Harnessing Conflict
By: Duke Rohe drohe@att.net
Overview: Conflict is often avoided in group settings, yet without it there is either something hidden of there is no diversity in a group. Better to learn how to harness conflict than to submerge and be torpedoed by it.
Purpose: Prepare the team for conflict by surfacing and distinguishing between its natural destructive and beneficial nature. Exercise requires individual thinking, collective consensus and a team agreement to channel conflict toward the common good.
Participants: Those in a team setting
Materials: None.
Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Procedure:
Assign a time-keeper and tell the team they have 8 minutes to complete this task. We have a need for speed here. Bark out Start/Midpoint and Stop of each.
- On Post-its or blue slips (2 minutes) Individually list 3 Aspects of Conflict that are Destructive (one per post-it/slip) and 3 Aspects of Conflict that are Helpful. (one per post-it/slip)
- Quickly Go around the table sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of conflict. (4 min)
- FAST Collectively get up and arrange the slips/post-its into the Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Harnessing Conflict (2 min) eliminate duplicates, merge two, add new ones, select the best and cull the rest.
- Finalize your Top 10, Ask “Do we collectively agree to endeavor to employ these?” (1 minute)
- Hand to the scribe to be typed and printed for each of the team member.
- Keep it handy to remember conflict is a natural part of being different and it can actually grow us if we use it correctly.
Debrief: Ask each person to share how the results will be used.