Conflict often makes the top ten list of worries for managers, businesses, and even families. Letting conflict go too far can even lead to retaliation. Having a plan for dealing with conflict, or preventing it in the first place, can make your company a place where people enjoy working hard and creatively.

Suggested DiSC resources:

• DiSC Classic 2.0 Plus
• Everything DiSC Workplace
• Personal Listening Profile

Articles

Fear and loathing of co-workers: A surprising cause of absenteeism, The HRCafe, January 2011
“Employees have a lot of reasons for calling out “sick” other than genuine illness. Here’s one you may not have thought of: They’re afraid of, or angry at, a co-worker.”

The Most Important Thing To Know About Conflict, Psychology Today, September 2010
“Barter’s theory is that painful conflict has to do with unmet – and unheard – needs (let’s say for respect, security, love, safety). The further we move away from the communication of the unmet need, the louder that communication needs to become to get our attention.”

Can negativity save a failing marriage? Association for Psychological Science, June 2010
“In marriages where one’s partner is frequently unkind or insulting, being unforgiving appears to pay off. In such troubled couples, too much forgiveness simply increases the likelihood that the cruelty will continue—and lead to more disharmony over time.”

Conformity: Ten Timeless Influencers, PsyBlog, February 2010
“Conformity is not in itself a good or a bad thing. For example, creativity is built on some of the pillars of nonconformity: ignoring social norms and authority, eschewing social approval, rejecting structure and cultivating dissent. On the other hand many of societies most basic institutions—government, finance, transport, education—would collapse if people didn’t conform.”

Make Conflict Drive Results, Harvard Business Review, February 2008
“The most effective executives know how to minimize the bad conflict while cultivating the good. This balancing act begins by developing a new mindset regarding conflict.”

Audio

Leading Through Conflict, HRB Ideacast, August 2006
Mark Gerzon, mediation expert and author of Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities.