Human Resources

Managing Workplace Conflict and Difficult Behaviour

Managers avoid conflict for a rational reason: the first conversation is unpleasant and the consequences of avoiding it arrive later, to somebody else. This course shortens that delay. Delegates work through what conflict actually is and the difference between a disagreement worth having and behaviour that must stop. Reading escalation, and the point past which people stop hearing each other, follows. The direct conversation is practised: opening it, describing behaviour rather than character, and staying in it when the other person reacts badly. Mediating between two team members is covered, including refusing to become the message carrier. Persistently difficult behaviour is addressed, including passive resistance and the person everybody works around. The manager's own contribution to a conflict is examined. The course closes on rebuilding a working relationship and on recognising when the matter must move to a formal process.