Successful teams are characterized by having a clear direction, trust among team members, effective communication, and the ability to quickly resolve conflict. In the early stages of team development, leaders must set up structures and processes that support the development of these team characteristics. Effective leadership is particularly required during the Storming stage of team development when conflict tends to be at its highest. The survival of the team depends on a team leader who can quickly recognize conflict, diagnose its cause, and use strategies to resolve the issue. In doing so, the leader restores trust and positive working relationships among team members. This course offers you an understanding about what causes conflicts on a team and the important role of healthy communication in handling conflicts. It presents many best practice approaches to resolving conflicts and illustrates the tenets of principled negotiation. By learning the principles and strategies presented in this course, you will have the skills to keep your high-performance teams away from destructive patterns of conflict and on track to achieving their goals. Materials designed to support blended learning activities aligned with this course are available from the Resources Page.
Learning objectives
- Match causes of conflict with examples of the effect each has on a team
- Resolve conflict through improved communication
- Use the appropriate approach to conflict resolution given a scenario
- Match conflict resolution techniques with corresponding circumstances of when they would be used
- Recognise examples of the rules of principled negotiation
Audience
Employees at all levels who lead and manage teams and anyone who wishes to develop and refine their leadership skills in a team environment
