Conflict Resolution at Work

This skills-based course covers the new and exciting area of Workplace Mediation and conflict resolution. Workplace mediation is now seen as an essential skill for personnel and human resource professionals and is the fastest growing area of professional development in modern HR practice. In any workplace we can be guaranteed that we will come across conflict. Up to 30-40% of a typical managerâtime can be spent dealing with conflict. Senior executives report spending up to 20% of their time in activities involving issues such as harassment and dismissal. A survey conducted by Price Waterhouse and Cornell's PERC Institute on Conflict Resolution of over 530 Fortune 1000 corporations stated that 90% of respondents view conflict management as a critical cost-control technique and 88% of respondents reported using mediation in the last three years. Mediation is generally defined as the intervention in a negotiation or a conflict of an acceptable third party who has limited decision-making power, who assists the involved parties to reach voluntarily a mutually acceptable settlement of the issues in a dispute. In addition to addressing the substantive issues, mediation may also establish, strengthen or terminate the relationships between parties in a manner that minimises psychological harm. Essentially, mediation is a dialogue or negotiation with the involvement of a third party.