Tensions and differences are an inevitable and potentially creative part of the life of individuals and organisations. Conflict is present in all organisations. How it is managed is highly reflective of the health of both the organisations and the people that work within them.
Conflict represents a central aspect of the dynamics of human relationship, and as such has been an on-going area of study and exploration in the thinking and practice of The Oasis School of Human Relations.
1989 saw the publication of our first book examining Assertiveness and The Management of Conflict with the early 90s being a period when Oasis was involved in Safer Cities Projects in the North of England, designing and delivering Managing Conflict programmes in multi-disciplinary settings and working with policy makers as well as 'customer facing' staff in a variety of service and retail sectors.
Oasis developed the pioneering work of Fritz Glasl through the school's connection to Mario van Boeschoten. Fritz's work is now available in an English translation and we continue to affirm his model for organisational diagnosis and intervention. Together with the Oasis seven stage model of relationship and the associated skills, we have created a blended approach offering a highly robust framework for conflict resolution and management.
Our conflict work has embraced many types of conflict including:
Intra-team - conflicts that arise between teams and functions, or where teams represent different organisations with a different value base or conflicting priorities.
Inter-team - differences and tensions within teams, often involving authority, purpose and role issues
Inter-personal - focussed on conflicts between individuals - harassment, bullying, use of power, personal agendas.
Relationship conflict - issues that arise between life partners, that often involve deeper and far reaching questions
Internal personal - the inner conflicts that many of us manage on a day-to-day basis sometimes create repeated patterns of behaviour that an individual wants to address and find a more effective resolution. This includes the effects of trauma on internal functioning.
The Oasis School has been engaged in conflict work in a number of settings and a range of sectors. Over the last 20 years we have been involved in designing a spectrum of responses to suit the needs of organisations, from mediation and conflict coaching to conflict resolution programmes for key workers and assertiveness training for staff groups.
We currently offer:
Working with Conflict - a two-day programme to introduce the key aspects of conflict resolution work and how to build conflict resilience.
Working with Mediation - two-day programme on developing mediation skills
Individual Development - Organisational Change through Individual Development - coaches and mentors able to assist employees in working with organisational conflict questions.
Teams and conflict - an on-site diagnostic, design and facilitation process for organisations
Relationships in conflict - practitioners who focus on deeper relationship work and the dynamics involved in working toward development.
Individuals in conflict - practitioners who focus on managing inner conflict issues.
To talk about your questions and challenges in this area contact Marion Ragaliauskas.
Conflict represents a central aspect of the dynamics of human relationship, and as such has been an on-going area of study and exploration in the thinking and practice of The Oasis School of Human Relations.
