dragons and donkeys | strategies for conflict resolution

Dragons and Donkeys

Strategies for Conflict Resolution

Ben Jackson - Brian Cheng -Brigham Van Auken - Kelsey Jeratowski - Janet

Malsam - Sara Paape - Sara Lotfalizadeh - Suzy Bathel

Images courtesy of Shrek.com

There was a Donkey.

Once upon a time…

He was scared of a Dragon.

LinkedIn Company Confidential



He thought she was after

him. She thought he

didn’t understand her.

They had a slight misunderstanding.

Turned out

they had a lot

in common.

Together

they created

something

weirdly

wonderful.




Issue Identified

Conflict is unavoidable. As a growing company:

How do we ensure that communication lines

remain open?

How do we empower each other to resolve our

own crises?

How do we encourage trust?


Case Study

Sandy has issue with her manager. Instead of

confronting manager, chooses to vent with peers.


Case Study

Issue festers because no action is taken. Peers

tire of listening to Sandy complain and not take

action.



Case Study

What could Sandy's peers do to help?

Be empathetic, but help her see both sides of

conflict.


Case Study


Encourage her to speak

directly to manager

about concerns…

Confront the dragon.



Case Study


If no action from Sandy, explain that they

can no longer be an ear to complain unless

she wants to talk through solutions.


Issue Identified

How do we ensure that communication lines

remain open?

Understand how the message can be delivered.

Understand how the message can be perceived.

(good) (bad)


Images courtesy of Shrek.com Images courtesy of Shrek.com

Issue Identified

How do we empower each other to resolve our

own crises?

In case study Sandy’s peers listened and

empathized, but encouraged her to resolve her

concerns on her own.


Issue Identified

How do we encourage trust?

Ultimately, Sandy worked out her concerns with

her supervisor. We must continue building an

honest and open environment where trust can

breed trust.


Conflict 101

Conflict is more than just a disagreement

It is a situation in which one or both persons

percieve a threat (even if there isn’t one)


Conflict 101

Conflict continues to fester when ignored.

Because conflicts involve percieved threats, they

stay with us until we face and resolve them.


Conflict 101

We respond to conflicts based on our perceptions

It is not necessarily objective or based on facts

and is shaped by our life experiences, culture,

values and beliefs.


Conflict 101

Conflicts tirgger strong emotions.

If you aren’t comfortable with your emotions or

able to manage them in times of stress, you won’t

be able to resolve conflict successfully.


Conflict 101

Conflicts are an opportunity for growth.

When you’re able to resolve conflict in a

relationship, it builds trust. You can feel secure

knowing your relationship can survive challenges

and disagreements.


How can I get better at conflict resolution?

1. Begin with the end in mind [what outcome am I hoping

for?]

2. Believe that my feedback may make a difference

3. Find the win-win

4. Role Play!!



Resolving Conflict

When it appears someone is acting like a dragon,

maybe you’ve just misunderstood their

intentions…



Resolving Conflict

Our objective for this project was to identify common challenges with

understanding unique differences in communication, particularly as

it relates to conflict resolution. Hopefully our message was solidified

in a beautifully simple image – the Dragon-Donkey.



Appendix

Definition: Dragonkey

drag·on·key

/ˈdra gawn kē/

Noun

A mythical monster, often viewed as violent

and angry, but tragically misunderstood.


Resources

Conflict Resolution: Resolving Conflict Rationally & Effectively http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm

Images courtesy of Shrek™ movie trilogy, a DreamWorks

production.

For more, check out Shrek.com or go rent the movies!


Case Study 2

Fred applied for a management position. It

was given to someone with less than 1 year

with the company (Rachel). Fred has been

expressing to teammates that the person

didn’t deserve the promotion as much as he

does and a colleague told Rachel what Fred

has been saying about her.


Case Study 3

Employees from separate departments are

asked to do opposing actions on behalf of a

client. Each has a vested interest as money is

on the table and resent the other for

interfering in their client relationship and

commission.


Role Play Scenario

There is a small miscommunication at the

office – Bart is taking full credit for a project

that he and his team, which included June,

were responsible for. As you can imagine,

June now has to discover how to handle the

conflict…


dragons and donkeys | strategies for conflict resolution

Entertainment & Humor

images courtesy

case study

conflict resolution

issue identified

resolving conflict

encourage trust

sandy

resolve