1. “Resolving Conflict”
Moving From Conflict To Collaboration
Facilitator
Willie Johnson
Performance
Improvement and
Training Consultant

2. Conflict Resolution
What concerns me is not the way
things are, but rather the way
people think things are…
Epicteus

3. What Is Conflict?
• Positive or Negative
Communication
• Fact Of Life
• State of being that occurrs over
a prolonged period during
which issues are not addressed
– thereby adding to dissonance.

4. The Challenge
“When Dealing With Conflict”
Seek win-win relationships -
Thru A Collaborative Process

5. All Roads Can Lead To
Conflict:
Differences in needs, Differences in perceiving
objectives and values. Motives, words, actions
Diversity and Miscommunication.
Differing expectations of Unwillingness to work
outcomes - favorable through issues,
versus unfavorable collaborate or
Personality Type compromise

6. Conflict Communication Skills
• Reflection (Ack. Behavior)
• I-Statements (Show Empathy)
• Diplomatic Disagreement
• Gentle Confrontation
• Firm Confrontation
Understanding - Demand For Action

7. Five Popular Approaches To
Conflict Resolution
• Avoid
• Force
• Accommodate
• Compromise
• Collaborate

8. Avoid
• Avoid - sidestepping, ignoring
or postponing.
 Avoiding Conflict Successfully
 Use when something else is more important.
 Down Side to Avoiding Conflict
 Could appear indecisive
 Matter remains temporarily unresolved

9. Force
• Force - making the other person do
what you want.
 How to Force Successfully
 Be clear and direct
 Down Side to Using Force
 Causes Resentment
 Lowers Morale

10. Accommodate
• Accommodate - meeting the other
persons needs, giving in to their desires.
 Accommodating Successfully
 Ask questions
 Accommodate graciously
 Down Side to Accommodating
 Pushover
 Doormat

11. Compromise
• Compromise - trading something
you want for something they want,
finding the middle ground.
 Compromising Successfully
 What are you & the other person willing to give up?
 Down Side to Compromising
 Doesn’t expose underlying issues
 Principles and ethics cannot be compromised

12. Collaborate
• Collaboration - Reaching a mutually beneficial
agreement, and finding creative solutions that
meet everyone’s needs.
 Collaborating Successfully
 Identify and clarify issues
 Restate the problem
 Find out what each side wants
 Generate possible solutions
 Anticipate possible problems.

13. “6” Key Actions To Moving From
Conflict To Collaboration
• Establish mutual
involvement.
• Focus – situation, issue,
behavior - Not person
• Seek to understand the
other person’s view.
• Present you perspective
of the problem and its
impact
• Decide on an appropriate
plan of action.
• Express your appreciation
for the other person

14. Moving From Conflict To
Collaboration: “ Key Action #1”
Establish Mutual
Involvement.
• Briefly describe the
problem.
• State your positive
intentions

15. Moving From Conflict To
Collaboration: “ Key Action #2”
Seek To Understand The
Other Person’s Point Of
View.
– Ask questions to bring out
critical issues.
– Listen until you
completely understand
– Check your understanding

16. Moving From Conflict To
Collaboration: “ Key Action #3”
Present your perspective of
the problem and its
impact.
– Describe the problem and
it’s impact from your
perspective (be objective
& non-judgmental / ID
your feelings, desires &
needs)

17. Moving From Conflict To
Collaboration: “ Key Action #4”
Decide On An
Appropriate Plan Of
Action
– Agree on the issues to be
addressed
– Share responsibility for
implementing your plan
– Document agreed-upon
actions/follow-up times

18. Moving From Conflict To
Collaboration: “ Key Action #5”
Express Your Appreciation
For The Other Person’s
Efforts
– Thank the other person
– Summarize what you have
learned

19. Strategies To Avoid
• Minimization
•
• Blame
•
• Unloading
• Manipulation

20. What do you do if you still can’t
resolve your conflict?
Coping Strategies
Don’t waste energy with skeptics
who won’t listen.
Agree To Disagree, Agreeably
(No-Deal is form of Win-Win).
Brainstorm with others and
develop a new way of coping
with the situation.

21. Attitude: Your “MOST”
Priceless Possession
• Managing Yourself
– Play Your Winners
• Managing Stress
– Accentuate The Positive
• Building Support
– Network - Network
• Thinking Powerfully
– Collaboration is the
“key” to lasting
relationships

22. Addendum
Relationship
Building

23. How Do You
Maintain Positive Relationships?
• Become A Friendlier Person
• Win People To Your Way
Of Thinking
• Be A Leader

24. Relationship Building
(1) Become A Friendlier Person
• Don’t criticize,
condemn, or complain
• Arouse in others an
eager want.
• Be a good listener
(Seek first to
understand – then to be
understood)
• Make others feel
important. (Be sincere)

25. Relationship Building
(2) Win people to your way of thinking
• Show respect for others
opinions.
• Try “honestly” to see
things from other’s point
of view.
• Be sympathetic with
others ideas & desires.
• Throw down a
challenge.

26. Relationship Building
(3) Be A Leader
• Ask questions instead
of giving direct orders
• Praise even the
slightest improvement
• Give others a fine
reputation to live up to
• Use encouragement &
make others feel happy
about doing things you
suggest.

27. What ripples
out from
You?