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Hi, my name is Susan Raines.
I am a diplomat with
the United States
Department of State,
but my bigger work has been
in leading teams through
conflict and helping
organizations reach their
highest performance through
the creation and
maintenance of systems and
cultures to prevent
and manage conflict.
Today, we're going to talk
about how important it is
for organizations to use
their approach to conflict
as a strategic advantage tool.
Because organizations that don't
manage conflict well end up
making bad decisions,
having higher turnover,
all of the things we've talked
about in previous talks.
But we're really
going to focus on
how do we assess how
well our organization
is doing compared
to its competitors
in winning that conflict
competition, and then
how do we use this as
a strategic advantage
to help our organization thrive.
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First, we want to talk
about conflict metaphors.
What is your personal metaphor
for understanding conflict,
and what is the one that
seems appropriate for
your organization?
What does it reveal about
how you view conflict
or how your organization
views conflict?
So, for example, some
people may say conflict is
like a war where no one wins
or where you have
to force a win.
Some may say it's a garden
where you reap what you sow,
or it's a dance where each
person knows their steps.
We all know how this
conflict is going to go,
because we've had it 100 times.
Or it may come on like a storm;
it hits hard, and
then it passes.
Then it hits hard,
then it passes.
People may think of conflict
as a symptom of an
illness; it often is.
A polishing cloth
that getting the dirt
you're rubbing the dirt
away to find the shine;
or it's an opportunity.
Thinking through these metaphors
take a minute to think about
what is your personal
conflict metaphor
that describes your
approach to conflict,
and what do you think is
the metaphor that would
describe your organization's
approach to conflict?
