Course Highlights
This conflict resolution course will:
- Open with a self-assessment that gives participants a clear picture of their current conflict resolution skills and the areas most worth developing.
- Examine twenty root causes of workplace conflict and the organizational and individual effects of both unresolved and well-managed conflict.
- Present four conflict resolution outcomes and five conflict resolution approaches, with guidance on selecting the right one based on the situation.
- Identify the roadblocks that most reliably prevent win-win resolutions and develop strategies for addressing each one.
- Introduce the PEACE model, a structured five-phase framework for moving from conflict identification through agreement and follow-up.
- Develop the questioning, listening, and communication skills that make the PEACE model effective in practice.
- Address the role of cultural differences in shaping how people experience and respond to conflict.
- Examine the conditions that call for external mediation or arbitration and what each process involves.
Course Overview
Conflict in the workplace is not the problem. Mismanaged conflict is. The same disagreement that derails a team when handled poorly can strengthen relationships, surface better solutions, and produce organizational learning when handled well. The difference is not the conflict itself. It is the skills, the frameworks, and the willingness to engage constructively that determine which outcome follows.
This full-day workshop opens with a scored self-assessment that gives each participant an honest baseline across five dimensions of conflict resolution capability. From that starting point, the course examines why conflict occurs, what it costs when left unaddressed, and what it can produce when managed with intention. The resolution outcomes and approaches modules give participants the conceptual tools to choose a strategy before entering a difficult conversation rather than defaulting to instinct under pressure.
The PEACE model is the practical center of the day. It provides a structured, five-phase approach to conflict resolution — pinpointing the issues, engaging in active listening, analyzing the problem, considering solutions, and establishing agreement and follow-up — with detailed guidance for executing each phase effectively. Case studies and vignettes drawn from realistic organizational situations give participants the opportunity to apply the model before they need it. The cultural diversity and mediation modules address the two conditions that most often complicate resolution: the influence of cultural background on how conflict is experienced and expressed, and the situations where internal resolution is not the right tool.
The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).
Program Objectives
At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Assess their conflict resolution skills and identify areas for improvement.
- Explain twenty root causes of workplace conflict and how they affect individuals and organizations.
- Distinguish among four conflict resolution outcomes and select the most appropriate one for a given situation.
- Recognize ten roadblocks that prevent win-win resolutions and develop strategies for addressing them.
- Apply five conflict resolution approaches using character-based frameworks to guide strategy selection.
- Use the PEACE model to guide a conflict resolution conversation from initial identification through follow-up.
- Draft an effective conflict statement that is neutral, specific, and focused on resolution.
- Develop targeted questions that support active listening and problem analysis.
- Discuss the role of cultural differences in shaping conflict dynamics and resolution approaches.
- Identify the conditions that make mediation or arbitration the appropriate next step.
Workshop Modules
Why the Waters Get Rough: Factors That Create Workplace Conflict
The day opens with a twenty-five-item self-assessment across five dimensions: understanding conflict dynamics, conflict resolution strategies, communication and mediation skills, emotional intelligence and ethics, and planning and follow-up. Participants will use their results to identify where they are already capable and where the day’s work will have the most value. The module then turns to the origins of conflict, examining twenty root causes from poor communication and differing values to organizational politics and rapid change, and the organizational and individual effects conflict produces when left unaddressed. The positive outcomes of well-managed conflict — enhanced problem-solving, stronger team cohesion, and organizational learning — receive equal attention, establishing from the start that the goal of this course is not conflict avoidance but conflict competence. Three case studies set in a tech startup, a customer service department, and a sales organization bring the root causes and effects to life before the group discusses the question of whether conflict should be embraced or avoided.
Charting the Course: Steering Toward a Safe Harbor
With a clear picture of where conflict comes from and what it costs, the session turns to where it can go. This module presents four distinct conflict resolution outcomes and examines the conditions under which each one is appropriate and the conditions under which it produces damage. Five conflict resolution approaches follow, each associated with a character symbol that makes the orientation of each approach specific and memorable. For each approach, the group will examine when it is useful, what it risks when overused, and what conditions make it the right choice. Vignettes covering budget disputes, client handling disagreements, software implementation resistance, sales strategy differences, and healthcare training conflicts give participants the opportunity to select outcomes and approaches before applying them to their own situations.
Taking the Helm: Tactics for Resolving Disagreements
The PEACE model is the practical center of the day. It provides a five-phase structure for moving a conflict from initial identification through agreement and follow-up, with detailed guidance for each phase and specific attention to what goes wrong when any phase is shortcut. The module examines how to draft a conflict statement that is neutral, specific, and focused on resolution rather than blame, and introduces the questioning and decision-making frameworks that prevent resolution conversations from collapsing into positional bargaining. Participants will apply the full model to a realistic conflict scenario and practice the phase that most resolution attempts skip: the follow-up that determines whether the outcome actually holds.
Different Folks, Different Strokes: Understanding Cultural Variety
Culture shapes how people experience conflict, what they believe is appropriate to say aloud, how directly they express disagreement, and what resolution looks like to them. This module examines the cultural dimensions most likely to influence conflict dynamics in diverse teams, including attitudes toward hierarchy and authority, preferences for direct versus indirect communication, different relationships with time and process, and varying expectations about the role of emotion in professional exchange. The discussion also addresses how personal biases can affect the resolution process and what it requires to maintain genuine neutrality as a participant or a facilitator. The group will work through scenarios in which cultural misalignment is producing conflict that neither party fully understands, and will develop approaches for surfacing and bridging those differences rather than attributing them to personality or bad faith.
When You Run Aground: Help on the Horizon
Some conflicts cannot be resolved through direct engagement between the parties involved. This module examines the conditions that make internal resolution unlikely or counterproductive — entrenched positions, significant power imbalances, legal or ethical dimensions, or a history of failed resolution attempts — and distinguishes between mediation, in which a neutral third party facilitates a conversation toward voluntary agreement, and arbitration, in which a neutral third party makes a binding decision. Participants will examine what each process requires, how to evaluate whether a conflict has reached the threshold where external help is warranted, and what it means to handle even a loss or a difficult outcome with professionalism and grace. The session closes with the long-term case for winning gracefully: the organizational reputation, the relationships, and the professional standing that are preserved or destroyed by how people behave in the aftermath of conflict.
Target Audience
This workshop is designed for groups that want to:
- Build the skills and frameworks required to handle workplace conflict with confidence and professionalism.
- Move from reactive conflict behavior to deliberate strategy before, during, and after a difficult conversation.
- Develop a shared organizational language for conflict resolution that supports faster, more constructive outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend this conflict resolution workshop?
This course works well for professionals at any level who want to improve how they handle disagreement at work. It is equally useful for individuals who avoid conflict and want more confidence engaging it, and for those who engage conflict frequently but without a structured approach. Teams that attend together benefit from shared language and a common framework for the conversations they will have afterward.
How does this course differ from BTW’s half-day conflict course?
The half-day course covers the foundational skills: identifying conflict causes, managing emotional responses, communicating effectively, and applying the RAP framework and Thomas-Kilmann strategy matrix. This full-day course goes deeper into resolution strategy, adds the PEACE model with detailed phase-by-phase guidance, addresses cultural dimensions of conflict, introduces mediation and arbitration, and works through a larger set of case studies across different industries and situations. Both courses address conflict resolution, but the full-day is designed for participants who want comprehensive skills rather than a foundational overview.
Does this course address conflict between peers or between employees and managers?
Both. The PEACE model, the outcome framework, and the approach selection tools all apply regardless of the power dynamics between the parties. The course also addresses how power imbalances affect the resolution process and when they make internal resolution unlikely, which is directly relevant to supervisor-employee conflict.
How much of the day involves practice versus instruction?
Practice runs throughout. The self-assessment, the outcome and approach vignettes, the PEACE model application, the cultural scenario discussions, and the mediation-versus-arbitration analysis all require participants to engage with the content rather than receive it. The case studies are drawn from realistic organizational situations and require genuine judgment rather than a single correct answer.
Does this course address cultural differences in conflict?
Yes, and as a standalone module rather than a footnote. The fourth module examines the specific cultural dimensions most likely to affect conflict dynamics in diverse teams and develops practical strategies for surfacing and bridging those differences during the resolution process.
What do participants leave with?
Participants will leave with a scored conflict resolution self-assessment identifying their development priorities, the PEACE model applied to a realistic conflict scenario they have worked through, a practiced conflict statement drafted to a neutral and specific standard, a strategy selection framework for five conflict resolution approaches, cultural awareness tools for diverse team conflict, and a clear picture of when to involve a mediator or arbitrator.