Conflict Support Services

Design and delivery of a rigorous and collaborative methodology aimed at discovery and generating insight. Contrary to an investigation of fact, assessments engage participants in the creation of narratives (opinions, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions) that highlight main themes requiring attention and generate recommendations and an action plan for moving forward.

Providing a range of tools, assessments, and capacity building activities to enhance team functionality, cohesion, communication, decision-making, group problem-solving and cooperation. The premise being that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that sometimes a little help is needed to get the parts working better together.

Relationships that have experienced intense conflict, dysfunction and break-down often require healing, repair, and recovery, particularly when some form of trauma has occurred, including efforts at re-building trust, supporting resiliency, promoting empathy, encouraging compassion, and seeking opportunities for forgiveness. Context specific and culturally attuned processes are built with participants to support their efforts at resolution and recovery.

Building greater capacity to engage in conflict requires concerted effort. It rarely comes naturally, and it is essential to not only develop and fine-tune skills, but also have a good grasp of process (the “how”) while being grounded in a deliberate philosophy or attitude. Courses are designed and delivered (in-person or virtually) using a “tailored approach”, meaning that each offering responds directly to the learning needs of participants and is highly interactive and practice based. Reaching for Resolve provides courses in conflict communication, negotiation, mediation, facilitation, respectful workplace, collaborative decision-making, and other unique offerings as determined with the client.

As Einstein famously said, “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”, and at Reaching for Resolve we bring new and innovative thinking to problem solving and conflict resolution efforts. This means providing expert analysis and assessment of the nature of the problem or issue and then creatively designing a process that supports its resolution.

For good reason, many people struggle and need direct support to address conflict and engage in difficult conversations whether at work, at home or elsewhere. One-on-one or group coaching is a very effective tool for providing customized conflict help and targeted advice. This typically includes the development of a coaching plan that identifies goals, learning objectives and establishes a confidential, trusting “sounding-board-like” relationship to help prepare, upskill, practice, and debrief effective methods of engagement.

Adding expert capacity to negotiation processes is frequently a value-added proposition. Sometimes individuals, groups, departments, or other entities (e.g., First Nations, Unions, Employers etc.) wish for help in advancing their interests during negotiations or problem-solving events with other parties; this can occur “live-in-the-moment and at the table” or Reaching for Resolve can act in the background as a strategic advocate and negotiation process advisory resource.

Our customized leadership growth and development programs blend a range of modalities to empower individuals to “bring out the best version of themselves”. We offer coaching, strategic planning and advising, leadership learning and skills-development, and assessment and feedback methodologies. We support leaders to enhance their performance across a number of core competencies such as trust, emotional intelligence, motivation, humility, courage and inquisitiveness. One of the most common “blind spots” and capacity gaps among leaders of every kind is that of conflict competence. Reaching for Resolve is expert in helping leaders enhance conflict competence as a foundational attribute that contributes to more effective communication, decision-making, team cohesion and relational engagement.