Conflict resolution training for staff and managers
Conflict coaching
Dispute resolution advice
Enabling challenging discussions to take place
A CEDR-accredited mediator, Pip founded Conflict Insights to reduce the harm from conflict on individuals and organisations, both internationally and at home. Pip provides expertise to a range of clients including the United Nations, the UK government, European Union, development agencies and think-tanks. She routinely receives excellent feedback from clients for delivering strong results and for her collaborative, empathetic approach, building and enhancing relationships that have become fractious and dysfunctional in many conflict-affected teams.
Power is a presence in every mediation, every team, every group. Merriam-Webster defines power as “a possession of control, authority, or influence over others.” Typically,
How do you know when you are in conflict? What is it about that situation, dynamic or conversation that makes it feel like you’re suddenly in
An opportunity to work with a group of 15-year olds this month exploring different aspects of conflict got me thinking. Alongside other life skills such as
If you would like to discuss your requirements, I would be very happy to arrange a complimentary, no-commitment call to understand your situation and review the options.
Conflict is expensive. Taking a proactive approach to conflict and dispute resolution can save you money directly (eg saved legal fees) and indirectly (eg through your team’s productivity).
Conflict also takes time and management effort. Acas estimate formal dispute procedures cost an average of £1000 in management time.
And it can cause stress, which could lose your business good staff. Creating an environment that allows differences of opinion to be aired in a constructive team allows you to make the most of your team’s expertise. Giving people the opportunity to work through what is causing concern can reduce stress. We will provide a safe, secure environment that allows people to communicate freely. We focus those involved on the issues and needs of each person in the dispute.
Staff shortages mean that it is increasingly important to ensure that your business is well-placed to appeal to the people you need in your organisation. Having the organisational culture and structure in place to manage conflicts better as they arise and resolve them before they escalate can be a one of the factors that staff take into account when choosing their next job. By making this a positive part of your working culture, you can attract and retain the brightest and the best staff.
The bottom line is that getting issues resolved early can save you time, money and stress.
Many of us struggle to deal with conflict constructively. Most of us react instinctively when we perceive we are under threat; the ‘fight or flight’ amygdala reaction doesn’t always serve us well in the workplace or with our professional relationships. That can get in the way of doing a good job, and managing your teams and external contacts well.
When conflict is handled badly, it can be expensive for a business through the loss of productivity, increased management time – and it can mean that businesses struggle to attract the staff they need. It makes business-sense to address this.
It can be challenging to use conflict in a positive way, but it isn’t impossible. Doing so can strengthen relationships and give your business the benefit from multiple perspectives. But when you are in the middle of a conflict, or you can see a situation brewing, it isn’t always easy to manage your reactions and avoid getting defensive. As an external person to the conflict, Pip can create the environment for differences to be discussed, heard and issues resolved. We can also help you develop your conflict management techniques so that you are better equipped to recognise and manage conflict situations.
We describe our packages of support as ‘Conflict Resolution Packages’ because they can cover a range of different services including mediation, coaching, advice, training and facilitation. The aim is to resolve the issues that are causing conflict. To do this, we speak to those involved to identify and understand the issues. We will then suggest and agree an approach with you.
Conflict coaching supports one or more people in a conflict to manage the situation better. Often this means working through a strategy to cope with the effects of conflict on themselves, and to approach the conflict issues differently.
Mediation is a way to work through disagreements with the help of an external person, allowing those involved to move on. Mediation is a structured process to identify and resolve a conflict, involving two or more people. The mediation may take place over one day, or we may agree to sequence a series of shorter sessions over, for example, a couple of weeks.
Mediation is voluntary – it can only take place if everyone agrees to take part.
Mediation is impartial – the mediator is neutral and outside the dispute.
Mediation is confidential – everything that is said is confidential and not discussed with the other parties. The mediator will not disclose the details discussed unless there is something that you have specifically asked them to tell the other party.
Mediation can improve communication between people and rebuild relationships that have broken down.
A mediator is the person who manages the mediation process. The role of the mediator is to facilitate the discussions. They never take sides or tell the parties what to do. Instead, they help the participants reach a solution that they are happy with, which is then set out into a written agreement. The mediator is in control of the process and the parties are responsible for the outcome.
Pip has a long track record of working with conflict – on an individual level, for organisations and internationally. Pip founded Conflict Insights because she wanted to use her conflict experience to work with people closer to home. Pip is a strong believer that conflicts don’t need to cause the harm they often do. She is committed to supporting you to manage conflict better.
Pip is a CEDR-accredited workplace, civil and commercial mediator. She is registered with the Civil Mediation Council. Pip provides conflict resolution services to a range of organisations. She continues to work as a voluntary mediator, for local community disputes.
We are confident that we can add value to your organisation at any stage. If you are noting that issues are starting to escalate into a conflict, and/or there is an active conflict underway, we will support those involved to resolve the issues. If you are fortunate enough not to be experiencing any conflict issues at the moment, we will work with you to develop internal procedures that give scope for disagreements to be aired and managed constructively.
We appreciate that each individual involved is unique and that each business and situation is different. We will work with you to understand the issues of concern to you, so that those can be addressed. Pip’s clients often comment on her ability to establish a strong rapport with those she works with. Pip does this by taking a genuine interest in understanding the issues and impact on the people involved.
Our support is provided in confidentially. This means that we treat every conversation as confidential. Any information that you would like us to share with anyone else is specifically agreed.
We treat your data carefully and respectfully. We store information on secure systems and only use it for the purposes we have agreed. If you decide not to move forward with our services, any personal data held by us will be deleted within a month. If we have provided support, we will retain your information for six months after the completion of our services and then destroy all files and personal details.
The length of support varies for each case and can be tailored to the specifics of your situation.
Conflict Insights is based in Hove, East Sussex. We provide our services to organisations across the country and internationally.
Contact us here to arrange your consultation call.
