Dealing with Conflict in Projects

A Practical Introduction to Conflict Management for Project Managers

Conflict is an inevitable part of working life. And it's not always bad.

But, often, it is. It can be stressful, harm productivity, spoil working relationships, and lead to damaging behaviors.

And, if you have any level of responsibility as a team leader, supervisor, or manager, fixing it may well be down to you.

So you need the tools to deal with conflict at work.

And this course will give you them.

More than that, you'll learn how and why conflict arises, and how to minimize it before it takes hold.

Here are the main topics you'll cover:

• The sources of conflict
• How to listen
• The effect of personalities on conflict
• The ways people resist imposed ideas
• The signs and stages of conflict escalation
• The steps for de-escalating conflict
• Strategies for resolving conflict
• Five ways to handle conflict
• How to recover a broken (workplace) relationship

Ongoing Project: Your Conflict Log

During the course, your project will be to keep and share aspects of your Conflict Log. You will create a record of your observations, successes, and struggles. Other students and your tutor will support you, endorse your successes, and help you with your questions.

Prior Experience

The only prior experience you need is daily life. If you’ve been a hermit or in long-term peaceful coexistence with all your fellow human beings, you won’t need this course.

However, the people who may find this most valuable are those who experience conflict in the workplace, and especially those in supervisory or management roles.

Your Tutor
Your tutor is Dr. Mike Clayton. As a senior manager at international consulting firm, Deloitte, Mike had to deal with conflict among staff, and with clients, and even among clients. But more important, as a senior representative of his firm and a program leader, he needed to avoid escalation of conflict.

Now, as a trainer and facilitator, he has been applying what he learned and teaching it to others. This course represents 15 years' experience of what tools students find most helpful, and 25 years experience in business, managing conflicts large and small.

We have you covered

However, it's not all been plain sailing. Three times in 25 years, Mike has had to use his own 'Breakdown Routine' to the breakdown of a professional relationship. Three times it worked. And managers and leaders he has coached have used it with equal success.

So, you see, we have you covered. This course will give you the tools to:

• Prevent conflict
• Reduce and reverse its escalation
• Handle full blown conflict
• and... recover from the effects of a conflict-induced relationship breakdown.

Your Instructor

Mike Clayton has been a successful and innovative project manager.

He has led large project teams and managed large groups as a Senior Manager at international consulting firm, Deloitte.

And he has coached and trained many thousands of project managers.

Course Curriculum

• Welcome to Your Conflict Management Course (2:55)
• What are Conflict and Conflict Management? (3:07)
• Your Conflict Log
• Exercise 1: Conflict Behaviors: Self-Assessment
• Exercise 2: What Behaviors Trigger Conflict?

• The Rational and Irrational Sources of Conflict (3:13)
• Exercise 3: Notice the Sources of Conflict in Yourself and the People around You
• The Effects of Respect on Conflict (3:56)
• Exercise 4: Recognizing Assertive, Passive, and Aggressive Behaviors
• How to Use Respect to Help Resolve Conflict (4:50)

• How Communication Works (5:17)
• How we Listen: The Four Listening Levels (4:47)
• How to Listen Well (4:25)
• Exercise 5: Practice your Listening

 Frequently Asked Questions