Understanding Conflict

Intended Audience: 

All UWaterloo Employees 

Preparation/Pre-requisites: 

None for the in-person session. 

Virtual: Participants must complete the Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument before attending the workshop. Instructions for completing the assessment will be sent out 7 days before the workshop. 

Workshop Overview: 

When we experience perceived opposing goals, viewpoints, or interests with others around us, we stall in our ability to solve problems. Understanding what conflict is and how it shows up in our lives is an important first step in resolving it. In this workshop, you will complete the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model Instrument to gain insight into five different conflict-handling behaviours, and whether you might be overusing or underusing one or more of them. Based on a mix of individual reflection, small and large group discussion, we will explore what conflict is, how it appears at work, and introduce strategies and tools to begin addressing it productively. 

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Introduce types of conflict.   

  • Explore individual response to conflict.    

  • Introduce Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument.    

  • Identify individual conflict handling style.  

  • Describe different conflict handling styles. 

  • Introduce conflict management tools and strategies.