J. KEVIN BARGE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY BUILDING STRONG ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH PRODUCTIVE CONFLICT

ENGAGING CONFLICT CONVERSATIONS (15 MINUTES) Pair up with someone Determine roles Who wants to provide an example? Who wants to ask questions and record the example? Interview Focus on a conversation where the conflict was not managed well (self or other person) Record the detail of the conversation like a movie script

REFLECTING ON THE CONVERSATION (10 MINUTES) What stories could the two participants tell about the conflict? What are the positions of the participants? What are the interests of the participants? Where are the places in the conversation that you could say something different to turn the conversation into a more productive direction?

CONFLICT CAN BE MANAGED THROUGH DIALOGUE Ignoring the conflict may facilitate the conflict working itself out over time but may also cause the conflict to resurface later in a more dramatic way. Acquiescing to the other disputant’s wishes may smooth over the conflict and permit collaboration but also may be frustrating as our voice does not get heard. Strongly advocating your view may permit quick efficient decisions but may frustrate other’s participation in the process. Creating an open dialogue between disputants may lead to long lasting solutions but may take more time than is feasible.

CONFLICT CAN BE MANAGED APPRECIATIVELY Appreciate affirmative life-giving forces. Focus on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the disputants. Problems are simply frustrated dreams. Appreciate the multiple voices and perspectives that comprise a conflict. Appreciate people’s unique sense of coherence— how they make sense of situations.

CONFLICT CAN BE MANAGED BY PAYING ATTENTION TO CONVERSATIONAL DETAILS Connect with the stories people tell and live. Ask questions about preferred futures. Build agreements on shared interests, not positions. Notice bifurcation points, openings for intervention. Be hard on the problem, not the person.

THANK YOU!!!! Questions? Comments? Reflections?