Successful conflict management in change processes

Triggers of conflicts and dynamics in the context of change processes  

• Organizational changes in the structural and process organization.  
• General digitization projects.  
• Concrete implementation projects for new software systems. 

Classification of conflicts and dynamics 

• Understanding of possible levels and sources of conflict such as hierarchies, interest groups and individual and group-specific conflicts and dynamics. 
• Recognize the actual actors, the presumed causes and drivers of the conflict and thus the reference persons/groups for the respective conflict dynamics. 
• Classification of the actors, their dynamics and their visible and invisible actions. 
• Misunderstandings and apparent conflicts: comparison of the change processes actually envisaged with the apparent understanding of the stakeholders. 
• Recognizing politically desired tensions and their instrumentalization.  

Targeted conflict management  

• Early conflict avoidance through anticipation and containment of conflicts and dynamics. 
• Adequate overarching communication and communication cascade to avoid misunderstandings.  
• Recognizing conflict-accelerating psychological and historical drivers during the change process. 
• Avoiding the creation of content-related and/or emotional blockages. 
• Instruments for strengthening or calming conflicts and dynamics at different points in the change process. 
• Ad hoc conflict interventions and mediation of conflicts.