We often see workplaces at their worst.
Organisations often call us when they’re in a state of crisis caused by unresolved conflict. Conflict creates fractured relationships and emotional fallout, affecting productivity and the ability to deliver core business.
Issues we see often are:
It’s best not to wait until you get to crisis point. If you’ve identified early warning signs that conflict is starting to affect relationships in your workplace, it’s vital to proactively manage the situation before it gets out of hand.
When we come into an organisation with conflict issues, we work to build rapport and trust quickly to unpack the contributing factors. Then we make a diagnosis using an integrated, holistic approach, taking careful consideration of the mental health and wellbeing of everyone involved.
Our key strategies are conflict coaching, mediation and facilitated conversion. These methods de-escalate conflict and lead to empowerment and greater understanding, and avoid the time, cost and disruption of legal interventions.
Mediation involves the creation of a non-confrontational, cooperative forum for engagement and negotiation, with the aim of achieving a binding agreement that addresses the issues. The process brings about a shared understanding and genuine commitment to change. It’s often a powerful first step to restoring and rebuilding positive workplace relationships.
Facilitated conversation is a less formal intervention. It can provide an opportunity to restore a problematic working relationship, even in the absence of an actual dispute. We facilitate a constructive, respectful ‘safe space’ for the people involved to have a difficult conversation, ease tension and strengthen their relationship.
An important element is one-on-one conflict coaching, conducted with each person before entering into the discussion, to develop their ability to manage conflict by giving them better insight into their own behaviours. This increased self-awareness gives us a stronger basis for mediation or facilitated conversation.
(We also offer conflict coaching as a preventative, professional development coaching service for employees and managers.)
Depending on the specific situation, we also use psychometric profiling tools such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) and Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI).
