Recent Posts

How to Defuse a Strike

By on / Conflict Resolution

The recent dispute between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) West and East and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) illustrates how a disagreement at the negotiating table can lead to a long and costly strike. As the two sides battled back and forth, AMPTP member companies laid off support staff, and … Read How to Defuse a Strike 

Why We Strike

By on / Conflict Resolution, Daily

What happens when disputants feel like they have invested too much in a conflict to back down?

There are a number of reasons that negotiations fail and lead to protracted strikes, often to the detriment of both parties.

Both sides frequently believe that their case is stronger due to overconfidence. If one side doubts the other’s claims … Read Why We Strike 

Resolving Hot Conflicts: Skills for Managers

By on / Conflict Resolution

Conventional wisdom suggests that team conflicts be resolved by focusing on the task at hand and avoiding interpersonal relationship issues. However, Amy Edmonson of Harvard Business School and Diana McLain Smith of The Monitor Group argue that this approach only works with issues that are “cool” because they can be resolved using objective means.

On the … Read Resolving Hot Conflicts: Skills for Managers 

Conflict Within the Ranks: Diagnosing Sources of Conflict

By on / Conflict Resolution

Conflict within an organization can not only damage morale but also cut into productivity and ultimately profits. Once you recognize that there is ongoing conflict in your organization, how do you go about diagnosing the source?

In his June 2004 article, “Divided, You’ll Fall: Managing Conflict Within the Ranks,” Lawrence Susskind describes the work done by … Read This Post 

When Facilitation Goes Wrong

By on / Negotiation Skills

Facilitation works best when a facilitator is matched properly to the group and to the situation. Look out for these signs of trouble that may suggest that you need a different facilitator, or that facilitation may not be working for your group:

Poor chemistry. Your facilitator’s personal style may be too forceful, or not forceful enough, … Read When Facilitation Goes Wrong 

Negotiating with Your Children

By on / Negotiation Skills

Negotiating with your children may seem counterintuitive but parents can build stronger relationships with them by implementing a problem-solving approach when trying to resolve family conflicts.

In his book How to Negotiate with Kids…Even When You Think You Shouldn’t (Viking, 2003), Scott Brown, a founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law School, outlines a … Read Negotiating with Your Children 

Handling Employee Relations

By on / Conflict Resolution

Suppose you have been recently hired as the first full time staff member charged with handling employee relations. You are entering a large accounting firm with an unusually high staff turnover rate and several recent defections by company accounts.

Dispute System Design (DSD) is the process of identifying, designing, employing, and evaluating an effective means of … Read Handling Employee Relations