Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader: How You and Your Organization Can Manage Conflict Effectively

"An amazingly comprehensive collection of designs, options, examples, and techniques on how to move from conflict avoidance to constructive resolution." — Jim Kouzes , coauthor, The Leadership Challenge Praise for Craig E. Runde and Tim A. Flanagan′s Books Building Conflict Competent Teams "A comprehensive, thoroughly researched guide to the crucial and inevitable role conflict plays on a team." — Patrick Lencioni , author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team "Conflict happens on the best of teams. Building Conflict Competent Teams shows team leaders as well as team members how to constructively tackle the challenges that come when people disagree. This book is a must–read for anyone who wants to lead, or belong to, a high–performing team." — Ken Blanchard , coauthor, The One Minute Manager and The One Minute Entrepreneur™ "Runde and Flanagan have put together a clear, well–written guide to the nature and sources of conflict that arise in teams and, more important, how to maximize the chances that conflict turns out to be the good thing that teams thrive on instead of the bad thing that destroys team performance." — Douglas Smith , author, The Wisdom of Teams Developing Your Conflict Competence "A must–have guidebook for the new age of global business. This book shows every leader how to turn feelings of fear into feelings of safety, suspicion into trust, and competitiveness into collaboration." — Jim Kouzes , coauthor of the bestselling book The Leadership Challenge "Craig Runde and Tim Flanagan use their vast experience to give us Developing Your Conflict Competence . Move beyond negative workplace conflict to positive and constructive outcomes with the simple tools and suggestions in this must–read field guide!" — Marshall Goldsmith , bestselling author of What Got You Here Won′t Get You There, Succession: Are You Ready, and MOJO

Preface to the Second Edition ix 1. The What and Why of Confl ict Competent Leaders 1 2. Understanding the Dynamics of Confl ict and Your Responses to It 25 3. Cool Down: Managing Your Emotions 67 4. Slow Down and Refl ect: Taking Time to Consider What Is Happening 83 5. Preventing Destructive Responses to Confl ict 97 6. Fostering Constructive Responses to Confl ict 155 7. Developing and Leading Confl ict Competent Teams 223 8. Creating Confl ict Competent Organizations 251 Epilogue 271 Resources 275 References 279 The Authors 285 Index 287 About the Center for Creative Leadership 297

Craig E. Runde is director of the Center for Conflict Dynamics at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida. Tim A. Flanagan is co-owner of Custom Leadership Solutions, St. Petersburg, Florida, and senior fellow at the Center for Conflict Dynamics. They are the coauthors of the first edition of Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader, Building Conflict Competent Teams, and Developing Your Conflict Competence.