Conflict Management

Introduction

Welcome to the Conflict Management Skills module! As humans share space and tasks, diverse perspectives often lead to conflicts. This module explores the “art” of Conflict Management, emphasizing that resolving conflicts efficiently promotes growth, while unresolved conflicts can block progress. We’ll learn strategies to transform conflicts into opportunities for positive change, fostering a proactive mindset to manage both real and potential conflicts. Join us to acquire skills that reshape situations, contexts, and relationships, turning life into a cooperative Win-Win scenario. Let’s navigate conflicts with confidence, fostering personal and collective well-being.

Conflict Management "Conflict Management as management of the reality to be faced”

From the moment human beings share space or tasks, situations arise in which, because of our way of being, doing or thinking, we have different points of view or interests. These situations can generate tension between those involved (latent or explicit conflicts). These conflicts can be resolved efficiently or not. The first option suggests growth, and the second one blockage.

In this module we will learn the “art” of Conflict Management, as they are also opportunities to readjust situations, contexts, relationships and turn life into a cooperative and healthy Win-Win scenario; but not only to solve them, but also to have a proper perspective to be proactive and manage our real or potential conflicts to improve our reality.

Learning outcomes, table:

Knowledge (What kind of knowledge will you gain?)

Types of conflicts
Parties and participants in a conflict.
Assuming positive attitudes to resolve conflicts.

Skills (What kind of skills will you gain?)

Identifying conflicts
Identify the elements of conflict, and how their imbalances arise.
Carry out a 360º diagnosis of the situation.
Generate resolution options and attitudes to be proactive.

Attitudes (What kind of attitudes will you gain?)

Objective critical/constructive attitude (towards the conflict)
Objective introspective attitude (towards yourself)
Proactive attitude (in a conflict situation)

Content in curriculum

Types of conflicts and how to deal with Conflicts

https://typesofconflict.org/

3 Ways to gain perspective during conflict

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-you-and-me/201812/3-ways-gain-perspective-during-conflict

Fundamental components for an effective conflict resolution

https://www.happy.co.uk/blogs/4-fundamental-components-for-effective-conflict-resolution/

Conflicts resolution

https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/provide-information-enhance-skills/conflict-resolution/main

Conflict resolution skills

https://mailchimp.com/resources/conflict-resolution-skills/

Conflict: Proactivity

Task table

Be your coach: facing the conflict

Encourage a person to see their own conflicts from the outside and to be able to analyse and deal with them.

Materials Required:

Pen and paper, or any gadget to write.

Time Required:

30 minutes

Steps to Complete the Task:

The participant should think of a conflict they have faced before, or might face in the future, linked to their own qualities or life context; and address it as if they were analysing it for a third person to whom they are giving a coaching session.

Step 1

Describe the conflict.

The person should briefly describe that conflict, and list the elements or people involved in it, classifying the people involved as primary or secondary, and describing them in one line.

Step 2

Perception of the conflict.

In a two-column table he/she should describe how he/she perceives the conflict internally, and how others perceive the conflict from the outside, whether they agree with him/her or not

Step 3

The coach comes.

Assuming that you are your own coach, you should take the above descriptions, and draw a timeline on a piece of paper and point out the appearance of the people, the conflict, and the general process that the above events have followed.

Step 4

The session.

Now take that timeline, and with the above information, ask yourself: -What attitude do I choose to have towards this conflict? -What exactly do I want to achieve? -Is it a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goal? If the answer is "no", you need to revise the goal; if the answer is "yes", you need to move on. -What do you think is the best strategy to deal with this conflict in a consistent way? -What is the smallest step you can take to negotiate/resolve the conflict? -What are you going to do in the short, medium and long term? -What is your level of commitment to your action plan (1-10)?

Step 5

Evaluation.

Answer yourself honestly: did the situation improve, did you fully or partially resolve it? If not, you should review the previous steps, and look for a concrete and measurable strategy on how to improve it.

Step 6

Proactivity.

With what you have learned, recommend three concrete and evaluable attitudes or steps to take that can prevent you from generating conflicts, or that put you in a good position to resolve them if they are unavoidable.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project Number: 2021-1-NO01-KA220-ADU-000029476