Problem

Frustration or misunderstandings escalate into conflicts, harming relationships and making collaboration even more challenging.

Workshop Title

"From Conflict to Collaboration: Building Stronger Inter-Team Relationships"

Objectives

• Identify sources of conflict and tension between teams.
• Foster understanding and empathy through open dialogue.
• Develop actionable strategies to improve inter-team relationships.

Materials Needed

• Flipchart or whiteboard.
• Sticky notes and markers.
• Presentation materials (optional, such as large paper or slides).

Process

1. Welcome and Icebreaker (10 minutes)

Activity: Cross-Team Connections
↳ Pair participants from different teams. Ask them to share one thing their team does well and one challenge they face.

2. Identifying Conflict Sources (15 minutes)

Activity: What’s Causing the Tension?
↳ In mixed-team groups, brainstorm sources of inter-team conflict or tension, such as:

• Misaligned goals.
• Lack of communication.
• Resource competition.
  ↳ Groups share their findings, and the facilitator captures key themes on a flipchart or whiteboard.

3. Building Empathy and Understanding (20 minutes)

Activity: Walk in My Shoes
↳ Each team creates a short presentation or visual about:

• Their role in the organisation.
• Their key challenges and priorities.
• What they need from other teams to succeed.
  ↳ Teams share their presentations with the larger group.

4. Collaborative Problem-Solving (25 minutes)

Activity: Resolving a Shared Challenge
↳ Identify a shared challenge that involves multiple teams (e.g., meeting deadlines, improving customer experience).
↳ In mixed-team groups, use the 4-Step Problem-Solving Framework:

1. Define the problem.
2. Brainstorm solutions.
3. Evaluate options and choose the best solution.
4. Create an action plan.
   ↳ Groups present their solutions to the larger team.

5. Creating a Collaboration Charter (15 minutes)

Activity: Team Relationship Agreement
↳ As a whole team, develop a “Collaboration Charter” with guidelines for working together effectively. Examples:

• Regular inter-team check-ins.
• Clear communication of priorities and deadlines.
• Commitment to constructive feedback.

6. Closing and Reflection (5 minutes)

Activity: One Step Forward
↳ Each participant shares one action they’ll take to improve inter-team relationships (e.g., “I’ll schedule regular updates with Team B”).

Facilitator Notes

• 1. Welcome and Icebreaker (10 minutes): Purpose is to break the ice, build empathy, and set a collaborative tone.
• 2. Identifying Conflict Sources (15 minutes): Highlight shared challenges and validate that these are common and resolvable.
• 3. Building Empathy and Understanding (20 minutes): Show how perspective-taking reduces tension and builds trust.
• 4. Collaborative Problem-Solving (25 minutes): Emphasise how joint solutions lead to better outcomes.
• 5. Creating a Collaboration Charter (15 minutes): Output is a shared charter that guides collaboration moving forward.
• 6. Closing and Reflection (5 minutes): Reinforce the importance of ongoing commitment to strong relationships.

Follow-up

Schedule a review session in 4–6 weeks to assess progress and refine the Collaboration Charter as needed.