What if the group or team you are coaching is in conflict?
Coaches often work with groups or teams inside of businesses or organizations. Conflict is a natural part of people working together. How conflict management is approached directly impacts the effectiveness and success of the team. For a coach the key is managing the focus of the conversation so it is about solutions.
Foundational Information:
The CCC conflict management model is STOP:
S = stories
T = topics
O = options
P = plan
Start by asking each person to explain their Story or perspective with everyone taking turns. Rephrase what each person says when they talk. Next everyone works together to create one list of Topics to address and decide the discussion order. Then everyone is called upon to generate multiple Options and after consideration choose the solution. The Plan is created by everyone together detailing who will do what and when.
With everyone involved present, ask:
- Each person will have a chance to provide their perspective. Who wants to start?
- What is the story from your perspective? (When they finish rephrase what they said.)
- Who wants to go next?
- Pretend I haven’t heard anything and give me your story. (When they finish rephrase what they say.)
- What are the topics to address?
- What else?
- In what order do you want to talk about the topics?
- For this topic, what are the possible solutions?
- What else?
- What is the best possible outcome?
- What is the worst possible outcome?
- What is an outcome that works for everyone?
- What else is possible?
- What solution do will you all go with?
- What are the actions steps to make it happen?
- Who will do each step?
- When will the step be done?
The coaching process supports creating awareness of the different perspectives, focusing on what they want to address, exploring possibilities, and then developing the plan. By using this process the people involved own the plan and follow through.
