Conflict Management

Conflict Management

The challenge

Conflict is inevitable when people work together. Unmanaged, it destroys team cohesion, damages working relationships and wastes an enormous amount of energy on both sides.

Most people respond to conflict in one of two ways — they avoid it until it escalates into something much harder to resolve, or they confront it in ways that inflame rather than fix the situation. Very few people have been taught a third way.

The ability to navigate conflict constructively, addressing issues without damaging relationships is one of the most critical professional skills most people never formally learn.

This is true across every type of Australian workplace, and it is especially true in today’s multi-generational teams where different generations often have very different norms around disagreement, directness and what respectful conflict even looks like.

Who should attend

• Team members working in collaborative environments where friction is common
• Managers who need to mediate conflict within their teams
• Customer-facing professionals who handle complaints and disputes
• Anyone who avoids conflict or handles it in ways that make situations worse

What this course covers

The program is built around two core skill areas – understanding conflict and resolving it.

Understanding conflict

• Recognising different conflict styles and understanding how your own style affects others
• Identifying conflict early before it escalates into a formal or damaging situation
• Listening to understand competing perspectives rather than simply waiting to respond

Resolving and repairing

• Having difficult conversations that resolve issues rather than intensify them
• Finding solutions that address underlying interests and not just stated positions
• Managing your own emotions during tense or confrontational situations
• Repairing working relationships after conflict has occurred

Foundation to intermediate — all professional roles

This program is suitable for anyone who encounters conflict as part of their working life, regardless of role or seniority. It is equally valuable for people who tend to avoid conflict and for those who engage in ways that do not achieve the outcomes they want. No prerequisites. Open to all.