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Running head: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROPOSAL 1

Conflict Management Training Proposal

Prepared for O.C. Tanner Office Support Team

Prepared by Taylor Stearman

COM453

April 25, 2016

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROPOSAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRAINER BIOGRAPHY------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4-5

BACKGROUND OF O.C. TANNER’S OFFICE SUPPORT TEAM-------------------------- 6

NEEDS ASSESSMENT ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------- 6-8

SKILLS TO BE TRAINED -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8-9

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PLAN--------------------------------------------- 9-15

TRAINING RESULTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

REFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

APPENDIX A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18-19

APPENDIX B ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20-25

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Trainer Biography

Taylor Stearman has an A.A. from Mesa Community College and will obtain his

Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership with honors from Arizona State University

in August of 2016. Taylor has received training certificates from multiple organizations,

including Starbucks and Mesa Septic and Rooter. Taylor manages a project team for Mesa Septic

and Rooter, where he practices exemplary leadership and fosters a culture conducive to learning.

In addition to project management, Taylor also engages in the training of new employees on

organizational processes and duties. His approachableness, optimistic approach to training, and

passion for facilitating growth in trainees has resulted in excellent testimonials from trainees and

praise from multiple high performance organizations.

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Executive Summary

This is a Needs-Based Training Plan Proposal for the O.C. Tanner Office Support Team.

Needs Assessment

I performed a Needs Assessment using a multifaceted questionnaire, as well as multiple

follow-up interviews. This assessment revealed issues in conflict management skills in the

organization’s virtual teams. This has resulted in unresolved conflict, poor relational links

between team members and other virtual teams, as well as a loss of productivity. The effects of

this issue are significant, lowering organizational efficiency and effectiveness, which is

especially costly. However, with purposeful training this communication issue can be addressed

and resolved. In my opinion, training for all Office Support team members in skills of conflict

management will alleviate these problems, once trainees implement the skills.

Conflict Management Training Plan

Objectives

At the end of the training employees will be able to: use an integrated approach to understand

other positions, adjust messages for people with varying communication styles, approach conflict

as an initiator, and respond to conflict as a receiver.

Time Requirement: 9:00AM-12:00PM (3 hours)

Number of Trainees: 8

Technology and Equipment Required From Client: LCD projector and whiteboard than can

also be used as a projector screen. From the conversations I have had with my organizational

contact, I understand that this equipment is available in the conference room at the company’s

local Phoenix office. The trainer will provide all other technology and equipment.

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Executive Summary, continued

Logistics: Use of conference room at company’s Phoenix office, eight chairs, two tables that can

comfortably seat four trainees each.

Materials and Supplies: The trainer will provide all writing materials that will be used for this

training session including all handouts, dry-erase markers, and pens. The organization will need

to provide refreshments for training breaks.

Budget: The training will be administered free of charge. Reimbursement: materials, supplies

and refreshments for eight employees will cost approximately $45.

Methods and Format: The training is formulated in segments to collectively train the elements

of effective conflict management detailed in the objectives. The methods used in each segment

include: lectures, guided group discussions, knowledge-check group activities, and experiential

role-playing activities. The plan was designed using multiple credible and up-to-date approaches

to Andragogy, in an effort to train these employees as effectively and efficiently as possible.

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Background of O.C. Tanner’s Office Support Team

O.C. Tanner develops strategic employee recognition and reward solutions that help

people accomplish and appreciate great work (O.C. Tanner, 2016). This privately held

organization was founded in 1927 and pioneered the recognition industry. The fundamental

purpose of O.C. Tanner is to recognize employees and teams in an effort to drive engagement,

motivation, and organizational results. O.C. Tanner has more than 8,000 clients in 150 countries,

and more than 1,500 employees from 56 countries of original origin (O.C. Tanner, 2016). The

Office Support team is a virtual team that utilizes mediated technology to communicate both

internally and externally. This virtual team is in charge of supporting sales offices with any and

all issues including overflow, training needs, etc. The individuals on this team are men and

women between the ages of 27-54. These are the individuals I will be training and for whom this

proposal has been specifically developed.

Needs Assessment Analysis

A Needs Assessment in the form of a questionnaire was developed and given to Teashya

Padbury, my contact at O.C. Tanner’s Office Support Team. Ms. Padbury’s contact information

can be found in Appendix A of this document. In addition, the filled out needs assessment

questionnaire can be found in its entirety in Appendix B. The context that is addressed in the

assessment stemmed from my initial conversations with Ms. Padbury, in which she pointed out

relational issues, specifically when mediated technology is utilized, that were resulting from

ineffective conflict management. The purpose of the needs assessment was to assess what skills

the employees were lacking, what they already knew, and whether the organization would

benefit from training on any of these skills.

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This analysis was sequenced in a general-to-specific format, in which the initial questions

are very general and become gradually more specific as the survey taker completes the

questionnaire. For example, the first question is general in that it assesses whether or not a

training program that would teach these skills already exists within the organization.

Additionally, the fourth question demonstrates the way in which they become more specific in

that it assesses whether or not employee processes and behaviors are consistent with this training

that they receive. The variations of potential answers were developed in a combination of both

multiple-choice and Likert formats.

Upon the completion of the assessment, analysis, as well as multiple follow-up

conversations with my organizational contact, it is apparent that Ms. Padbury’s virtual team

faces communication issues regarding conflict management. These issues could be mitigated if

team members were to adjust messages for people with varying communication styles and

approach conflict as an initiator and respond as a receiver (“MindTools,” 2015).

Ms. Padbury was kind enough to share an example of how these issues affect

effectiveness at her organization. In this example, two virtual team members were working on a

reward proposal together for one of their clients, DOW, however the members assigned to the

task had very utilized different approaches to their job, as well as communication, which led to a

great deal of conflict. Throughout the project the two employees struggled to meet milestones

and delivered a program proposal that was a much lower quality than any proposals the two had

generated in the past. Being that DOW is a particularly large client for the organization, the

quality of the proposal that the two team members developed was not sufficient enough to be

used. This resulted in the proposal being assigned to another team. Though this team was able to

produce a quality proposal, the organization was negatively affected by the loss of time.

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Additionally, had the DOW account been lost as a result of this low-quality proposal the

ramifications would have been much more significant. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable,

however, “using integrated approaches to understand others by effectively adjusting messages

for those with varying communication styles, approaching conflict as an initiator, and responding

as a receiver can alleviate the negative effects associated with conflict” (“MindTools,” 2015).

Had the team members in Ms. Padbury’s example had these skills, it is likely that the situation

would have benefitted significantly.

Skills To Be Trained

Conflict occurs when two individuals or groups perceive some incompatibility between

themselves. Being that team members within an organization pursue various goals collectively,

conflict can result in various negative organizational effects. After assessing O.C. Tanner’s

Office Support team, I have determined that the conflict management skills that the team lacks

include: using an integrated approach to understand other positions, adjusting messages for

people with varying communication styles, and approaching conflict as an initiator and

responding as a receiver. The specific spoken communication skills that I will teach are

associated with conflict management as it pertains to virtual sales teams utilizing mediated

technology to communicate.

“Conflict in the workplace can destroy good teamwork. And, if it’s managed in the wrong

way, real and legitimate differences between people can spiral out of control, resulting in

situations where cooperation breaks down and the team’s mission is threatened” (“MindTools,”

2015). This is where using an integrated approach to understanding other positions and adjusting

messages for those with varying communication styles are especially beneficial. By effectively

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utilizing these skills when managing conflict, the “conflict can be constructive, lead to creative

solutions, and help people work together productively” (“MindTools,” 2015).

Approaching conflict as an initiator and responding as an receiver emphasizes

understanding everyone’s positions and perspectives, and using that information to find mutually

beneficial solutions to conflict (“MindTools,” 2015). This is an important element regarding

conflict management that can have significant effects on organizational effectiveness and

productivity. When team members work together to find mutually advantageous ways of dealing

with conflict, they “have an opportunity to capitalize on diverse perspectives and find alternative

ways of doing things” (“MindTools,” 2015).

Training these skills will help the trainees on the Office Support team to understand how

conflict occurs, implement the necessary tools to resolve conflict, and be able to help people

accomplish work together more productively. By understanding the various differences in

communication styles, the virtual team will have the opportunity to capitalize on diverse

perspectives and find alternative ways of doing things (“MindTools,” 2015).

Conflict Management Training Plan

After determining that O.C. Tanner’s Office Support team had a need for these conflict

management skills, I have chosen to conduct a training session that will teach all Office Support

team members to understand and effectively utilize these skills. The specific conflict

management skills to be trained include: using an integrated approach to understand another

person’s position, adjusting messages for people with varying communication styles,

approaching conflict as an initiator and responding to it as a receiver.

Training Objectives

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In my opinion, training in these specific conflict management communication skills will

benefit organizational effectiveness, as well as team productivity. In addition training on these

skills could potentially establish cultural norms that could positively influence how conflict is

managed company-wide. By the end of the training session the Office Support team be able to:

understand how conflict occurs, understand the various differences in communication styles, and

implement the skills necessary to resolve conflict in a mutually beneficial manner.

The training plan that I have outlined is unique to O.C. Tanner and is to be administered

in one three-hour session to eight virtual team members. The plan was designed using multiple

credible and up-to-date approaches to Andragogy, in an effort to train these employees as

effectively and efficiently as possible. In addition, this training plan has been organized

according to Beebe, Mottet, and Roach’s (2013) five steps to teaching a skill; tell, show, invite,

encourage, correct (p.90-93).

Ice Breaker Activity

The icebreaker that I will use for this group is Word Association. This icebreaker helps

people begin to explore and become familiar with the topic of the training. For example, for

communication training on conflict management, the trainer asks for words or phrases that come

to mind relating to “conflict” or “conflict management”. The trainees would then suggest words

that they associate with this topic, which can be written or clustered on a white board. This can

be used as an opportunity to introduce essential terms and discuss the scope of the training. I

have chosen this icebreaker, because the team that I will be training is already familiar with each

other. Therefore the best use of training time would be to begin familiarizing the trainees with

the concepts.

Necessary Technology

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For this training session I will need the organization to provide the following technological

equipment:

• LCD projector

I will be able to provide the additional technological equipment that is required for this training

session, which includes:

• Four Apple IPads

Logistics

From the conversations I have had with my organizational contact, I understand that all

of the necessary equipment required for the training is available in the conference room at the

company’s Phoenix office. Additionally, I have learned that the Office Support team holds

monthly face-to-face meetings at the Phoenix office. In an effort to make the training as efficient

and cost effective as possible I have coordinated the training to be conducted on the same day as

one of these meetings. I will be providing all written materials needed to conduct this training

session. Additionally, I will require the organization to provide the technological equipment

listed in the following section, Technology, to conduct this training. I will coordinate with the

organization’s Executive Assistant for necessary accommodations including transportation of

equipment, access to power sources, lighting, facilities access, and necessary layout of the

training room. The training will also require eight chairs and two tables that can be moved with

relative ease and comfortably seat four trainees each.

Handouts

For this training session I will be providing trainees with a participant’s guide, which includes:

a brief outline of the training session with a summary of the training objectives,

the training schedule,

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a brief description of each training element,

note-taking versions of the PowerPoint presentations,

questionnaire on conflict management.

Required Supplies

I will provide all writing materials that will be used for this training session including all

handouts, dry-erase markers, and pens. The organization will need to provide refreshments for

training breaks, as well as a whiteboard that can also be utilized as a projector screen.

Budget

An itemized list of the resources that will need to be provided by the organization include:

Refreshments

LCD projector

Whiteboard that can be utilized as projector screen

An itemized list of the resources that the trainer will be providing include:

Participant guides (8; plus backup guides)

Pens (at least 20)

Dry-erase markers (4)

Apple IPads (4)

My organizational contact has informed me that the company already owns multiple LCD

projectors, as well as multiple conference rooms equipped with white boards that can be utilized

for training purposes. Considering that the organization will not have purchase these resources,

the only item left to provide is refreshments for eight team members. I estimate the refreshments

to be approximately $45. The trainer will provide all additional resources.

Training Format

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This training was designed to be the most effective training plan possible for the age and

learning styles of these specific employees (Beebe, Mottet, and Roach, 2013). In addition, this

training plan has been organized according to Beebe, Mottet, and Roach’s (2013) five steps to

teaching a skill; tell, show, invite, encourage, correct (p.90-93).

The introduction of training topic and objectives lecture provides trainees with the

training that is to come, as well as the objectives of the training itself.

The video demonstrating the effects conflict management skills on individual, team, and

organizational effectiveness provides trainees with an explanation of how training this

communication skill will benefit them, their team, and their organization.

The conflict management practices lecture utilizing visual aids is used to describe the

communication skill and how it is properly utilized.

Guided group discussion on conflict management practices utilizing interaction

management strategies is used to reinforce the information that was just described.

The lecture on how to how to effectively use an integrated approach to understand

another’s position and how to effectively adjust to varying communication styles begins

the show step in teaching a skill and is used to demonstrate how these specific

communication skills are utilized effectively to benefit conflict management.

The video demonstrating how to approach conflict as an initiator and respond as a

receiver is another portion of the show step in which the effective use of a conflict

management communication skill is demonstrated to trainees.

The group discussion on performing the conflict management communication skills

utilizing the round robin technique is used to reinforce the demonstrations that the

trainees have just experienced.

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The experiential activity in this training plan is used to invite the trainees to perform the

skills that they have just learned. The Group discussion on actual situations that the

trainees have experienced involving communication skills and conflict management is

utilized to determine the scenarios that the trainees will act out in the replay of life. Next,

the introduction of the experiential activity will help to inform trainees on how to conduct

the activity and engage them. Being that the group of individuals I am training work in a

virtual team together, I felt that this activity would be best conducted utilizing mediated

technology. Therefore, I decided to integrate the Apple IPads into the activity by having

the trainees practice what they have learned using this technology, rather than face-to-

face interaction. During the role-playing, as well as in the group discussion following the

replay of life, trainees will be encouraged and corrected. This process will ensure that

trainees are sufficiently learning and are able to effectively apply the training objectives

that the program teaches.

The final lecture debriefing the trainees and reiterating the training objectives utilizing

visual aids will be used to reiterate and assess the attainment of the training objectives.

Delivery Plan

9:00AM-12:00PM

Icebreaker (10 minutes): 9:00AM

Introduction of training topic and objectives lecture utilizing audio and visual aids (15

minutes): 9:10AM

Video demonstrating the effects conflict management skills on individual, team, and

organizational effectiveness (10 minutes): 9:25AM

Conflict management practices lecture utilizing visual aids (15 minutes): 9:35AM

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Guided group discussion on conflict management practices utilizing interaction

management strategies (10 minutes): 9:50AM

Break (15 minutes): 10:00AM

Lecture on how to how to effectively use an integrated approach to understand another’s

position and how to effectively adjust to varying communication styles (15 minutes):

10:15AM

Video demonstrating how to approach conflict as an initiator and respond as a receiver

(10 minutes): 10:30AM

Group discussion on performing these conflict management skills utilizing the round

robin technique (15 minutes): 10:40AM

Group discussion on actual situations that trainees have experienced involving

communication skills and conflict management (10 minutes): 10:55AM

Introduce experiential activity utilizing the role playing method replay of life (5 minutes):

11:05AM

Division of trainees into two random groups of four (5 minutes): 11:10AM

Role play: Replay of life (20 minutes): 11:15AM

Group discussion on replay of life utilizing the round robin technique (15 minutes):

11:35AM

Lecture debriefing trainees and reiterating the training objectives utilizing visual aids (10

minutes): 11:50AM

End: 12:00PM

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Training Results

As previously mentioned, conflict occurs when two individuals or groups perceive some

incompatibility between themselves. Being that team members within an organization pursue

various goals collectively, conflict can result in various negative organizational effects; however,

training on conflict management skills can alleviate these affects. O.C. Tanner demonstrated a

need for these skills, which was made evident by the multiple examples of issues stemming from

conflict pointed out by my organizational contact, Ms. Padbury, as well as her responses to the

needs assessment questionnaire.

This training plan is unique to the Office Support team at O.C. Tanner and is to be

administered in one three-hour session to eight virtual team members. By utilizing the

knowledge gained from the training and effectively implementing these skills in the team’s

virtual environment, members of the Office Support team will experience an increase in

productivity and organizational effectiveness. The benefits will be realized by enhancing the

team’s collaborative competency by improving conflict management skills. This increase in

collaborative competency will help team members to work together and find mutually

advantageous ways of dealing with conflict, which provides an “opportunity to capitalize on

diverse perspectives and find alternative ways of doing things” (“MindTools,” 2015).

After the training is concluded, I will evaluate the programs effectiveness and success in

regard to meeting the objectives stated with this training by assessing the affective, cognitive,

and behavioral learning outcomes. I will then interpret this data and use it to analyze the overall

effectiveness of the training program in regard to trainee competency and measurable

organizational benefits.

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References

Beebe, S. A., Mottet, T. P., & Roach, D. K. (2013). Training and Development: Communicating

for Success (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

MindTools (2015) Bite-Sized Scenario Training: Managing Conflict. Retrieved from

https://www.mindtools.com/community/Bite-SizedTraining/ManagingConflict.php

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https://www.mindtools.com/community/Bite-SizedTraining/ManagingConflict.php


Appendix A

Contact Information and Consent Form

T. Padbury | (480) 335-1010 | [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROPOSAL 19


Appendix B

Needs Assessment Questionnaire

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Documents

Web viewTaylor has received training certificates from multiple organizations, including Starbucks and Mesa Septic and Rooter. ... In addition to project management,