Too often we equate conflict to a clash, a crisis, or a confrontation, which is why we run the other way when we hear the word. Look at the definition of conflict; you will see inflammatory words like antagonistic, struggle, war, and battle. It is no wonder we treat conflict like something that should be remediated, ducked, dodged, and beaten out like a forest fire.
We know that conflict is inevitable. Yet our board rooms, conference rooms, emails, and hallways are flooded with avoidance strategies. There are lots of reasons why this happens. This short series will provide new ways to think about conflict and strategies to deal with it more effectively.
The first step in our journey is to reframe what conflict means. Of course conflict does include confrontation, but conflict is actually much broader than just confrontation. As a matter of fact, there are stages of conflict, the last being confrontation. So what is a more productive definition of conflict?
Conflict is simply a gap between what we expect and what we experience. ©
Tip #1: Get clear about the gap.
About this series: Thriving In Conflict is provided by Impact4Results to change how we think about this important topic and provide practical tips for changing how we approach conflict. Contact us to learn about programs to improve your IMPACT. This includes a number of IMPACT programs like Thriving in Conflict and Engineering Conversations with Impact.