Conflict Resolution for Supervisors and Team Leaders - Canberra

# Canberra Conflict Resolution for Managers and Team Leaders

## Course Overview

What if I said that the conflicts that seem to deter your team from functioning well today could be the very things under which the deepest and most rewarding relationships can be forged? Impossible when you are watching two valued employees refuse to work together, right?

Here's the truth most leaders grapple with: we're hired for our technical skills, then we're expected to sail to and master the very complex land of emotions of humans and work fights just occur which is unrealistic. There is no manual for navigating personality clashes, or helping one side or another find common ground when they are totally convinced, and convincing, that the other side is impossibly unreasonable.

This immersive course accepts the fact that conflict resolution is not about eliminating differences, that would be neither feasible nor desirable. Instead, it's about turning these inevitable workplace tensions into opportunities for growth, improved communication and stronger team dynamics. You'll learn tried and tested approaches that work in real Australian workplaces, not theoretical models that crumble under the weight of emotion.

Based on proven strategies and business examples of businesses in Canberra and states regional this course will give supervisors and team leaders tools to use immediately. You will learn to identify early indicators, facilitate effective communication, and foster workplace cultures where challenges are met in a manner that enables us to not let things go underground.

## Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Track and address conflict generators before a friendly dispute becomes a major disruption

Allow rival parties to sit with each other and discuss on neutral grounds, and be impartial and respectful

Use disciplined resolution processes which solve for the underlying cause, not the presenting symptom.

Speak to the feelings, not the details/business reasons Engage confidently through high emotion without protecting or absorbing, even if the person raising concern ends the conversation

Put systems in place that allow you to deal with resolved conflicts from reoccurring.

Create team procedures that foster quick problem solving and transparent communication

It looks kind of a badass to handling emotionally challenging personalities and situations.

## What You Will Learn

### Module 1: Understanding Workplace Conflict

What causes even the most well meaning teams to clash? You'll investigate the most common causes of workplace drama, competing priorities to clashing communication styles. Learn the difference between healthy disagreement and damaging conflict and how Australian workplace culture shapes conflict.

### Module 2: Early Prevention and Detection

Learn to spot the warning signs that conflict is about to emerge. You will understand people's reactions and read the politics of a team, and learn to identify when workload pressure is the source of friction and also how to respond to concerns early on.

### Module 3: The Leader in Conflict

How do you remain neutral when everyone is vying for you to join their side? In this module we explore: 1) Staying objective 2) Managing your own biases 3) Changing your orientation from judge to facilitator You'll develop your judgement of when to weigh in directly and when to coach team members to work out issues on their own.

### Module 4: Structured Conversation Frameworks

Learn practical, step by step strategies for conflict resolution discussions. You'll role play how to create safe spaces for conversation, ask questions that uncover the root of issues at hand and help parties arrive at a mutually acceptable solution.

### Workplace Skills Coach Them To Success M5. Emotions Difficult Personalities

What happens when they get defensive and aggressive and shut down? You'll discover tactics for defusing high octane moments, and when to quietly avoid the people who seem to feed on drama, as well as how to professionally maintain boundaries while being empathetic.

### Module 6: Creating Sustainable Solutions

Resolution is not just about stopping the immediate fight it is about making sure we can't have that again. You'll learn how to assist parties in conflict to form new agreements that stick, restore trust, and develop lasting accountability.

### Module 7: Building Conflict Resilient Teams

Change your team cultures by establishing processes that promote solving problems early. Learn how to set communication norms, implement feedback loops and create an environment in which people feel comfortable sharing concerns before they blow up into big issues. Understanding how to effectively manage difficult behaviours is a crucial component of building resilient teams.

## Course Format and Activities

Building on theory by learning by doing, this highly interactive course will include role plays, case studies and group problem solving activities. Using case scenarios that mirror the experiences of everyday work participants will develop skills for addressing their own leadership dilemmas.

The use of small group discussions provides opportunity for leaders to exchange experiences and to learn from one another's practices, and individual reflection enhances the participants' ability to identify their own strengths and areas for development in terms of conflict management.

## Concluding Remarks

Here's the thing: whether you're ready for it or not, conflict will occur on your team. The question is not whether in your work place you will encounter disagreements, it's whether you possess the tools and confidence for doing so constructively when they arise.

This training changes conflict resolution from something leaders dread into an opportunity for team building. You will walk away with a powerful set of ready to use tools, with a renewed sense of confidence in your ability to bring challenging conversations to closure, and with a new sense of both how to create organisational culture where such conflicts are resolved productively and not left to simmer.

And, most importantly, you'll learn that by dealing with conflicts in a timely and appropriate manner, you not only resolve your current problems, but you build stronger, more resilient teams that will be better armed to deal with what the future holds. Your investment in these skills will be repaid in the form of much less stress at the office, significantly higher team throughput, and the confidence that you can navigate your people through the muddy waters of their most critical interpersonal issues.

Ready to change the way your team does conflict? And your people are looking to you to lead them … give them the leader they deserve, a leader who can have hard conversations with grace and courage.