Activity and discussion on the definition and nature of conflict, arenas of conflict and the differences between constructive and destructive conflict. We will discuss class assignments, readings, and course requirements and expectations contained in this syllabus.

We will actively discuss the properties of conflict interaction, the nature of change as it relates to leading through conflict, and Confrontation Episodes Theory (Newell & Stutman, 1988). We will explore the possibilities involved in viewing conflict as a constructive enterprise that enables people to confront adaptive change. Students will also explore their own experiences and assumptions with conflict.

Heifetz & Linsky (2002) distinguish between adaptive and technical challenges and suggest that the primary work of leadership is getting oneself and other “to the balcony,” that is, to a place of broader perspective. We need to see the landscape of conflict in its array and understand the three primary conversations that comprise conflict. Our psychological tendency to sharpen our focus, especially during conflict interactions, often can be a detriment. Thus, understanding ‘how conflict works’ is a key component of the view from the balcony on to the dancefloor.

Listening may be one of the most important leadership qualities for transformation and change. Yet, it is easier said than done. As research suggests there is often a gap between our intentions and our impact, and this applies not only to the way we encounter others but to our openness to the ideas and perspectives of others. The psychological concept called “Naïve Realism” is a key component of why this gap exists. We will discuss theoretical and practical ways to approach our own assumptions about conflict and how we come across to others

In this session we will apply psychodynamic theory to conflict to discuss the frustrations, collusions and emotions that emerge during conflict. Sometimes emotions are at the heart of difficult conversations and the more we try to frame emotions as irrelevant to the conflict, the worse it becomes because we missed the point. When do we honor others’ feelings? When do they lead us astray? Social cognition comes into play when we examine our stories that ignite our emotions in a conflict and in our beliefs and contextual influences on conflict. We will explore these topics through role plays and case studies as well as our own experiences.

Now that we have made our way through the “differentiation” process of conflict resolution, we need to focus on the “integration” of strategic planning and problem-solving. We will explore conflict styles, the various approaches to conflict, and how we can become more versatile is handling various conflict situations and contexts. Here we will also explore gender, race and cultural influences on conflict styles. The second part of this session will examine the identity conversation in terms of our own and others’ sources of identity and how to build awareness and flexibility in our sense of self during conflict.

Students are given the opportunity to volunteer at the conference and attend sessions related to our topics. There will be an assignment attached to this out-of-classroom learning opportunity.

Understanding power and politics are both integral to understanding leadership. At the root of leadership is anticipating resistance and strategic alliances, utilizing different forms of power, and navigating politics are important tools that leaders must learn to wield. We will practically discuss the uses and balance of power in conflict including the ethical implications.

If leading adaptively is about connecting with values and addressing loss associated with change, then conflict must be leveraged as a positive force. Otherwise, people tend to engage in work avoidance, which shares many of the same properties as destructive ways to handle conflict (e.g. blaming others). This discussion will involve the leadership dynamics behind using conflict to enact positive change and draw upon Ripley’s research that distills five steps for dealing with high conflict.

The environment and external influences (often internalized) on conflict interaction are critical to pay attention to. In this session we will mostly explore the impact of culture and cultural differences on conflict. We will discuss misunderstanding that come with cross-cultural conflict and how we can move past these to interact more effectively.

Often conflict and negotiation are taught together, especially in business contexts, as they share many of the same properties and interpersonal principles. However, negotiation has some distinct properties as it distinguishes claiming value from creating value for both parties and other psychological biases such as anchoring. We will practice negotiating and using the principles from the articles and from best practices to understand artful negotiation in a deeper way. This class will include a special guest AAU lecturer and former CEO Heinrich Homola.

One well-researched area in social psychology and essential area when it comes to conflict is face-saving. We will discuss threats to face, the consequences of face-saving, and the potential for face-giving when we are engaged with others in conflict. We will also cover how to deal with arrogant jerks, blunt people that make rude comments, those that annoy us, and bad bosses. How do you handle people that just don’t give a damn?

From the beginning we learned that leadership is dangerous and since then we’ve been learning about all the traps of high conflict, poor communication, emotionally changed (and draining) interactions, and move that keep us stuck in perpetual. We’ve learned about how to break the cycles, when to compromise or negotiate, and better communication skills to improve relationships interpersonally or on a team. But what about leading others through these processes? What if you’re the third-party equipping others to handle conflict more effectively? How do you ‘give the work back’ to the people with the problem? These issues and more will be discussed as a culminating lesson of our semester.

Written, in class