|
Individual Case Studies - Conflict Management Skills
Masterlease
Masterlease have been involved with Conflict Management Plus Ltd for 2 years and the relationship is ongoing. Since the initial pilot of Conflict Management for Managers training, they have run five programmes training 68 managers with another three programmes booked for 2006/7.
Masterlease wanted to support their mangers in developing a particular skill set to confidently deal with a range of difficult situations in the workplace in a positive way.
Having looked at a number of suppliers, CMP was chosen because:
- Relevant work was being conducted by CMP with another company
- The training programme was highly relevant
- CMP was prepared to customise and tailor programmes to fit Masterlease
- The training programme was flexible in meeting the needs of a range of managers within Masterlease
The training was targeted at the people managers within Masterlease, to enhance their skill set in line with diversity and equal opportunities issues, and give them a tool kit to feel confident in dealing with a range of situations.
Since the training, managers at Masterlease have displayed more confidence, they now have more options and are more willing to take on difficult situations; making some of the difficult decisions that need to be made. Managers can now match appropriate styles to a range of circumstances to keep people working together in difficult situations.
Masterlease continue to use us for their training each year because:
- The feed back from the courses has continually been good
- Masterlease find us flexible and able to accommodate the needs of differing groups of managers
Our trainers work flexibly with the programme depending on the audience and still meet the aims of the training for the delegates.
Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Sussex Ambulance introduced a three-stage training programme for managers to improve their handling of conflict and to set up an internal mediation service for staff disputes.
They wanted a process that would avoid things reaching the disciplinary stage, and wanted to introduce the concept of 'dignity at work' and place more emphasis on working with diversity. The goal was to imbue different values in people's minds, so that they could sort problems out before they got to significantly difficult areas. If a situation did reach that point, then they also needed people with the skills to turn conflicts round more positively.
They identified a need at a management level for about 20 to receive conflict management training, as part of their general management development training. Of these about 12 went on to complete the full mediation skills training. They also trained 12 managers in investigation skills training, some who had also done the conflict management training and some who only take the investigator role. Conflict Management Plus Ltd provided the training for all these roles.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
In 2002, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service wanted to pilot a conflict management training course for its front-line supervisory managers. These managers had often in the past found it difficult to respond effectively at the early signs of conflict and disagreement in their work force. When conflict did happen it was typically either ignored, or responded to very formally. Senior management decided that they needed to change the culture around the way grievances were raised and resolved. Conflict Management Plus Ltd was invited to undertake this work and after the two-day pilot the programme was rolled out across supervisory manager level, and a new three-day course for middle managers followed.
Bob Ratcliffe, Senior Divisional Officer
|
