Conflict Management: Navigating Conflict in the Workplace

Course Details

Conflict can happen anywhere, but it is especially difficult when it occurs in the workplace.  When individuals have differing points of view, it is easy to take things personally or to believe that there is only one right solution. This type of miscommunication can create tension and lead to misunderstandings. This course explores how we give & receive messages and how this creates conflict. In this 2-day course, students will delve into the dynamics of anger, examine their listening habits in conflict situations, and discover the difference between collaborative, judgmental, and defensive responses. Through practice situations, students will develop essential communication skills of acknowledging, probing, asserting, and balancing assertiveness with understanding.

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify personal values, beliefs, and attitudes that may influence conflict in the workplace. 
  • Learn the differences between positional-based thinking (win-lose or competitive thinking) and interest-based thinking (win-win or cooperative bargaining).
  • Apply the principles of conflict resolution in order to obtain a collaborative outcome.
  • Understand the power of assumption and perception while learning to question one’s own judgments of others. 
  • Demonstrate an understanding of clear, effective communication by applying the skills of reflective and active listening, summarizing, empathy, and appropriate questioning techniques.
  • Develop descriptive language and practice assertive “I” statements as distinguished from passive or aggressive language and behavior.
  • Contrast the anger arousal cycle with de-escalation techniques to reduce the harmful effects of anger on relationships.

Course Delivery

The program is currently offered in a workshop format over two days. Click on the Section Code link to register.

Course Code: MGCM 002  | Section Code: S23 N70

Dates:  April 20 - 21, 2023 (2 sessions) 

Times:  Thursday & Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm

Delivery: In-person

Instructor: Dr. Evan Hoffman

Register for Conflict Management

Conflict management, de-escalation, conflict resolution, anger management, stress, anxiety

Instructor

This course is led by Dr. Evan Hoffman a conflict resolution expert with over 15 years of experience. 

Evan holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). He also completed a Master's degree in Post-war Recovery Studies at the University of York, UK in 2001 and an undergraduate degree in psychology at Carleton University, Ottawa in 1999. In 2001 he earned a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) from CIIAN and a certificate in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention in 2000.  

He has provided consulting services to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Carter Center, the UN, the EU, the Ottawa Police Service, St. Lawrence College (Cornwall), the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and many other organizations. Over the last fifteen years, he’s conducted workshops and trainings with hundreds of community leaders, university students, police officers, and government officials from around the world.