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Tension hangs in the air. You can’t believe your colleague just said that--at all, let alone in a conference meeting. Most of the men and women sitting around the large wooden table are pretending to look through their notes, some check email on their phone. No one has said a word in what has been the longest minute you’ve ever endured. Maybe you should have been more understanding, given him another chance to speak up before you shut him down. But now you’re too shocked and angry to give him the benefit of the doubt. You’re both staring at one another, playing an unspoken game of “chicken” with your eyes. You dare him to look away as if that will help the situation. You take a deep breath, will your voice to be calm, and conclude the meeting. You ask the others to leave the conference room, but you invite your colleague to stay. His perspective isn’t wrong, but what he said to you was. And you have something to apologize for, too. Through the years, you’ve learned that even though you don’t see eye to eye on an issue, resolving it will be so much more effective than ignoring it. Yes, addressing conflict is a tiresome activity, but not nearly as exhausting as carrying around resentment. You have work to do and this project is more important than your pride.

If you have a successful organization, it’s filled with people who think differently, behave differently, and have different priorities. This is a good thing that fosters innovation and challenges your employees to grow. But when different people with different minds come together, conflict isn’t far behind. Your employees must learn about their predisposed thoughts and behaviors during conflict so that they shift their thinking and respond to conflict productively. With Everything DiSC Productive Conflict, when the tension in the conference room builds, employees have the tools to break it down quickly and effectively. Ready to learn more?

What is DiSC?

DiSC is a research-validated assessment that gives participants accurate insights into their personality: their motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and their productive conflict priorities. When taking the assessment, you’ll be asked to respond to behavioral statements and application-specific questions on a five-point scale. You’ll then receive a 22-page personalized profile that improves your self-awareness regarding conflict behaviors. You’ll discover natural conflict behaviors within your DiSC style.

            (D) Dominance: In conflict, focuses on logic and victory

            (i) Influence: In conflict, focuses on expression and feelings

            (S) Steadiness: In conflict, focuses on feelings and consensus

            (C) Conscientiousness: In conflict, focuses on justice and logic

How will DiSC Productive Conflict help?

The profile reveals how you tend to handle conflict destructively. In most cases, you are not even aware of your destructive behaviors because it starts with a simple, automatic thought. Without your awareness, that single thought can lead you to act in a way that you’re not proud of whether you shut down or shut others down. Your behavior during a conflict--no matter how big or small--can have a lasting impact on the company’s culture, employee satisfaction, and team effectiveness. But rather than just calling you out on your part in the problem, DiSC Productive Conflict teaches you how to catch and reframe your automatic thoughts so that you can manage the conflict in positive ways. Learn how to understand a colleague’s perspective, and gather personalized communication strategies.

The DiSC Productive Conflict profile shares each style’s goals and fears in conflict and explains why you tend to behave in certain ways during conflict. The profile concludes with practical steps and personal reflection to help you overcome your destructive habits so you effectively manage conflict when it does happen.

DiSC Productive Conflict operates under the belief that conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Trinity Training and Development is an authorized partner of Everything DiSC. If you’re ready to equip your staff with the tools and resources to engage in productive conflict, contact Trinity Training and Development today.