Skillful Conflict Management for Leaders Part 1

Essential to effective leadership is understanding that conflict is a natural part of working with others; different people have different ideas, values, beliefs and viewpoints. All leaders will inevitably need to deal with a conflict between two or more people. Avoidance or ineffective conflict management can lead to low morale and energy and can potentially impact the health of employees and the organization; skillful conflict management can encourage a workplace that encourages people to express their differences, challenge ideas respectfully and promote a dynamic environment that is collaborative, innovative and able to adapt to change.

This program is for individuals in a management or supervisory position and consists of a one day session that combines the introduction of new concepts, tools and skill development with interactive activities and opportunities to collaborate with university colleagues.

Part 1 Focus of this session:

Leaders will be introduced to concepts and strategies for assessing and understanding conflict and a foundation for managing it, including:

• Gaining insight into your own and others’ attitudes, values, preferences and conflict coping mechanisms
• Identifying underlying causes of a conflict situation to facilitate understanding of factors that create and fuel the conflict
• Developing specific communication techniques and approaches to promoting understanding in conflict and build individuals’ capacity to resolve their own disputes.

Instructor: Linda Watt, Director, Learning & Development and Consulting Services, HR, University of Guelph

Cancellation Policy: Please cancel no later than 2 days in advance to ensure we can give your spot to someone on the waiting list.