<aside> 💡 Conflict can be a significant factor in inhibiting organisations. Conflict is also inevitable and commonplace, so we should upgrade our skills and learn to handle it with care. A ‘conflict engagement process’ can really help here - i.e. the set of agreements that a group makes about what to do when there is conflict.
</aside>
<aside> 🧪 Sign up for the New Ways of Working Online Course to put the Playbook into practice.
</aside>
The Science of Productive Conflict | WorkLife with Adam Grant (39 mins)
Whether it's over a project, politics, or pizza toppings, conflict with colleagues is inevitable. The goal is not to eliminate it; it’s to handle it better. There’s a whole science of managing individual and team conflicts, and it suggests that we don’t have to agree to disagree. We need to start by understanding what our clashes are actually about—because often, we’re not arguing about what we THINK we’re arguing about at all.
Productive Disagreement | Brave New Work (46 mins)
A diverse team doing important work is bound to disagree. But they’re also likely to avoid talking about it—because conflict makes many of us deeply uncomfortable. But, what if we simply lack the skills to do it well? In this episode, we talk about why disagreement is so hard, what healthy disagreement looks and feels like, and why it’s so critical to success in complexity.
**Compassionate Conversations and understanding our patterns in conflicts** | Kimberley Loh on Leadermorphosis (46 mins)
Kimberly Loh works in the worlds of conflict resolution, coaching, embodiment and mindfulness. She is also the co-author of ‘Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart.’ We talk about learning to be aware of patterns we have when it comes to engaging with conflict, and Kim shares some ground rules for having ‘Compassionate Conversations’, as well as some really useful self-reflective practices to help us be more conscious of how we show up in conversations, especially ‘difficult’ ones.
How to have constructive conversations | Julia Dhar TED (10 mins)
"We need to figure out how we go into conversations not looking for the victory, but the progress," says world debate champion Julia Dhar. In this practical talk, she shares three essential features of productive disagreements grounded in curiosity and purpose. The end result? Constructive conversations that sharpen your argument and strengthen your relationships.
Dare to disagree | Margaret Heffernan TED (10 mins)
Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers -- and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.
Handle conflicts better | Corporate Rebels (5 mins)
*Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace, and this video shares an approach to conflict - the ‘Gain an Agreement Process’ ***- developed by one of the most progressive companies on the planet, Morning Star.