A reflective look at impartiality, consultancy, and the blurry edges between them Many mediators encounter this tension. You are invited into a workplace to support the resolution of a particular conflict between two individuals, and along the way you notice broader structural or cultural problems. You may be qualified and well positioned to help. The […]
Mediator and Broader Consulting Read More »
Conflict really does have a bad reputation. We tend to treat it as something to prevent, contain, clear up, or make disappear. But what if we are wrong about conflict? Civil rights, women’s suffrage, and workplace safety laws did not come from people politely agreeing not to rock the boat. Progress came from people who
Tending the Fire: A Conflict Makeover Read More »
“One obvious sign you’re living in a gossip trap is when the primary mode of dispute resolution becomes social pressure.” —Erik Hoel, The Gossip Trap I came across this quote after the first session of our Workplace Conflict Practice Group, where we explored the dynamics of workplace conflict—what fuels it, what silences it, and why
I recently had an interesting conversation with someone who started out by describing their boss as a “narcissistic personality” and who was looking for some advice about how to get them to change their behaviours towards staff. Work with behaviours, not labels The first step is to emphasize the importance of avoiding labelling the boss
When the Boss Is Exhibiting Challenging Behaviours Read More »
In many workplaces, policies around conflict between employees say something to the effect that the person should first try to resolve the matter directly with the person with whom they are in conflict. If that is not successful or not possible, then they should raise the matter with their line manager, and/or a representative from
Can AI act as a conflict management coach? Read More »
“At a time when generational conflict – from work attitudes to cancel culture to “OK, Boomer” – is at a level not seen since the 1960s, separating the myths from the reality of generations is more important than ever.” Jean Twenge This book is absolutely fascinating. Twenge has collated data across many generations and then
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Generations by Jean M. Twenge Read More »
What are generations? Generations are groupings of people based on their date of birth into time periods of about 15 years. The five most recent generations are: The Silents / Traditionalists (born between around 1925-1945); The Baby Boomers (born between around 1946-1964); Generation X (born between around 1965-1979); Millennials / Gen Y (born between around
Intergenerational Conflict Read More »
Many of the challenges that arise when neurodiverse and neurotypical people are involved in conflict are due to each person’s different way of experiencing, expressing and regulating emotions, and also the neurotypical assumptions on which many of our conflict resolution processes are based. With greater understanding and flexible approaches in the way we support diverse people
Neurodiversity, emotions and conflict Read More »
THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF CONFLICT MATTERS has been written by Carol Bowen, presenter of our webinar about menopause and conflict. In the past ten years of my conflict resolution practice, it became clear to me that there was an increase in my coaching work of people, roughly between the ages of 40 and 55, desperately
Menopause and conflict Read More »
Managing conflict is always a nuanced and complex issue. However, in today’s post-pandemic world, many practitioners are finding their work especially challenging. From adapting to working online to supporting people in conflict directly over covid-related issues (such as vaccination), to encountering clients experiencing additional stressors relating to covid that impact their capacity to manage other
Conflict Management in Turbulent Times Read More »