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Conflict is unavoidable. Being able to swiftly, and effectively, bring conflict to a point of resolution,

is key. Our training programme provides

five key perspectives on conflict. Learners will

enhance their understanding of different conflict

responses, understand where conflict stems from

and adopt constructive communication, for positive conflict resolution within the

workplace.

Cutting edge content that is facilitated by experts, with key focus on the following outcomes:

Understand conflict as it occurs in the workplace and the cost thereof.

Use a leading assessment of conflict-handling modes to understand conflict styles.

Choose the right conflict style for the right situation.

Identify the source of conflict. Understand the role perceptions play in conflict situations.

Understand the role that interests, rights and power play in conflict.

Effectively de-escalate conflict through the use of third parties, in the form of negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

Manage conflict through crucial confrontations.

Long story short What is in it for you?

UNIT STANDARD:

NQFLEVEL: CREDITS: DURATION:

TRAINING DAYS:

PORTFOLIO BUILDING

DAY:

1 1 4 226 5 8 3 DAYS 2 1

Programme information

Do you tick all the BOXES?

Communication Literacy at NQF Level 4

Level 4

Programme insights

Creating Unforgettable Learning Experienceswww.nimico.co.za

Our blended learning approach, allows for an engaging and interactive training session.

Complete the Conflict to Collaboration Portfolio of Evidence.

Your Learning Journey

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Complete the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and the Pre-Training Preparation Sheet.

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Receive a Post Training Infographic Mailer, with tips and articles for applying learning back in your workand personal life.3

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VIDEOSDIALOGUES INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS CASE STUDIES

SCENARIO CARDS

If you select to complete the Portfolio of Evidence and are deemed competent, then you will receive a Certificate of Competence.

Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 4

Level 4Managerial Experience

Experience

CONFLICT TO COLLABORATION

When is competition healthy?

You hear through the grapevine that one

of the leaders you are working with has

changed directions, yet again, and that

your project is in jeopardy.

CONFRONT WITH SAFETY

HI

1. What is the actual problem which should be addressed?

2. Unbundle the problem by listing the major issues?

3. Is the problem a matter of Content, Pattern or Relationship?

4. Expand the list of possible issues by considering

consequences and intent.5. Condense the problem into a single sentence and write

it down.6. Do you speak up? What are the consequences of not

speaking up? What benefits will come from resolving

the problem?Your in-laws just walked in

unannounced while you are eating

dinner. You’ve talked to them about

giving you a heads-up, particularly

if they plan on dropping in at dinner

time, yet they still prance in on a whim.

What is your typical response to conflict?

PERSPECTIVE 3

PERSPECTIVE 5

LAST TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION!

#1 ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE

Individuals need to engage in dialogue to collaborate and create meaning. A

reason that communication between conflicting parties is so often unavailing

is that the parties are unable to collaborate to that degree. The development

of “lines of communication” is surely the foundation on which a solution may

ultimately rest.

#3 LISTENListening is one of the most important aspects of effective communication.

• People fail to listen carefully.

• They assume they know what the other person is saying.

• In conflict they typically concentrate more on what they are going to say in

response than listening with full attention.

The result = misunderstandings and escalation of conflict.

#4 HIT THE HEADLINES

Generally, people are too long-winded in their communication.

In most instances, people don’t need to know every single

detail. The strategy then is to think about the single most

important priority point, and then make that point – sweet

and short!

DON’T BE NEGATIVE

Even if you believe the individual is completely wrong about something,

rather counter with an open-ended question that shows respect and a can-do

spirit. “Have you had a situation where that strategy worked?” as opposed to

“It will never work!” comes across to others in a more positive light.

#2 BODY LANGUAGE & ATTITUDE

As the image suggests, conflict is not all about a

difference in opinion but points to an important

fact. “It’s not just your words that convey a message,

” we need to be careful of “how” we say things. We have the

potential to derail conflict resolution in the way we communicate with others.

We might cause the other person to become defensive, angry, emotional or avoid

the problem all together. Be wary of your body language (eye contact, position etc) -

Establish and maintain a connection when speaking to your co-workers.Successful listening means not just understanding the words or the information being

communicated, but understanding how the speaker feels about what they’re communicating.

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PERSPECTIVE 1

COMPETING

“MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY...”

Competing is assertive and uncooperative, a power-oriented mode.

When competing, an individual pursues his or her own concerns

at the other person’s expense, using whatever power seems

appropriate to win his or her position. Competing might mean

standing up for your rights, defending a position that you believe is

correct, or simply trying to win.How might I be viewed by others?

NEGATIVE

POSITIVE

• Insensitive and selfish

• Monopolising• Attacking• Not listening

• Standing up for what

they believe in• Fighting for their team’s

needs

Overuse• Lack of feedback

• Reduced learning

• Low empowerment

• Surrounded by “yes” people

Underuse• Lowered level of influence

• Indecisiveness• Slow action

• Withheld contributions

COLLABORATING

“TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE...”

Collaborating is both assertive and cooperative. When

collaborating, an individual attempts to work with the other

person, to find a solution that fully satisfies the concerns of both.

It involves digging into an issue to identify the underlying concerns

of the two individuals and to find an alternative that meets both

sets of concerns. Collaborating between two persons might take

the form of exploring a disagreement to learn from each other’s

insights, resolving some condition that would otherwise have

them competing for resources, or confronting and trying to find a

creative solution to an interpersonal problem.

These two basic dimensions of behaviour (Assertiveness & Cooperation) define the five key styles

for responding to conflict situations which are:

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INTRODUCTION

THE COST OF CONFLICT

Fearing conflict results in an ineffective method of putting one’s head in the sand, and hoping

that it will go away. Yet it rarely ever does. It will generally escalate. The cost of unresolved conflict

can include: 1. Stress, frustration, and anxiety

2. Loss of sleep3. Strained relationships

4. Grievances and litigation

5. Absenteeism6. Poor team and company reputation

7. Resentment8. Withdrawal

9. Employee turnover

10. Loss of productivity

11. Increased client complaints

12. Sabotage13. Loss of good talent

14. Stifled creativity

15. Creation of barriers to cooperation and collaboration

16. Injury and accidents

17. Disability claims

18. Sick leave

HOW MUCH IS CONFLICT COSTING YOUR ORGANISATION?

Mike Myatt has the following tips to more effectively handle conflicts in the workplace:

1. Define Acceptable Behavior: Do you have a definition for what constitutes acceptable behaviour

within the workplace? Having this clearly defined, will allow people to know what’s expected of

them, and what will not be tolerated.

2. Hit Conflict Head-on: By proactively intervening in a just and decisive fashion you will likely

prevent certain conflicts from ever arising. Time spent identifying and understanding natural

tensions will help to avoid unnecessary conflict.

3. Understanding the “What’s In It For Me” Factor: The way to avoid conflict is to help those around

you achieve their objectives. If you approach conflict from the perspective of taking the action

that will help others best achieve their goals, you will find few obstacles will stand in your way

with regard to resolving conflict.

4. The Importance Factor: Pick your battles and avoid conflict for the sake of conflict. It it’s important

enough to create a conflict, then it is surely important enough to resolve.

5. View Conflict as Opportunity: Divergent positions addressed properly have the potential to

stimulate innovation and learning, in ways like minds can’t even imagine. Smart leaders look for

the upside in all differing opinions.

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PERSPECTIVE 1

TKI STRENGTHSThe strength in the TKI is that the focus is not negatively, as it tends to be when considering

conflict. One of the reasons for the TKI’s popularity is that it shows how each conflict mode can be

useful for dealing with conflict in certain situations. The TKI, then, allows people to appreciate the

value of their own conflict styles – but also to learn the value of other styles. The TKI allows you to

see through the fear, anger and frustration which tends to come hand in hand with conflict and

instead focus on the opportunities for constructive solutions and outcomes.

According to the TKI, conflict handling modes are neither good nor bad. Rather, it is a matter of

expanding our skill sets, build on our strengths and choose the most effective behaviours for a

particular conflict situation to arise at a resolution.

THE TKI MODEL

Thomas and Kilmann identified a conflict handling grid with five management styles based on

two dimensions:

1. ASSERTIVENESS: the level of motivation of the individual to achieve their own goals

and objectives.

2. COOPERATION: the willingness of the individual to allow the other party to achieve their goals

and objectives.

© Copyright Nimico

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CONFLICT TO COLLABORATION

THROUGH CRUCIAL CONFRONTATIONS

You are the AUTHORITATIVE (Visionary) leader.During the activity you MUST: Clearly and compellingly set the vision for the team.

Once team is clear on the vision, step back and allow them to work.

Step in from time to time to reiterate the vision if required, but that is

all you will do.

ManagementStyle Card

You recently took part in a learning journey with Nimico by completing the Conflict to Collaboration through Crucial Confrontations Training Programme. This training programme aimed to develop an effective conflict resolution skill set for you to take back into the workplace.

Conflicts can be both an asset and a downfall to the organisation. As an asset, conflicts can provide opportunities for creativity, collaboration and improvement. As a downfall, however, it can be costly to the parties involved whether internally (teams) or externally (clients).

Let’s recap the key perspectives which the training progressed through…

www.nimico.co.za

“Leaders need to have a ruthless commitment to resolving relational conflict regardless of how bad it feels” – Bill Hybels

Perspective 1: Choosing the Right Style for the Right Situation

The opportunity of com-pleting the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument provided an understand-ing of your own, as well as others, particular preferred conflict mode or style. This insight helps individuals make more effective deci-sions when faced with con-flict as they learn of their own style, and understand the styles of others.

The possibility of conflict resolution is made difficult due to the conflicting parties’ perceptions of the situation leading them to hasty and faulty conclusions about the other party. Perceptions can drive conflict, therefore we need an understanding of sources of conflict, as well as the perceptions and assumptions which drive this, in order to maintain morale and productivity within the workplace.

Remember the key questions:

In order to work effectively and productively together, we need to move past a competition mindset to a conflict mindset. To do so requires changing how we think about disagreement. Conflict, when properly managed can be a positive source for competitiveness and collaboration.

Read “The Use and Misuse of a Competing Style in Conflict Management” to recognise when it is effective to use a competing conflict style!

This module unpacked the nature of the escalation of conflict and introduced the learner to rights, interest and power behind this escalation. It also looked at the de-escalation of conflict through methods available in terms of the Labour Relations Act.

You were introduced to the Crucial Confrontations Model as a key tool for communicating during times of conflict. Although there is no easily applied formula for making communication a constructive force in resolving conflict, the Crucial Confrontations model provides a better way for stepping up and mastering this. Don’t ever walk away from another touchy, controversial, or complex issue again!

Click on the resources below for a recap on choosing the right style for the situation.

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Practical Ways to Use the TKI to Maximize Organizational Performance

The TKI ToolMore Than

Conflict Management

Perspective 2: The Role of Perceptions in Conflict

Perspective 3: When Competition turns to Conflict

Perspective 4: The Destructive Escalation of Conflict

Perspective 5: Having Crucial Confrontations

• Are my perceptions driving this conflict?

• Do others have the same perception of a conflict situation as you do?

• Do you have the same perception of a conflict situation as others do?

Access free Crucial Confrontations resources by signing up to Vital Smarts. Click here for more information.

We would love to hear from you! Drop us a line should you need any support or if you would like to share a conflict management success story. We can all learn from each other. If you’d like to get in touch, click here or visit our Facebook page.

Crucial Confrontations Pre-Training Preparation Sheet

In the upcoming training, you will have the opportunity to apply the principles and skills of moving from Conflict

to Collaboration through Crucial Confrontations to real life challenges you may be facing.

In order to make your training experience as beneficial to you as possible, you will be asked to identify some

specific situations to which you can apply the skills. This worksheet is designed to help you prepare for the

training by thinking about some of these situations. This will help you fully apply the skills you will learn, and

measure the effectiveness of the training.

PART 1Think of chronic problems that you face at work, with your family, your

relationships, your work team, and your company and list them below.

PART 2

From the list above, select one or two problems that you are either dreading, or avoiding all together, but if you

learned how to step up to and handle well, would improve results significantly. You should choose a problem that:

• Has been hard to resolve

• Has lasted for a fairly long time

• You’ve been reluctant to confront

• Won’t really be resolved until you sit down and talk to the person causing the disappointment

1.

2.

Bring this worksheet with you to your training to learn the principles

and skills that will help you to move from conflict to collaboration.

CONSIDER...What work problems you complain about most to spouse/friends?Which people you avoid at work and what they do that frustrates you?Am I working on projects or initiatives that I know will not meet their targets/goals? Are there people whose behaviour is contributing to those failures?

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Practical Ways to Use the TKI to Maximize

Organizational Performance

The TKI ToolMore Than

Conflict Management

SO MUCH MORE THAN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Organizational Challenges No Match for the TKI

You probably know that the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode

Instrument (TKI), the world’s best-selling conflict management

assessment, helps people understand how different conflict-

handling styles affect interpersonal and group dynamics — and how

they can choose the appropriate style for any situation.

Need a TKI refresher? Watch this entertaining video illustrating

four tips for conflict management. http://bit.ly/4tipsforconflictmgmtWhat you may not know is that the TKI can be used for so much

more than resolving conflict. For example, this powerful tool helps

organizations address challenges such as:

◆ Improving communication◆ Boosting influence and persuasion capabilities

◆ Increasing engagement◆ Retaining employees◆ Reducing overall costs of increasing team efficiency

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CONFLICT TO COLLABORATION

THROUGH CRUCIAL CONFRONTATIONS