Conflict Analysis and Intervention

Applying Cummings & Worley Group Diagnostic Model #OrganizationalDevelopment #TeamDynamics #PharmaIndustry #Leadership #ChangeManagement Scenario Background: A mid-sized pharmaceutical company has been experiencing declining productivity and increasing conflict within its research and development (R&D) teams. The leadership suspects that ineffective team dynamics and poor alignment of goals might be contributing factors. To address these issues, How L & D professional can utilize the Group Level Diagnostic Model, which focuses on diagnosing and improving group effectiveness within an organization. Step 1: Entry and Contracting: Objective: Establish a clear understanding of the project scope, objectives, and mutual expectations with the R&D teams. Actions: Conduct initial meetings with team leaders to discuss the perceived issues and desired outcomes. Step 2: Data Collection Objective: Gather information to understand current team dynamics, processes, and challenges. Actions: Distribute surveys and conduct interviews to collect data on team communication, collaboration, role clarity, and decision-making processes. Observe team meetings and workflows to identify misalignments and potential areas of conflict. Use assessment tools to measure team cohesion, trust levels, and satisfaction among team members. Step 3: Data Analysis Objective: Analyze the collected data to identify patterns, root causes of dysfunction, and areas for intervention. Actions: Compile and analyze survey results and interview transcripts to identify common themes and discrepancies. Map out communication flows and decision-making processes that highlight bottlenecks or conflict points. Assess the alignment between team goals and organizational objectives. Step 4: Feedback and Planning Objective: Share findings with the teams and plan interventions to address the identified issues. Actions: Conduct feedback sessions with each team to discuss the findings and implications. Facilitate workshops where teams can engage in problem-solving and planning to improve their processes and interactions. Develop action plans that include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives to enhance team performance. Step 5: Intervention Objective: Implement interventions aimed at improving team dynamics and effectiveness. Actions: Initiate team-building activities that focus on trust-building and role clarification. Provide training sessions on conflict resolution, effective communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Realign team goals with organizational objectives through strategic planning sessions. Step 6: Evaluation and Sustaining Change Objective: Assess the effectiveness of interventions and ensure sustainable improvements. Actions:Conduct follow-up assessments to measure changes in team performance and dynamics. Hold regular meetings to discuss progress and any ongoing issues. Adjust interventions as necessary based on feedback and new data.

“You Can’t Solve What You Don’t Understand: Addressing the Root Causes of the Protracted Farmer-Herder Conflict in Benue and Plateau”- Idris Mohammed You cannot address a conflict effectively if you don’t understand its roots. That remains the central problem with the persistent cycles of violence in places like Benue, Plateau, Zamfara, and other northern Nigerian states. Banditry and farmer-herder tensions are often approached with ready-made solutions that ignore the layers of history, grievances, and local realities. Too many actors jump in with assumptions, not insight—and that’s why we keep seeing reprisals and recurring attacks. I have spent years working on these issues across the region. One pattern I have seen, particularly during my recent presentation at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC, is that many interventions are reactive rather than grounded in long-term community-based dialogue. I assessed some interventions including a three-year study in Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau showed clearly, where mediation fails, it often fails because those facilitating it are not perceived as neutral. Without trust, there is no dialogue. Without dialogue, there is no peace. What is worse is that some interventions unintentionally harm the very communities they claim to support. These are places where people live with decades of trauma, growing ethnic and religious suspicion, and rising economic hardship. The dynamics today are far more complex than they were ten years ago. I have shared before the lessons we learned in Plateau, Katsina, and Zamfara—where genuine dialogue happened only when local actors were involved as partners, not just as beneficiaries. But even there, progress is fragile. So I ask: Who is defining these solutions, and for whom? Why are those most affected by the conflict still left out of the decision-making rooms? What does “participation” really mean when peace processes are led by outsiders or politicized actors? How do we ensure neutrality in a landscape where every actor is viewed with suspicion? There is no shortcut here. Conflicts that took decades to fester cannot be solved in a few weeks. We need to stop rushing for outcomes and start building processes, slow, inclusive, and locally grounded ones. That means not only listening to communities but involving them directly in designing, leading, and monitoring peace interventions. Until then, we are not solving the problem, we are just circling around it.

In the last major internal conflict I had, I stopped and thought: am I the first one to live this?! Hostility. Threats. Ah, and I was in the car on the way back from the hospital from giving birth. Nice welcome back 😂 Managers spend up to 40% of their time handling conflicts. This time drain highlights a critical business challenge. Yet when managed effectively, conflict becomes a catalyst for: ✅ Innovation ✅ Better decision-making ✅ Stronger relationships Here's the outcomes of my research. No: I wasn't the first one going through this ;) 3 Research-Backed Conflict Resolution Models: 1. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model (TKI) Each style has its place in your conflict toolkit: - Competing → Crisis situations needing quick decisions - Collaborating → Complex problems requiring buy-in - Compromising → Temporary fixes under time pressure - Avoiding → Minor issues that will resolve naturally - Accommodating → When harmony matters more than the outcome 2. Harvard Negotiation Project's BATNA Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement - Know your walkaway position - Research all parties' alternatives - Strengthen your options - Negotiate from confidence, not fear 3. Circle of Conflict Model (Moore) Identify the root cause to choose your approach: - Value Conflicts → Find superordinate goals - Relationship Issues → Focus on communication - Data Conflicts → Agree on facts first - Structural Problems → Address system issues - Interest Conflicts → Look for mutual gains Pro Tips for Implementation: ⚡ Before the Conflict: - Map stakeholders - Document facts - Prepare your BATNA - Choose your timing ⚡ During Resolution: - Stay solution-focused - Use neutral language - Listen actively - Take reflection breaks ⚡ After Agreement: - Document decisions - Set review dates - Monitor progress - Acknowledge improvements Remember: Your conflict style should match the situation, not your comfort zone. Feels weird to send that follow up email. But do it: it's actually really crucial. And refrain yourself from putting a few bitter words here and there ;) You'll come out of it a stronger manager. As the saying goes "don't waste a good crisis"! 💡 What's your go-to conflict resolution approach? Has it evolved with experience? ♻️ Share this to empower a leader ➕ Follow Helene Guillaume Pabis for more ✉️ Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dy3wzu9A

85% of employees experience workplace conflict. Imagine this: Two senior managers aren’t talking. Their teams feel the tension. A big deadline is approaching. The outcome? It’s not looking good. Master conflict resolution with these 4 frameworks: 1. Dual Concern Model for Conflict Resolution Pick the right approach: → Commanding (use power when necessary) → Collaborating (win-win solution) → Compromising (both give a little) → Avoiding (when a pause helps) → Accommodating (yield to maintain harmony) 2. Principled Negotiation     Focus on interests, not positions: → Separate people from the problem → Focus on interests → Brainstorm options → Use objective criteria     3. Nonviolent Communication     Speak without blame: → “I’m noticing…” (Observation) → “I’m feeling…” (Feelings) → “I would like…” (Needs) → “Would you…” (Requests) 4. The LEAPS Method     Build understanding: → Listen → Empathize → Ask → Paraphrase → Summarize For example, in the case of those two managers: You could meet with each manager one-on-one. Listen carefully. Ask clarifying questions. Understand their interests. Find the real issue, and the solution will follow. Great teams don’t avoid conflict. They master resolving it. ♻️ Find this valuable? Repost to help others. Follow me for posts on leadership, learning, and systems thinking. 📌 Want free PDFs of this and my top cheat sheets? You can find them here: https://lnkd.in/g2t-cU8P Hi 👋 I'm Vince, CEO of Sparkwise. We help teams rapidly build skills like this together with live group learning, available on demand. Check out our topic library: https://lnkd.in/gKbXp_Av

Team conflicts happen. Even with top talent. But most leaders handle them wrong. When team members clash, quick and neutral intervention makes the difference between growth and decline. Here's what works. Follow these steps when team tensions rise: Act fast: ↳ Early response prevents escalation. ➡️ Schedule immediate talks with involved team members to understand if this needs quick attention. Stay neutral: ↳ Both sides often share responsibility. ➡️ Listen without judgment unless clear unprofessional behavior exists. Open discussion: ↳ Understanding comes from dialogue. ➡️ Create space for honest conversation between parties. Team coordination: ↳ Proper channels matter. ➡️ Work with other managers if needed. Set clear goals: ↳ Change needs direction. ➡️ Define specific behavior changes for coming days. Smart conflict management turns team tension into stronger relationships. ♻️ Repost in your network. 💭 Comment your insights. 🔔 Follow Zoltan Szabo for more content like this! ----- 🔵 I give actionable business & personal advice from my 20 years of experience as a leader working with Fortune 500 companies. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter. (Link in my profile bio)

“War, in fact, has a way of getting more complicated the longer it goes on. Once hostilities begin, they take on a logic of their own. Having survived the initial shock, each side tends to increase its investment — which decreases its willingness to give in.” — Barry Strauss, American historian Sound familiar? The same applies to workplace conflicts. A small disagreement can grow into a values-driven clash and, if left unresolved, escalate into full-blown conflict. Sometimes in ways you’d never expect in a professional setting. 💡In my work, one thing is crystal clear: The more emotional, resource, prestige, time, or financial investment someone has made in a conflict, the harder it becomes to let go. The harder it becomes to abandon their position, change their decision, or meet the other side halfway. If you’re a leader trying to help two opposing sides move toward agreement or persuading your own “antagonist” to shift — you need to remember: ☝️It’s not enough for someone to realise the other side is right. You must make the transition to the other side as small, safe, and face-saving as possible. ☝️And be aware: what may appear on the surface as a compromise can become the seed of an even more powerful escalation if one side feels they gave up too much. This is why understanding Asymmetric Conflict Management is crucial. Because a conflict can morph, find new arenas, and recruit new allies if handled poorly. If you’re dealing with a workplace conflict that’s growing more entrenched, don’t wait for it to “burn out” — it won’t. The earlier you intervene, the more control you have over the outcome. 📩 Let’s talk if you want strategies that de-escalate without damaging relationships or losing face — for you or your team. #tearthetape #AsymmetricConflictManagement