Presentation on workplace conflict covering - What is “problem” conflict? - The inevitability of conflict within workplace teams - The 5 Recognized approaches to dealing with conflict - What are your usual Conflict Styles? - Tips and strategies to reduce conflict - When to bring in a Mediator - Recap

1. Workplace Conflict
TIPS FOR REDUCING AND RESOLVING WORKPLACE
CONFLICT

2. Agenda
• What is “problem” conflict?
• Conflict and workplace teams
• Common Approaches
• Exercise: What are your usual Conflict Styles?
• Tips and strategies to reduce conflict
• When to bring in an umpire (Mediator)
• Recap

3. Introductions
• Joanne Law is an Accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution
Practitioner, Life, Business and Divorce coach and trainer.
• Medi8 provides Mediation and Dispute Resolution Services
• You can find out more at www.medi8.com.au
• Contact Joanne on 03 8370 2301

4. What’s conflict?
- A clash
apparently
- A state of disharmony between incompatible or directly opposed persons, ideas, or interests

5. Kids and Conflict
Has your approach to conflict grown with your children
or are you still trying to control them?

6. When is conflict a problem?
5 types of Problem Conflict
1. When conflict is suppressed
rather than resolved
2. When points of view are
disparaged or ignored
3. When the conflict becomes
a personal attack
4. When the use of power is
abused
5. When conflict becomes
entrenched and efforts to
resolve it fail

7. Is conflict always bad?
6 benefits of Conflict
1. Conflict gets people involved so that decisions
are more robust
2. If feeds innovation and new ideas
3. You learn more about others
4. You see different perspectives
5. You understand yourself more
6. You improve your communication skills
The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom.
Lady Bird Johnston

8. Is conflict in the workplace
inevitable?
Performing
Norming
Storming
Forming
• New team / new
members
• Formal Roles and
Purpose defined
•Team members learn
how to work together
•Conflict is common as
they learn each others
abilities and build trust
Source: Bruce Tuckmans 1965 model of group dynamics
• Team starts to work
together
• Roles evolve based on
abilities
• Rules, norms and team
culture established
• Team members work
together towards the
common goal
• Members are flexible,
collaborative and help
each other

9. What Conflict Styles do you Use?
Competing
Accommodating
Withdrawing
Compromising
Collaborating

10. Situational Conflict Style Assessment
• Read through the scenarios provided and identify your preferred conflict style.

11. Competing
• Win / Lose
• Use of force (violent or non-violent power) to win the conflict
• Uses arbitration or judgement by someone in power
• Makes use of position or social influence

12. Accommodating
• Lose / Win
• Gives in to perceived superior power or force
• Accepts defeat easily and doesn’t defend position
• Gives in to keep the peace and reduce conflict

13. Withdrawing
•
•
•
•
Lose / lose
Minimises or denies that the conflict exists
Limits communication or avoids contact
Allows the issues to fester unresolved

14. Compromising
• Win some / lose some
• You assert you position but are willing to negotiate with the other party
• You trade off non-essential elements of position
• Neither party gets what they state they want

15. Collaborating
• Win / Win
• Assert your needs rather than just a fixed position
• Willingness to listen to and accommodate other sides needs
• Look at the big picture and maximise relationship not just the current issue
• Allows for creative solutions through open communication and problem solving

16. Exercise
• Form into groups of three.
• Using the scenario’s provided to you to come up with a resolution for the situation
• Discuss your experiences
• Feedback your solutions and any key learnings to the group

17. Approaches to Conflict
Approaches to Conflict Summary
Competing
Win / Lose
Accommodating
Lose / Win
Withdrawing
Lose / Lose
No resolution
Compromising
Win Some / Lose
Some
Collaborating
Win / Win

18. The role of the Mediator
1.
Impartial
2.
Confidential
3.
Skilled in facilitating communication and taking the conversation beyond positions to
interests
4.
Helps participants to deal with their emotions
5.
Practical and future focused
6.
Aims to facilitate Collaborative or Compromise Negotiation

19. Internal or External Mediator?
Internal Mediator
External Mediator
• Lower cost if trained mediator is available
• Fee payable - average fee for Medi8 is $600 - $1,000
for a workplace mediation
• Needs to be someone who is seen by both
participants as impartial
• Impartial
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality
• Bound by a Confidentiality Agreement
• Must have the required skills and knowledge e.g
• Positions vs Interests
• Able to establish rapport and elicit emotions
• Ability to control a meeting and generate
practical agreements
• Ability to future pace agreements for workability
• Trained and accredited mediator who has all required
skills and a knowledge of business

20. Tips to avoid “problem conflict”
1.
Tune in and raise your awareness of the impact of your behavour
2.
Provide / seek out an appropriate forum to discuss the conflict
3.
Limit the use of force / competing mediation styles (short term thinking)
4.
Recognise the situations where you avoid or withdraw from conflict and seek support to
reach a resolution
5.
Look at the big picture and long term effect on yourself and others of not resolving the
conflict

21. Books
- Kenneth E. Boulding, Three Faces of Power, (Sage Publications, 1989)
- Dr Henry Cloud, Dr John Townsend, Difficult Conversations (Zondervan, 2006)

22. Medi8 Mediation Services
• Workplace Mediation ( disputes between employees)
• Education Mediation ( disputes between trainees and institutions)
• Business Mediation ( disputes between businesses and customers or between two businesses)
• Franchise Mediation (disputes between Franchisees and Franchisors)
• Family Mediation (disputes between family members not family law)
• Family Dispute Mediation (dispute between husband and wife in the context of Family Law)
• Neighbourhood Dispute Resolution Mediation ( neighbourhood conflicts)
• Any other interpersonal or inter institution disputes
www.medi8.com.au or 03 8370 2301

23. Medi8 Educational Services
• Workplace Mediator Training Course
• Nationally Accredited Mediator Training Course
• Certificate IV in Mediation
• Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner
• Graduate Diploma in Family Dispute Resolution