, accredited qualification in Conflict Management, and wish to study at their own pace, and in their own words
Comments