Conflict Fluency
The conflict fluency vertical learning series was created to support the work of the UVic-wide Conflict Project. Please visit the Conflict Toolkit and website for more information on the project.
Sharing the vision of this project helps set the tone for this learning series:
Our UVic community is filled with passionate, skilled, kind-hearted people looking to contribute their best to our organization, community and the world. When we do conflict engagement well, our organization increases our capacity to achieve our strategic priorities.
The vision for this framework is that, when faced with a workplace conflict, all UVic employees will have a similar understanding of and ability to articulate and action the appropriate and helpful next steps for which they will be held accountable. The ultimate goal is to build capacity and competency so that all UVic employees see their role and have the skills to do conflict well.
“Conflict refers to any situation in which people have incompatible interests, goals, principles, or feelings.” (Capobianco, Davis & Kraus, Conflict Dynamics Profile, Eckerd College).
This learning series is designed to build employee’s confidence, awareness and skills and to take responsibility for navigating conflict in constructive ways. Participants in this series will practice conflict fluency by: making a commitment to the process of figuring out respectful ways through uncertain or difficult conversations, by curiously exploring contributing factors, discerning ways to adjust behaviors and expectations, and by seeking help when needed.
Conflict is inevitable and sometimes very necessary. At UVic we know many of our strategic objectives are only possible when we gather a diversity of perspectives in conversation. As this naturally creates conflict, we want to learn to do it well.
These learning opportunities play a part in UVic becoming a conflict fluent organization. We are doing this by supporting employees in developing skills to respond to conflict in constructive ways and holding them accountable for doing so, while providing resources to address destructive conflict.
To learn more about this learning series, visit the Conflict Fluency series in the Employee Learning Hub!
Learning behaviours and themes
The learning series will explore the key conflict behaviours that have a research-supported likelihood of making conflict better or worse.
The CDP destructive and constructive conflict behaviours articulated on a spectrum and according to their role in conflict. Adapted from the Conflict Dynamics Profile