Conflict Management, Negotiation & Politics
Step 1: Resources
Please review each of these resources thoroughly to assist you with completing your Action Worksheet
Step 2: Questions
Reflect on the Following:
Think about situation in your work where you have functional conflict and dysfunctional conflict
Reflect on the following:
Think of a situation in your work where conflict is having negative consequences.
How could you shift those to positive consequences?
Watch the Video!
Adjust the volume or pause the video to meet your needs.
Step 3: Exercise
1. Create a SMART Goal
Think about an Action you can do right now to improve honest conversations and have functional conflict.
- Create a document for your projects or meeting ie including facts, spacefor alternative ideas, goals this sets up healthy debate about the different ideas based on facts it also creates a balance of power.
- Create a code of conduct (Rules) for heath debate at your meetings – Everyone is invited to share their ideas- There is no reprimand formal or informal for any ideas shared – One person is assigned the role of Devil’s Advocate.
2. Create Meeting Agenda
Using the tips provided in the image. Design a meeting agenda that utilizes these tips. See the sample in the link below.
- What is the situation- background facts?
- What do you want to accomplish?
- How do we accomplish the goal?
- Round Table – List all names, everyone shares
- Devil’s Advocate – Pick attendees to play devil’s advocate
- Round Table Again – List all names
Step 4: Summary
- Ask employees to challenge you ( Start with a What Question)
- Ask for input ( Start with a What Question)
- Ask for questions and then wait 30 seconds.
- Use level one listening
- Be open to different personality styles ( Communication Preferences)
- Remove fear of reprimand make it safe
- Leaders go first
- Create conversation rules
- Recognize and praise people who will deliver bad news to you
- Share knowledge
- Ask for input
- Make decisions based on objective data
- Continually remind everyone that the competition is located outside of the organization
- Focus on the facts – issues not personalities
- Develop multiple alternatives
- Rally around goals – what is best for organization?
- Inject appropriate humor into process
- Maintain balanced power structure – autocratic, strong and inclusive, weak (power vacuum)
- Don’t force consensus
Step 5: Action Worksheet
Complete the Action Worksheet and submit a copy to your supervisor.
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