1. Mediating Conflict
Your Job as a Leader

2. What is Conflict?
It is an emotional reaction to a situation or interaction that signals disagreement of some kind
Conflict emotions can include:
Anger, Bitterness, fear, hopelessness, and sadness
The reason for conflict is often to get one’s needs met
Example: You get in trouble by your parents for staying out past curfew. The need your parents are trying to have met is not worrying about you being out late and getting into trouble.

3. Conflict will happen…
Conflict is inevitable in the workplace, at school, in your placement, with friends, and with your family.
Wherever and whenever there is a group of people conflict is always a possibility
As leader you need to know how to recognize and deal with conflict in an effective manner

4. Can conflict be a good thing?
Helpful if…
Gets issues to the table for discussion
Encourages the team to discuss issues and find solutions
Helps people reassess procedures and rules
Harmful if…
Diverts energy from important issues & tasks
Deepens differences in values
Weakens or destroys morale
Polarizes groups

5. Typical Responses to Conflict
Avoid the Person
Change the Subject
Try to understand the other persons POV
Seek out a judge or arbitrator
Whine and Complain
Apologize
Give in
Play the Martyr
Fight it out
Pretend to agree
Try to find common ground
Admit you are wrong
Turn the conflict into a joke
Work towards a mutually agreeable solution

6. Identify how you respond to conflict
Refer to the 4 statements posted around the class “In a conflict I…”
Avoid the person
Fight it out
Whine or Complain
Admit you are wrong
Which of the 4 options generally suits you best when involved in a conflict?
Move to that location
On a sheet of chart paper, as a group list why you respond this way and the pros and cons of your choice when responding to conflict

7. Triggering Conflict
In your assigned groups use the chart paper to identify the causes or “triggers”of conflict within these 3 separate groups
You and Friends, Peers, or Acquaintances in School
You and other teachers in the school
You and family/guardians (i.e: Siblings, Parents, or Legal Guardians)
*****Upon completion post your chart paper at the front of the room

8. Mediating and Solving Conflicts
Your job as a leader is to ensure that conflicts are dealt with and solved in a timely manner
Allowing conflict to continue or go unrecognized can be detrimental to your goals as a team
“The slow burn”. If issues are ongoing it can eventually explode into major problems

9. Creating a “How to Solve Conflicts for Dummies” Guide
Now that you have identified the triggers of conflict your task is to create a solution to an assigned conflict scenario
You must clearly create a series of steps in how you would deal with this conflict as a leader
Be sure to organize your thoughts

10. Solving problems before they can really start…
The Pareto Principal states that roughly % of effects come from 20% of the causes
Example in leadership: You notice that some of the students in your placement:
Have trouble focusing
Talk when they should be working
Do not want to complete the assigned work
Misbehave
The above actions of a student will usually lead to conflict between you and the student, or the teacher and the student

11. Using the Pareto Principal
Poor leaders will focus on all of the above behaviours and come up with short term interventions or punishments, but this will not solve the problem and is very inefficient as these issues are likely to resurface
On the other hand, if you can get to the source of the problem (i.e finding a subject, or way of teaching the material that interests the student) you can correct all of the behaviours with one step (This is the 20% cause - lack of interest)
Good leaders never chase the 80% instead will focus on solving the 20% causes, this is very efficient

12. Solving problems after they have happened…Suggestions
There is no cut and dry way to deal with conflict simply because all conflicts are different, as are the people who are involved
Here are a few best practices you might want to implement when attempting to deal with conflict

13. Solving Conflict Suggestions
Ensure everyone involved in the conflict is involved in the resolution process
Identify why a solution is necessary
Help each party see the problem from the other’s point of view
Identify the key issues and concerns.
Determine what would constitute an acceptable solution.
Agree to the resolution and a follow-up meeting.