Conflict as a Force for Change
Malcolm ran a workshop for us on conflict. In our company, staff surveys were consistently saying conflict was a problem, but we just could not seem to effectively tackle it. We had some very fiery people who loved a battle, and thus could take ages to get to a solution, and others who hated battling so much they would shut up and avoid saying anything, meaning we lost their contribution. Malcolm consulted with me and got a good understanding of the personalities and the issues.
I managed to convince fellow directors and all senior managers to participate in a one day workshop. It was akin to corporate group therapy. To say I was concerned about the day and how it would be perceived would be an understatement. I needn’t have worried though, as Malcolm was brilliant in working with this strong willed group. And the person (a co-director) who hates these types of things most said it was a really valuable day. Whilst people weren’t always sure what they had learnt, it was notable after this day that conflict showed massive improvement. So something sunk in at a deeper level. Malcolm was very responsive and efficient in setting the workshop up, and thus very easy to work with. Overall, I was very surprised how well it all worked, and glad I took the risk!
Hillel Horwitz – CEO – Legal Services Company