Organisations are only just beginning to recognise that innovation and collaboration flourish in conflict and that the win-lose belief system in adversarial cultures that seeks to dampen and control diversity is not fit-for-purpose in a rapidly changing world.
Great organisational cultures have the aptitude to integrate conflict and collaboration. Both are needed together. Collaboration without conflict leads to conformity and a lack of creativity. Conflict without collaboration leads to disrespect and alienation.
The conflict coach doesn’t just enable disputants to settle their issues, rather the conflict coach supports the organisation so that it learns from its conflicts and so that the organisational culture becomes more effective in resolving similar disputes in the future.