Conflict Management Training for Today's Engineering Managers

Abstract

Engineering managers must deal with conflicts arising from organizational changes and new job demands in addition to traditional role‐related conflicts. This paper describes a training module in conflict management for technical managers in a state department of transportation. The program was designed to match the personality characteristics of our participants as measured by the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator, which indicated that a majority were introverts, focused on the here‐and‐now, and more aware of the rational, rather than emotional aspects, of conflict situations. The program simulated conflict situations by having participants work in teams to determine budget priorities, and role‐play with a trained actor in scenarios based on actual incidents involving a citizen, a subordinate, and a contractor. Experiences from the exercises were related to conceptual material provided through lecture and discussion. The program has allowed engineering managers to understand their reactions and demonstrate effective conflict‐management skills. Guidelines for others wishing to develop or purchase conflict‐management programs are provided.