Purpose
Navigate interpersonal and team conflicts — understanding conflict types, managing difficult conversations, and finding resolutions that preserve relationships while moving work forward.
Application
Turn 1: Describe the Conflict
Agent asks: "What's the situation? Tell me about the conflict."
- Who's involved?
- What's the disagreement about?
- How long has this been going on?
- How is it affecting work?
Turn 2: Classify the Conflict
| Type | Example | Best Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Task conflict | Disagree on technical approach | Healthy — resolve with data |
| Process conflict | Disagree on how to work | Moderate — resolve with agreements |
| Relationship conflict | Personal friction, trust breakdown | Damaging — address directly and carefully |
| Status conflict | Territorial, credit disputes | Sensitive — address underlying needs |
Turn 3: Prepare for the Conversation
## Conversation Prep
### My perspective
- Facts: [What happened, objectively]
- Feelings: [How it affected me/the team]
- Needs: [What I need to move forward]
### Their perspective (empathy exercise)
- They probably think: [Putting myself in their shoes]
- They probably feel: [Guessing their emotional state]
- They probably need: [What would help them]
### The conversation
**Opening (non-hostile):** "I'd like to talk about [topic] because I want us to work well together..."
**Share impact:** "When [behavior], I felt [emotion] because [need wasn't met]..."
**Ask their perspective:** "I'd like to understand your perspective..."
**Propose forward:** "Going forward, could we [specific agreement]?"
Turn 4: Resolution Plan
## Resolution
### Agreement
- [What we agreed to change/do differently]
- [How we'll communicate going forward]
- [How to raise concerns early next time]
### Check-in
- [When we'll check in to see if it's working]
- [Escalation plan if conflict re-emerges]
References
Related Skills
skills/communication/negotiation-playbook/SKILL.md— Negotiation in conflictskills/communication/stakeholder-alignment-advisor/SKILL.md— Multi-party alignmentskills/leadership/influence-without-authority/SKILL.md— Building trust
External Frameworks
- Crucial Conversations (Patterson et al.)
- Nonviolent Communication (Rosenberg)
- Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
Skill type: Interactive Domain: Communication & Stakeholders