Responding to Resistance: 30 Ways to Manage Conflict in Your School Workshop
September 14, 21, and 28, 2022
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Central
Join author Bill Sommers as he discusses strategies to manage conflict in schools. This workshop will be offered in three two-hour segments.
Who should attend? A person who leads teams, grade level or department meetings, and/or school sites and districts, managing day-to-day issues that consume time and energy.
Many leaders express the frustration of spending more time on management issues than on learning strategies. The less time you spend on management issues, the more time available to accelerate learning among staff and students. This workshop was designed to save leaders time with specific strategies that can positively affect working relationships.
What distinguishes great leaders is the way they approach conflict management. Conflict can be positive if it concerns a cognitive process for getting things done. Conflict can be negative when it becomes emotional or affective. A benefit of developing a repertoire of response strategies can reduce the negative consequences and elevate positive outcomes, resulting in more collaboration and appreciation of different beliefs and opinions.
Will Felps (2006) writes that “one bad apple” can reduce productivity up to 40%. What if there were multiple bad apples? The strategies discussed in this workshop will help manage individuals, teams, and large groups.
The following book is strongly recommended for this workshop: Sommers, William (2020). Responding to Resistance: 30 Ways to Manage Conflict in Your School. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
