Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution

What is the invitation?

You are invited to learn a simple to use process for facilitating Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution with individuals or groups who want to resolve their conflict.

Cross-cultural situations are any situations in which individuals or groups with perceived cultural differences are in conflict. Culture can include age and generational differences, departments or teams, different levels of the organization, as well as more commonly perceived cultural differences like race, religion, sexuality, or gender identity. By simultaneously recognizing that these differences exist while also honoring the aspects of the human being that are universal across all cultures, Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution supports finding resolution that is real, meaningful, and effective.

Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution is also for you if you are wanting to resolve a conflict within a culture.

Throughout this learning program, you will learn about a conflict resolution process that is:

• effective in creating real and meaningful resolution
• respecting each of the people involved so they feel heard, understood and accepted
• participative so that everyone feels they have contributed to the solution, creating buy-in throughout the process and into the implementation of the resolution
• creating conditions for the results to be both sustainable and regenerative
• having a conflict resolution strategy that is easy to use

Why use this approach?

This method for resolving conflict is applicable in every situation of conflict in which the people involved have determined that they want to resolve their conflict. The approach works with aspects of the human being that are universal, aspects of the human that are the same across all cultures. The approach is used successfully without a need to completely understand the cultural differences, just as one person cannot totally understand another person.

People engaged in conflict are usually fixed in one perspective. They rarely ask each other genuine questions. They also tend to lose contact with their whole selves, rendering voiceless a part of themselves and are unable to participate fully and effectively in efforts to resolve the conflict. Our process works with enabling the person to look again, to make genuine contact again.

Habits form within a conflict. This approach eases people to move beyond their fixed positions, drawing into their awareness their own needs and also the needs of others who are involved, and the needs of the organization itself. This approach is a foundational building block of shifting out of the fixed habits that developed during conflict, towards developing patterns that work better for all involved.

When the process is successful, an agreement is co-created by the people involved. Methods for monitoring and adjusting progress are also co-created. The approach is one that builds in sustainability of the new state of being with each other, and a pathway for regeneration of evolving improvements in more harmonious relationship.

Sometimes the process does not lead to a written agreement. Even so, participants who go through Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution work with our processes are shifted beyond going back to the re-enactment of their old fruitless conversations and their fixation on their previous perspective to a more holistic perspective that includes increased awareness of the positions of others involved in the conflict. This is a result even in situations where there is not resolution to the conflict.

Who needs to be involved?

Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution is designed for people who are directly involved in the conflict. They need to have a desire to shift out of the conflict, to resolve their conflict.

When an agreed upon resolution is reached, others who may have been affected by the conflict might also be invited to learn about the agreement and how it will be implemented.

How does it work?

Learning in this module is offered through 6 phases of learning, based on the Evolutionary Spiral. One of the multi-use tools that make up the Genuine Contact Toolkit, the Evolutionary Spiral offers a roadmap of your learning and development. Every phase provides the tools and tips for taking people through a Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution process the Genuine Contact Way.

1. Discernment: You will begin by establishing working definitions that capture your perceptions of conflict, conflict resolution, and Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution. You will develop clarity about what you need for successful conflict resolution. You will be presented with five beliefs for the purpose of examining your worldview and considering their implications for your Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution work.
2. Readiness: You will learn what you will need to do to ensure sufficient readiness in yourself and in an organization for successful Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution work. You will be guided in developing a readiness checklist complete with actions that you can take towards readiness.
3. Engagement: You will be taken through a series of activities to engage you with the art of Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution. You will increase your confidence and capacity for facilitating the process involved. You will learn the tools that you will use during construction of your plan for your Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution process. You will come to a new understanding of working with the weaving together of people with process with conflict resolution technology.
4. Construction: You will create a presentation to orient others to the way you want to do your Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution, a presentation that will become part of your own toolkit for your work in the future. While creating the presentation, you will be challenged in your understanding of all parts of the Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution process to clarify for yourself why you are including different aspects as part of your own plan.
5. Implementation: Develop clarity about what needs to be put in place for successful implementation of Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution. Through role play, you will have the opportunity in this phase to explore what is necessary for implementation of a Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution process, exploring obstacles and opportunities. You will look beyond the Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution meeting towards sustainability of the new state of relationships in the future. You will add a presentation based on your insights about implementation to your toolkit for your work in the future.
6. Monitoring and Adjustment: During a successful Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution process, a written agreement is co-created by the people who are resolving their conflict. In this phase, you will look at monitoring and adjustment in relation to what is in the agreement. You will add to your plans for developing the agreement to include what you learn in this phase about monitoring and adjustment. The purpose is to build both sustainability of the new state of relationships and opportunities for regeneration when adjustments are needed.

The module is designed with follow-on facilitated peer-with-peer mentoring circles to support your ongoing learning with Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution. These mentoring circles include group discussions facilitated by a Genuine Contact Trainer about what has been learned while applying your learning. This allows for deepening your learning and your conflict resolution facilitation through action/reflection adult learning.

The Complete Learning Program

This program includes 11 segments:

• Segment 1: Self-study video focusing on your Business and/or Development Goal. Plan for 1 hour.
• Segment 2: Welcome to Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution
• Segment 3: Conflict Prevention. Plan for 30 minutes.
• Segment 4: How You Show Up. Plan for 30 minutes.
• Segment 5: Is a Conflict Resolution Process Really Necessary? Plan for 30 minutes.
• Segment 6: Working with the Individual. Plan for 1 hour.
• Segment 7: Readiness for Working with the Group. Plan for 45 minutes.
• Segment 8: On the Subject of Safe Space. Plan for 20 minutes.
• Segment 9: Five Beliefs of Genuine Contact. Plan for 30 minutes.
• Segment 10: One-to-One Mentoring (3 hours). Date to be arranged with Birgitt Williams. For a leadership team going through this learning together, the one-to-one mentoring session is replaced by two group sessions with Birgitt Williams or Rachel Bolton of three hours each, date to be arranged.
• Segment 11: Real-time Mentoring Circle. 3 hours. Date: TBD 2024.

The complete learning program includes approximately 16 hours of study. The self-study materials are available immediately upon registration.

Supporting Learning in Teams and Groups

Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution is Advanced Skill Development Module 3 of the Genuine Contact program. Each module provides participants with a complete skill and knowledge set that is beneficial used on its own. Each module is also designed to be part of a multi-purpose blended approach and you may find added benefit to take the module in conjunction with other components of the Genuine Contact Program. Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution is a prerequisite for Train the Trainer. Contact us to find out what the right ‘bundle’ is to meet your unique development and business goals.

Terms and Conditions of Registration