Handle Conflict, Like a Boss!Abstractions, August 19th, 2016

Deb Nicholson @baconandcoconut

Why conflict happens and needs to be handled

Identify the obvious and less obvious causes

Resolution strategies for individuals & groups

It's natural

Conflict Happens and it Needs to be Handled

Mismatched goals

Try to understand the other person

Passion

Identity

Go deep

Could we just... not?

Conflict lovers

Weigh your investment

“There are many FOSS projects, but only one me.” - @sarahsharp

Identify the obvious and less obvious causes

Three styles of handling conflict

Avoidance

Accommodation

Assertion

Find out what you can about the history

“What's the worst that could happen?”

Ask about the other person's motivations

Missed connections

What do you do with all this information?

Help everyone get perspective

Find alignment

A word about who is doing this work

...and what work we value

Planning for Future Conflicts

Assuming the best

Set expectations

No ad hominem

Conflict Resolution Amongst Groups

Set an example

Face-to-Face

Conflict happens

Build a shared perspective

Set great expectations!

Picture Credits

CC.BY: Untitled by Jarek Zok, Texture Green No.40 by Elne, Lucy! by Cristina Bejarano, Hello Ilene by John Fischer, Dog sitting in the 1952 Chevrolet Bel-Air by GPS_56, Painted Turtle By David Shane, super by istolethetv, parrot by swallowswan, Mime in

Guanajuato Mexico by Scott Clark, Green Light by Erich Ferdinand, Splash by downing.amanda, Unruly Females by USFWS Mountain Prairie, Funny Sign by Mikey,

countryfield by Edward Musiak

CC.BY.SA: City post-its: Wall by Sarah Joy, Orange by Christian Heindel, Two Roads Diverged in a Wood by Aia Fernandez, funnysigns, march 2015 by bertknot, Car Wash! by Ben+Sam, Rattlesnake by Richard Fraley, Battle of Borodino by 3off, Red shoes by

Solarisgirl, Green Light GO! by Kolin Toney

Fair Use: Kate Bush event from theargus.com, The More You Know meme, Thing on a Rollerskate from The Addams Family

Public Domain: green way to..? by anika, Kudzu on trees in Atlanta, GA from Wikipedia by Scott Ehardt

Font: Isserely, SIL Open Font License

The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South by Bill Finch, Smithsonian Magazine, September 2015

Questions?deb@openinventionnetwork.com

@baconandcoconut