Conflict Behavior (Not Conflict Personality!)

We need to understand how both we and others currently view conflict: our attitudes affect our responses. It becomes vital to recognise how behaviours can trigger either positive or negative results and also figure out how to leverage this insight towards the most productive outcomes.

CHANGE YOUR CONFLICT PATTERN/BEHAVIOUR
How to fix something when you don’t know what’s wrong? While conflict is so very pervasive and human, we are mostly not in the habit of getting to the bottom of it. Before we can look at conflict change we need to understand its source.

Of course the situation itself counts, but it is essential to understand how the behaviour of those involved contributes to the conflict. Using the Conflict Dynamics Profile™ (developed by the Center for Conflict Dynamics at Eckerd College in Florida, USA) we look at conflict behaviour in the workplace. The CDP, time proven and psychometrically sound, is well respected in the field of Conflict Management. While the evaluation draws on individual responses, it does not so much look at PERSONALITY or characteristics; the CDP is an assessment instrument specifically dealing with conflict BEHAVIOUR.

This tried and tested resource has two dimensions:

• the CDP-Individual (CDP-I) which based on self-assessment
• the CDP 360 which is based on multiple reviews from direct reports, peers and colleagues – both superiors and subordinates.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile™ * (CDP) points to practical solutions for promoting effective Conflict Resolution and boosting levels of Conflict. Competence.

* www.conflictdynamics.org/products/conflictdynamics.php

Based on the feedback, a confidential profile is prepared for each person that focuses on their conflict and pre-conflict RESPONSES. Colleagues may express opinions openly, knowing the candidate never sees them. The results are then considered privately together with the candidate by Mervyn Malamed, an accredited CDP Professional. Conflict responses and hot-buttons that show up in the assessments are discussed, together with consideration of improving on those that may be destructive. Engaging in this process, the individual can improve their cognitive, emotional and behavioural skills.

In addition to constructive self-insight on an individual level, the data can be aggregated to reflect the conflict behaviour of groups – useful when exploring cultural conflict between interdependent teams.

Using the Conflict Dynamics Profile™ (developed by the Center for Conflict Dynamics at Eckerd College, Florida) we look at conflict behaviour to understand the dynamics within the cultural conflict of an organisation.

1. The Assessment Instrument is the Conflict Dynamics Profile™ 360 [The CDP-360]
2. Learning how to tweak the behaviours revealed through the assessment is the Becoming Conflict Competent [BCC] Course

Time-Proven and Psychometrically Sound

The Conflict Dynamics Profile™ 360 [ The CDP-360 ]’s input data is confidential; the candidate does not get to know the viewpoints of colleagues so those colleagues are free to express opinions openly and honestly.

These results can be aggregated to reflect the conflict behaviour of groups. This might be used for example, to work with conflict behaviour between interdependent teams.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile™ is not similar to the Thomas-Kilmann or Myers-Briggs Instruments which deal with personality, or characteristics. The CDP is built to deal specifically with conflict behaviour.

Founded upon years of academic research and real world applications.

                       

Mervyn Malamed

Mervyn Malamed is an Organisational Conflict Management professional. Employees who are equipped to cope with crises and conflict carry a positive mind-set to friends, family and more. This exponential effect rubs off; it enhances lives and comes around to further enrich that same employee, co-workers, and the organisation itself.  With… MORE >