Introduction:
Conflict Management in the Workplace

Today’s organizations understand the need for skills in conflict management better than ever before. Estimates show that leaders spend about 21 percent of their time dealing with conflict. That is the equivalent of one day every week.

In this changing economy, possible downsizing, crippling turf battles, disagreements over roles and responsibilities, and competition for scarce resources are common sources of friction. Thus conflict in the workplace is a prime time issue, and practical and strategic skills in solving disputes have become crucial.

In the Conflict Management program, participants learn the different approaches and emerging trends in conflict management and develop skills to better achieve a lasting and fair solution to dispute in the workplace.

Conflict Management

Conflict Management refers to the long-term management of intractable conflicts. It is the label for the variety of ways by which people handle grievances—standing up for what they consider to be right and against what they consider to be wrong. Those ways include such diverse phenomena as gossip, ridicule, feuding, law, mediation, and avoidance. Which forms of Conflict Management will be used in any given situation can be somewhat predicted and explained by the social structure—or social geometry—of the case. Conflict Management is a deliberate personal, social, and organizational tool, especially used by capable politicians and other social engineers.