by Productive Conflict | Facilitated Negotiation Case Study, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Performance Issues
How do you make organizational conflict work for you? In the 1920s, Mary Parker Follett asked herself this very question. It’s a question we often ask ourselves today. Follett, a management theorist and social philosopher, proposed “integrative behavior” as the...
by Productive Conflict | Leadership, Relationships, Setting Boundaries
If you are like many of us working in fast-paced organizations, you most likely have no shortage of projects needing your attention. When the projects start piling up, you are faced with the difficult question of what to take on and what to put off. But the real...
by Productive Conflict | Diverse or Cross Functional Teams, Diversity, Leadership, Relationships
Diversity is everywhere. Yet, in our organizations we sometimes say we want diversity, while we fail to set conditions for it. There are many ways to define diversity in the workplace. For the purposes of this article I chose to draw on a simple and practical...
by Productive Conflict | Diverse or Cross Functional Teams, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Performance Issues
Cross-functional teams in Government are nothing new. Over my years working within Government, and as a contractor for Government, I’ve heard them called many things such as “Swat Teams,” “Tiger Teams,” and “Special Project Units” just to name a few. Whatever you call...
by Productive Conflict | Anger, Facilitated Negotiation Case Study, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Relationships
Establishing justice is important; there is no doubt about that. But to change a situation, one has to recognize the dynamics at play. “I feel afraid” This is what one of my clients, “H” said to me when I arrived to help restore the team...
by Productive Conflict | Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Relationships
Everyone can be a leader. From the boardroom to the backyard, leadership is in your reach. Regardless of whether or not you have a formal leadership role, you can take action and set conditions for those around you to be successful. Here is how: 1) recognize the...
by Productive Conflict | Facilitated Negotiation Case Study, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Performance Issues
Dealing with a performance issue is a bit like dealing with a hip injury: it can feel like a real pain in the gluteus maximus. It can also change your perspective on managing people, particularly when you ask the question, “Am I dealing with a problem or a pattern?”...
by Productive Conflict | Anger, Hate, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Relationships
Working in conflict resolution, I get to hear a lot of stories about why some individual or group is worthy of being hated. Without a doubt, these stories are often bolstered by pulse-raising examples with the potential to provoke even the most skilled facilitative...
by Productive Conflict | Anger, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Performance Issues, Relationships
Whenever I talk about my work with someone, they eventually ask me for tips on how to deal with a difficult person. Often the difficulty arises when they, or the other, lose their temper. I find this to be a very common and important question both in the workplace and...
by Productive Conflict | Diverse or Cross Functional Teams, Diversity, Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Relationships, Uncertainty
By Mary Nations and Jennifer Jones-Patulli Many Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives focus on bringing certainty to the important and sometimes volatile world of workplace relationships. They do this by drawing on affirmative action, sensitivity and bias...
by Productive Conflict | Leadership, Organizational Conflict, Relationships, Uncertainty
We all deal with conflict, whether we like it or not. There are many ways to work through a difficult conversation, or find a settlement in negotiation. Some outcomes are more sustainable and satisfactory than others. The difference is in how you approach each...
