The Final Conflict - for now

Over the last couple of days we've been looking at some conflict resolution strategies and how an understanding of these might be useful in leadership and team building.

I thought it might be interesting to try and illustrate how these different mindsets tend to cluster in different types of organisation. If your job involves managing partnerships that include combinations of public, private and voluntary sector organisations you may need to be aware of the different drivers in those organisations.

In this final diagram I've laid out these mindsets and the organisations which favour those combinations. They are superimposed on an image of the brain. Because these value systems grow out of the ways of thinking that the individuals favour.



We are familiar with the idea that we have a right side of the brain that deals with patterns and relationships and we have a left hand side of the brain that's drawn to logic, linear thinking and more importantly results.

We're also I'm sure familiar with the idea that the front part of the brain deals with thinking and the rear part with more instinctive behaviour.

This means that we can visualise combinations of thinking styles

Right + Front - idealists who like novelty
Left + Front - accountants who like control
Left + Rear - entrepreneurs who like results
Right + Rear - belongers who like community

And while this is a bit of an oversimplification it illustrates the dynamics of what's going on - why the values of public, private and voluntary sector organisations are so different and why people who are attracted to Knowledge economy industries - IT, media etc thrive by integrating left and right brain characteristics - systems and people, results and relationships.

I hope that these articles may give you some ideas as to how to reconcile some of these issues in the team and partnership situations you have to manage.

We've looked at how the mindsets of self vs group orientation evolve as they become gradually able to absorb more of the environment around them. We've looked at the conflict management strategies that they tend to adopt and how certain mindsets cluster in different types of organisation.

So if you need to manage teams across organisations being aware of this might just save a couple of issues from escalating out of control.

If you need help in managing or leading your team we sell the tools to help you assess your team and run and facilitate workshops on conflict resolution and leadership.

If you want to know more telephone us or visit our website. We have carried out work based on these materials for both small companies and some household names. If you work in the public sector in Wales some support is available via Public Service Management Wales.

That's it. Hope you found it useful.

alan

Dr Alan Rae - Founder - Howtodobusiness.com
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