It doesn’t have to be that way?

4 Steps to

Conflict Mastery

 Let's move on from resolving or managing conflict.  Conflict in our lives and work is inevitable, but being able to lead that conflict to a positive outcome is not.  That takes personal qualities, like courage and consideration, and a proven strategy.  That strategy is the DAVENPORT 4C Conflict Leadership System.

The 4C Conflict Management Program is broadly relevant to leaders and team members, especially those in first point of contact roles who may be dealing with distressed or angry members of the wider community.

The training is delivered face to face or online in a tailored, interactive workshop enabling participants to learn critical conflict management skills, including:

• de-escalating strong emotions, particularly anger,

• appropriately balancing a task and relationship focus, and

• using a modified win-win negotiating structure.

• the DAVENPORT4C Conflict Leadership System

We want this training to be effective, so we need to create solid foundations and a context in which our training can send deep and lasting roots.  We will consider Learning Organisations, the basis for lasting culture change and habit formation, and the conflict leadership building blocks of balancing assertiveness and task orientation with cooperativeness and relationship building, all of which are foundational elements of conflict leadership. 

We ask and answer the question - Who are you in conflict and who do you want to be?

A large part of our response to conflict is dependent upon our personality which will incline us to be comfortable with some conflict reactions or styles and averse and distressed by others, irrespective of what might be the most appropriate response in the given situation. 

What changes do we need to make to be able to proactively choose our conflict response according to the requirements of the situation, rather than to reactively respond according to the dictates of our fear, cultural upbringing or unexamined habits?  If we don’t change our identity around conflict, can we expect to change our behaviour around conflict in a lasting way?

Building on our understanding of our own personality preferences and the standard options for dealing with conflict, viz., being Directive, Avoiding, Accomodating, Compromising or Collaborating, we examine how we might develop our situational awareness and choose the appropriate conflict response for a particular situation.  Having made that choice, we then need to be skilful in employing the competencies that are required for the effective use of that conflict style. It is difficult to be directive if you find being assertive difficult. 

The 4C model for leading conflict is a process driven system so that for any conflict you are always able to orient yourself within an easily remembered and logical process and give yourself the best chance of leading that conflict to a positive outcome.  The 4 Cs are

C1: Confront

C2: Control

C3: Consider

C4: Collaborate

Bringing together ideas from management, psychology, martial arts and yoga, and particularly the neurophysiology of conflict, we explore ways in which we can manage our state and de-escalation the elevated state of others.  This centrally includes how you can become centered and respond to conflict from a position of strength, courage and authenticity. We then consider how we move from the paradigm of conflict management or conflict resolution to conflict leadership by examining ways in which we can introduce and lead a process to lead the conflict towards a positive outcome. The process then picks up skills from coaching and problem solving to bring the process home.

In this module we flesh out the 4C model with the leadership competencies required to fully appreciate how this model can sit at the core of your leadership style and competency.  4C can be your model for problem solving, coaching and constructive conversation and as such be the foundation for an innovative, robust and productive professional culture.