Assignment 1: Working through Conflict

Communication blocks or breakdowns are often an important precursor to interpersonal conflicts. In this assignment, you will reflect upon a conflict you have experienced or witnessed at work. William Ury is well known for his work with conflict resolution. He has performed multiple speaking engagements and has been recorded on sites such as TedTalks. He frequently speaks about moving from no to yes and other conflict resolution techniques. Do an Internet search to find one or two of his interesting talks on conflict negotiation to help you prepare for this assignment.

Tasks:

Think of a situation in which you witnessed or experienced interpersonal conflict at work. In your response, address the following:

• Provide a brief synopsis of the conflict, the parties involved, and the outcome. Use a conflict resolution model from one of the journal readings to provide an alternative way of dealing with the conflict.
• Explain whether you believe that the outcome would have been different had this model been followed.