Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Title: Orientation to Career and Technical Occupations and Career Planning

  Course Number: 9100110

  Career Cluster: Additional CTE Programs/Courses

  CIP Number: 10989999CE

  Course Type: Orientation/Exploratory and Career Planning

  Focus:

  • CTE.6.01: Identify the effectiveness of assertive, aggressive, and passive communication.
  • CTE.6.02: Dramatize the impact of non-verbal behavior on communication.
  • CTE.6.03: Develop ways to provide effective feedback and deal with criticism.
  • CTE.6.04: Describe the importance of the proper use of grammar, vocabulary, diction, and etiquette.
  • CTE.6.05: Demonstrate ability to communicate in a multicultural setting.

  Supporting:

  • CTE.7.01 Demonstrate ability to negotiate, resolve conflict through peer mediation, handle stress, deal with undesirable behavior in others, share in task accomplishment, and build positive working relationships with others.
  • CTE.3.03 Identify how individuals from diverse backgrounds offer unique contributions
  • CTE.4.07 Exhibit awareness of and respect for others

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This is lesson 2 of a 3 part series. Students will begin the unit by researching and reviewing examples of both proper and imporper workplace conflict resolution. Students use their research to create a conflict resolution plan to be used in the workplace, in lesson 2. In the 3rd lesson, students are presented with a conflict and use their conflict resolution plan to resolve the conflict.

• Career Connection

  
  

  Conflict resolution doesn’t mean trying to convince the other person that you are correct. Conflict resolution is designed to help co-workers establish productive working relationships. Communication in the workplace includes providing effective feedback as well as properly receiving criticism or constructive feedback. This lesson series will enable students to research the various ways conflicts can be negotiated in the workplace and effective ways to communicate and resolve conflict through peer mediation. Appropriately resolving conflict in the workplace increases productivity and lessens stress.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Utilize their research on conflict resolution in the workplace.
  • Choose appropriate conflict resolution techniques from the research they conducted.
  • Design and develop a conflict resolution plan that they will use in the workplace.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Students will have prior experience with conflict.
  • Students will have knowledge of appropriate research techniques.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • Why is conflict resolution necessary in the workplace?
  • What are some ways that employees conduct conflict resolution informally?
  • When is it necessary for a formal conflict resolution meeting to occur in a workplace?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, remind students of the research they completed in lesson one and answer any questions or wonderings they may have about their findings.
  • • The teacher may choose to begin the lesson with a satirical view of conflict resolution by showing an appropriate clip from a show with which they may be familiar. As well, the teacher may choose to show a cartoon or meme that addresses conflict resolution in a satirical way.
    • Explain that, because true conflict resolution in the workplace is serious and sometimes uncomfortable, comedians sometimes view it satirically. That is the goal of satire: to expose human flaws in behavior in a way that lightens the mood as it enlightens the audience with truth.

  2. Frame the lesson,

  • • Explain to students that they will complete their own conflict resolution plan to use in a workplace setting.
    • Distribute the conflict resolution project sheet.
    • Students may choose a format in which they present their conflict resolution plan, but they must adhere to the elements present on the project sheet.
    • Students should use the research they completed in lesson one as well as any anecdotal information they have gleaned through class discussion to create their conflict resolution plan.

  3. To bring the lesson to a close,

  • • Bring the class back together for a brief discussion using the guiding questions.
    • Consider asking students, “can workplace conflicts always be resolved? Why or why not?
    • Remind students that in lesson three, they will demonstrate or model their conflict resolution plan when they are given a workplace conflict that needs to be resolved.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • The teacher may choose to share various conflict resolution plans with students; however, this may take away from the creativity involved with this activity.
  • The teacher may choose to add or subtract elements from the project sheet based on time.
  • If there is time, students may work with a partner to share their conflict resolution plan, gain feedback, and make changes if necessary to make it more effective.

• Optional

  
  

  Formative Assessment Ideas:

  • Informal teacher feedback during the creation of the conflict resolution plan to ensure students are including key elements.
  • The teacher can collect the conflict resolution plans at the end of part two to check for student accuracy and understanding of the assignment parameters.

  Summative Assessment Ideas:

  • Students may complete a reflective journal entry such as:
    • Given a major workplace conflict, how does the plan you created efficiently and effectively resolve the conflict?
    • If a formal conflict resolution plan is ineffective to resolving the workplace conflict, what subsequent steps should be taken to effectively resolve the conflict?

  Accommodation Suggestions:

  • The teacher may choose to give students a frequently occurring workplace conflict to offer guidance on how to frame their conflict resolution plan.

  Extension Ideas:

  • An appropriate extension could be to ask students to use the conflict resolution plan with a non-workplace scenario or adapt the plan for a non-workplace scenario.
  • Another extension could be for students to trade conflict resolution plans and try another way to resolve a conflict.
  • Students could also create a satirical version of their conflict resolution plan.