Destructive conflicts arise in large and small businesses, government bodies, non-profits, law enforcement agencies and other organizations that affect the ability of individuals to be fully productive and comfortable in their work. Managers and rank-and-file employees alike usually lack the skills and training to resolve conflicts to their satisfaction and for the good of their organization.
In “Win at Work! The Everyone Wins Approach to Conflict Resolution,” Diane L. Katz, Ph.D., reviews many of the causes of conflict and explains why attempts to resolve them often fail. Her approach to arriving at peaceful solutions is based on balancing the traditional masculine traits of focus and assertiveness with the feminine attributes of creativity and collaboration.
“I’m referring to qualities, to styles of problem solving, not men versus women,” Dr. Katz explains. “Typically, parties engaged in a dispute are focused on being the victor. They need to come to an agreement that contributes to the goals of their company or organization, and then everyone wins.”
“Win at Work!” describes The Working Circle, a unique eight-step process Dr. Katz developed and has successfully applied at hundreds of organizations since founding her consulting firm in 1995. The Working Circle encourages an objective, non-combative view of the situation. It involves determining what is negotiable and what is not, developing a game plan, and communicating the positive changes that will result. It blends intuition and intellect.
Using actual situations from her practice, Dr. Katz takes the reader step by step through her process to solve a number of common challenges:
- Asking for and justifying a raise
- Dealing with a disruptive business partner
- Whether to speak up or remain silent about what is going on at work
- Whether to take sides or mediate
- Dealing with a client’s anger
- Negotiating independence from a micromanaging boss
- Standing up to a bully
- Managing a troublemaker
Diane L. Katz has a Ph.D. in conflict resolution and an M.A. in organizational psychology. She is the president of The Working Circle Teambuilding, Inc, a full-service consulting company offering organizational development, training, human resources, coaching and conflict resolution for all types and sizes of organizations. Previously she was a human resources executive at American Express, Chase Bank, KPMG Peat Marwick, and Alexander & Alexander. She is an engaging, informative and entertaining speaker who speaks at conferences and conducts seminars across the country.
“Win at Work! The Everyone Wins Approach to Conflict Resolution”($24.95) is published by Wiley and available in bookstores nationwide in June 2010. ISBN 978-0-59917-4.
