UK Training Industry Press Releases

UK business is losing billions of pounds in lost working days every year because workers aren't trained in conflict management^1.  

In the area of conflict many of the underlying assumptions are that there is such as thing as a 'conflict' to manage. By objectifying conflict, it becomes in people's minds the thing that has to be dealt with. But, in reality, conflict is not a thing to be managed or dealt with. The reality of conflict is the people, and their different views, attitudes, and perceptions.

Conflict management as a solution, therefore, is destined for failure, because conflict resolution demands leadership, not management. Management provides compromises on issues under debate, but does not deal with the root causes of the conflicts. Leadership deals with the fundamental roots of conflict, not just the topic on the table, so what should leaders do?

For a start, leaders need to recognise that few conflicts are really about the issues people are disputing. Conflicts often arise from the different ways in which people view issues. We look to leaders not to get rid of conflict once and for all, but to channel the energies created by conflict into something constructive and creative. Not all conflict is necessarily bad; without conflict as the grit in the oyster, organisations can stagnate and die. When conflict presents a new view on a subject or a procedure, it can result in solutions not previously explored.