programme detail

Why fight for survival if you can collaborate for success?

Barney Jordaan - Professor of Management Practice: Negotiation, Conflict Management, Mediation, Vlerick Business School

Conflicts happens all the time: at home, in business and elsewhere. And while we would like to believe we can manage conflicts rationally and productively, we know that it’s mostly not the case. We are hard-wired to fight or flee when faced with danger, which is exactly how our brains perceive a conflict. Yet we can overcome this instinct and become better and managing conflict. The difficult part is not so much the learning of new skills as the unlearning of ineffective conflict behaviours.

In this workshop we explore different conflict styles; the reasons why conflicts sometimes escalate beyond our control; and 5 basic skills that can help manage conflicts in a way that builds agreement and understanding