Course: The Psychology of Conflict Transformation

Sentence 1: Not every fight requires a referee, most require a map.

Course Title: Psychological Approaches to Conflict Transformation, a 6 week blended programme for emerging leaders and HR professionals

Programme snapshot
Target audience: Emerging leaders and HR leaders in mid to large size Australian organisations (teams of 8 to 50) including hybrid virtual/co located teams across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Geelong and Parramatta.
Level: Intermediate, assumes participants have some people management experience but limited formal training in conflict psychology.
Duration & format: Six week blended programme, 3×3 hour virtual workshops (weeks 1 to 3), plus full day face to face masterclass day (week 4) in one nominated city followed by two weeks of guided action learning and virtual clinics (weeks 5 to 6). Total contact time: 18 hours plus pre/post and applied workplace practice (12 to 15 hours).
Delivery mode: Blended, live virtual workshops over a secure LMS + one compulsory face to face masterclass in participant's catalogued city (options above). Virtual clinics & manager check ins (invoice with us)
Per participant fee: $495 inc. GST (capped cohort sizes; see constraints below)
Assessment & measurement: Pre/post validated surveys, roleplay scoring against a rubric, manager observation checklist, 90 day behavioural adoption check, optional team level sentiment analytics

Practical constraints
Max 18 participants per cohort (to ensure everyone gets the practice they need); min 8 to run
Platform: Zoom (for live sessions), Moodle style LMS (delivering pre work and resources), Miro (interactive exercises).
Budget limited to $495 incl. GST per head, btw resources are digital, catering at the face to face sessions is low maintenance and facilitator resources slimline but beautifully crafted.

Why this clip, plain
Conflict can't be avoided. It is lazy and expensive to ignore the psychology of it. We like real world psychological tools that leaders can use next week to diminish hurt, defuse escalation and reorganise relationships, not just paper over symptoms. There are some people who will tell you you can't train empathy. I say that you can teach frameworks and practices that reliably influence behaviour. Others will say it's too "soft" for senior executives; I don't think it is, the best leaders I know marry steel and softness. This is what that programme is made for, pragmatic, evidence based, quietly disruptive.

Learning Outcomes (Behavioural or measurable):
At the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the underlying psychological causes of conflict at work (identity threat, cognitive bias, trauma residue) with an instrument available.
2. Use 3 techniques to reframe the hostility in your mind and build vs. perpetuate destructive narrative #LeadershipCommunities.
3. Use trauma based engagement tools as necessary, to know when to step down escalation and transfer to specialist support.
4. Allow brief discussions and a modest form of negotiated order in order to save face and reach lasting accords.
5. Train manager direct reports and peers in the practice of perspective taking and active listening (as assessed by manager observations, before and after participant survey).
6. Embed two low cost structural interventions (modified team rituals and shared goals) that decrease the recurrence rate, along with 90 day follow up metrics.

Core modules and session plan

Week 0, Pre work (self paced, 2 to 3 hours)
- Diagnostic baseline: Participants complete a validated conflict style inventory and a short psychological safety and wellbeing survey (pre survey).
- Pre reading and micro lessons: 30 minute video on social identity basics, 20 minute module on cognitive biases in conflict; and a 15 minute interview with an experienced mediator.
- Practical pre task: Identify current (or recent) low to medium severity conflict in your workplace. Develop a one page anonymised case vignette for use at the workshop.

Week 1, Virtual Workshop 1 (3 hours): Mapping conflict, psychology before tactics
- Learning objectives: comprehend systemic and personal drivers; establish a shared language for psychological processes that fuel conflict.
- Content: Quick lecture on the difference between classic resolution and transformation of conflicts; run through of the diagnostic tool; intro to identity threats and bias (ensuring they understand concepts like confirmation bias, moral superiority bias, attribution errors); Small group read anonymised real cases provided in advance by participants, making sure they surface their stories from this example based practice, so I know exactly where we're starting from live together. Map escalation pathways live on Miro.
- Output: Each participant leaves with a filled out diagnostic map for your case + Plan of action shortlist for Week 2 practice.

2nd week, Virtual Workshop 2 (3 hours): Psychological interventions, reframing, cognitive restructuring and practical empathy
- Learning objectives: Understand reframing and cognitive restructuring; apply perspective taking when under pressure.
- Content: How to reframe narratives, frameworks for cognitive restructuring, the role of empathy in coaching where it works and where it doesn't help, how to know when to use NVC language
- Activities: Paired practice with immediate feedback (10 mins each), triads micro coaching where one person coaches another through a prepared script; group debrief passing the mic around.
- Assessment: Role play scored using having participants playing themselves scoring a peer's response from R1. Formal criterion reference assessments of workshop learning conducted with tools used as pre/post tests.

Week 3, Virtual Workshop 3 (3 hours): Group identity, de categorisation and contact strategies
- Learning objectives: Design interventions that change group perceptions and reduce in group/out group polarisation.
- Content: Social Identity Theory practical translation, de categorisation versus re categorisation techniques, designing structured contact interventions (superordinate goals, cross functional projects).
- Activities: Scenario planning for teams (breakouts), design a 60 day team intervention plan, facilitator feedback.
- Deliverable: Each participant submits a 2 page implementation plan for a structural intervention they will pilot during weeks 5 to 6.

Week 4, Face to Face Masterclass (1 full day, 8 hours): Mediation, trauma informed practice and real time lab
- Learning objectives: Practice mediation & facilitation; apply trauma informed approach to conflict resolution training; safely navigate high emotion interactions.
- Morning: The mediator's step by step journey through mediation. Process intensive. Active listening labs. Conversations in non violent communication when the stakes are high!
- Afternoon: Practising with a trauma informed lens we see more clearly: Recognition of Trauma, Pacing, Referral. Scenarios implemented with professional actors or trained role play partners. Extended role play followed by live feedbacks and video review from coaches.
Assessment Task at Workshop: Applied tool learning applied. Am roleplay individuated marking criteria rigour against rubric (communication, empathy, safety management problem solving). Participants who pass the threshold gain a "Practitioner" badge.
Logistics note: I conduct SLGMM in several cities, and it's important to me that cohorts are drawn from nearest city (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Geelong or Parramatta) so travel is kept to a minimum and all budgets align with the $495 fee.

Week 5, Guided Action Learning (virtual clinics plus workplace practice)
- Learning objectives: Intervene; test hypotheses; refine skills in real contexts.
- Activities: Two 90 minute virtual clinics for trouble shooting, participants run their 60 day intervention plan at work, manager observation check lists rolled out, peer coaching groups meet weekly.
- Measurement: Mid point manager observation; real time reflection logs submit to LMS.

Week 6, Consolidation & Measurement (virtual, 3 hours)
- Learning objectives: Reflect, capture evidence of behaviour change, plan sustainability.
- Content: Review pre/post surveys and roleplay/observe data, iterate sustainability plans.
- Activities: Presentation of pilot results to peer participants and receive feedback; submit certificate indicating completion of training; take time stamp post survey capturing current social support for a new habit with interest free $100 loan commitment statement.
Follow up: 90 day behavioural adoption check in; optional executive debrief.

Assessment & evaluation framework
Pre/post validated survey: Measuring psychological safety, conflict handling style and team sentiment. Quantitative improvement target: an average 20 to 30 percent improvement in self reported conflict competence (benchmarked).
Roleplay rubric: 6 dimensions, safety & containment, active listening, reframing skill, perspective taking, solution orientation, process stewardship. Scored 1 to 5. Cut off point: Minimum = mean 3.5.
Manager observation checklist: 8 items (use of NVC, willingness to pause, de escalation language, documented follow up). Binary + possible qualitative notes: Leaders meta metric of leader improvement metric (pre and 60 days post intervention)
Team metric: Optional pulse survey for inclusive teams (pre and 60 days post intervention)
ROI proxy: Reduction in repeat escalation incidences in pilot team, target a 25% reduction in repeated disputes within the first 90 days. Qualitative evidence that collaboration has improved.

Materials and resources
Digital Toolkit: Diagnostic map template, roleplay scripts, reframing play book, trauma informed checklist, manager observation form, 60 day intervention plan template
LMS modules: Micro videos AND reflection journals AND short quizzes PLUS downloadable facilitator scripts
Optional extras: Professional role players for Masterclass. Small printed workbook for in person sessions (kept to a minimum due to budget)

Facilitator Profile and Training Requirement
- Lead Facilitators: (Mediator Qualification), with a minimum 8 to 10 years experience in workplace dispute resolution, organisational development. We are anticipating a pragmatic blend of one facilitator with strong mediation background, one either clinically trained or trauma informed and a lead Business coach who understands organisational levers.
- Facilitator training (internal): calibration workshop half day to guarantee consistency in rubric scoring, safety protocols and cultural sensitivity (especially for Indigenous and CALD contexts).
CO FACILITATION MODEL: Two per workshop to allow quality small group time / deeper coaching.

Safety, ethics and inclusion
- Trauma informed safeguards: Explicit opt out mechanisms for participants; EAP or private counselling referrals; confidentiality policy on clinical case study examples.
- Diversity & inclusion: Content tailored to diverse workplaces with respect applied to Indigenous perspectives. In the case of sensitive community issues, we advise co design with local HR leads.
- Legal & HR alignment: The instructors encourage participants to consult HR on any cases that might require formal procedures; the course is designed to bring about transformation but does not supersede legal or disciplinary paths.

Implementation information in practice
- Size of the cohort: 8 to 18. Small enough to practice; large enough for diversity: Especially important for underrepresented leaders
- Scheduling advice: Avoid annual performance review windows, choose instead weeks where operational load is light
- Platform security: Use secure video conferencing and LMS accounts behind SSO and maintain recordings only with consent.
- Budget hacks: In order to keep our $495 price point we have regional hubs run the masterclasses at the same time, plus some blended learning so that travel can be minimised.

Measurement plan and evidence of impact
- Immediate outputs: Diagnostic assessment, roleplay scores, intervention plans completed.
Short term (30 to 60 days): Improved manager observation and participant self reporting; pilot intervention data.
Medium term (90 days): Behaviour adoption check, operational metrics (decrease in repeated complaints; increase in team pulse).
Long term: Recommendation for 12 month follow up survey with optional annual refresher to maintain skills.

For different audiences
Frontline staff: Shrink theoretical input and extend practical roleplay time; delivery masterclass in local area
Senior executives: Remodel them so they are less reliant on roleplay, using more scenario based tabletops; include strategic interventions to elicit structural change and board level narrative design
HR teams: Add modules on redesigning policy, integrating with existing disciplinary processes, and measurement of psychosocial risk. Consider emotional intelligence training for managers as a complementary programme.

Sample week by week schedule (short form)
- Week 0: Pre work (2 to 3 hours)
- Week 1: Virtual Workshop 1, virtual visit and reflection (5 hours total)
- Week 2: Virtual Workshop 2 & exercise on presented case with debriefing (6 hours total)
- Week 3: Face to face masterclass session, practical skills workshop: Case mapping or mediation role play

For ongoing development and deeper understanding of these concepts, participants may find value in exploring resolving conflict for peace strategies and what is conflict resolution fundamentals.