Workplace conflict is one of the largest reducible costs in a business, yet it remains largely unrecognized. At the same time, conflict is an inevitable part of relationships. Learn how to recognize and understand conflict behaviors, so you can effectively engage others to have productive conflicts rather than unproductive conflict. Productive conflict can make your organization and teams more cohesive, less likely to waste time and energy, and more fun to be a part of.

What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of conflict? If you’re like me, you cringe at the thought of it. Many of us have a negative reaction to conflict; feeling stressed with argumentative people or being pushed to speak without having time to think. Others are stressed when having to compromise, or being wrong or unprepared, and yet for others, it’s feeling misunderstood or giving people unpleasant feedback. Numerous personalities and styles make workplace conflict inevitable. Learning to respond to these bumpy challenges effectively is critical. It’s tempting to avoid the conversations altogether, but if we don’t talk it out, we will act it out. The key is to discover how to curb destructive behaviors so that conflict can become more productive, ultimately improving workplace relationships and business results.

Agenda Learning Objectives:

Understand conflict and how personality types shape conflict.
Identify destructive responses and behaviors.
Recognize the role automatic thoughts play in conflict and learn how to reframe our thinking to use productive responses.