In a world without conflicts, a lot more would be achieved. The same is true in organizations where conflicts and politics often derail the strategy of the organization. This course ensures that understanding conflicts, how they have started, and the impact they are having (negative or positive) will lay the foundations for an effective course of action. The course starts with a categorization of conflict types and where they come from and then delves into people and their motivations. The link between politics and conflicts is discussed, including looking at politics within and across the project and operational environments. The course covers expectations mismatches and how to spot them before they result in conflicts. The course then looks at the various project stakeholders and how they may operate. Agency and stewardship theories are covered and the implications they have on behavior. Many conflict risks could be addressed with good communications, but this topic is discussed where they can frequently lead to conflicts.

The course then provides advice on how to master politics and bring influence to achieve your objectives. Then several conflict management strategies are discussed, and the course closes with the important role that PMOs play in managing conflicts. A case study concept is integrated into the course, where we take course attendees’ change challenges and solve them in teams. This makes for a hands-on workshop to help participants understand the challenges working in environments with conflicts to develop the skills necessary to understand and master conflict management to the benefit of achieving their organizational goals.