Team Disputes, Change Resistance, Mediation and Rollout Planning Training Course

Programme Summary

Team disputes and change resistance is the subject of this one-week training course for managers, heads of function and change leads at managerial level, ending in a dispute and change plan for one team. Many changes stall because an unresolved dispute and a quiet resistance feed each other while managers treat them as separate problems. The programme moves from diagnosis to dialogue and mediation, change design, rollout planning and follow-through. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme on team disputes and change resistance to mixed-organisation cohorts.

The Business Case

A dispute left alone hardens, and a change introduced into a divided team meets the resistance of those who feel unheard. Managers who find the cause of a dispute early, choose a suitable approach to it, and plan a change around the people it affects can keep work moving. That keeps rollout dates realistic for sponsors.

• Delivery Continuity: Improves as disputes are settled before they block shared work.
• Change Adoption: Rises as resistance is mapped and answered before and during rollout.
• Team Cohesion: Strengthens as agreements are written down and followed up.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Modes: Describe five ways of handling a dispute, used to choose an approach in Sessions 1 and 2.
• Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model: Sets out the stages of a change, used to sequence a rollout in Sessions 3 and 4.
• ADKAR Change Model: Looks at awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement for each person affected, used to read resistance in Sessions 3 and 5.
• Interest-Based Dialogue: Separates positions from underlying interests so that parties can agree terms, applied in Session 2.

Intended Participants

• Managers who must settle disputes between members of their teams.
• Heads of function who sponsor changes that cross several teams.
• Change leads who plan rollouts and answer questions from those affected.
• Team leaders who see resistance first and must decide how to respond.

Typical settings include banking, healthcare, manufacturing and public services.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to diagnose the causes of a team dispute from interests, roles and workload.
2. Participants will be able to evaluate a conflict approach against the situation using the Thomas-Kilmann modes.
3. Participants will be able to construct a mediation session plan with agreed terms and a follow-up.
4. Participants will be able to analyse resistance to a change person by person and design a response to it.
5. Participants will be able to construct a rollout plan with phases, support and adoption indicators.
6. Participants will be able to justify a dispute and change plan for one team to senior stakeholders.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Team Disputes and Change Resistance: Diagnosis and Causes

What is driving this dispute, and what is behind the resistance to this change?

• Dispute Anatomy Map
• Stakeholder Interest Grid
• Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Modes Profile
• Change Impact Assessment
• Resistance Source Log

Day 2: Dialogue and Mediation Approaches

How is a dispute opened up and settled between two parties?

• Conflict Mode Selection Table
• Interest-Based Dialogue Script
• Mediation Session Plan
• Agreement Terms Sheet
• Escalation Path Chart

Day 3: Change Design and Resistance Responses

How is a change planned so that resistance is met early?

• ADKAR Readiness Check
• Kotter Eight-Step Mapping
• Resistance Response Matrix
• Sponsor and Champion Plan
• Communication Cadence Plan

Day 4: Rollout Planning and Follow-Through

How is a change rolled out, and how is it checked after launch?

• Rollout Phase Plan
• Training and Support Plan
• Adoption Indicator Set
• Issue Escalation Log
• Pulse Check Schedule

Day 5: Dispute and Change Plan for One Team

Do the earlier tools make one plan that the team can run?

• Applying the Session 1 Resistance Source Log
• Testing the Session 2 Agreement Terms Sheet
• Reviewing the Session 3 Resistance Response Matrix
• Checking the Session 4 Adoption Indicator Set
• Completing the Dispute and Change Plan

Methodology

The programme uses a structured exercise on one prepared team case with a standing dispute, a planned change and a set of staff comments. Participants record their reasons in a common format and compare results in small groups before applying the same tools to a team from their own organisation.

• Suggested activity: Rehearsing a mediation session between two role players.
• Suggested activity: Mapping resistance for a change using the ADKAR questions.
• Suggested activity: Building a rollout phase plan with support points for one team.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a dispute and change plan for one team. It holds a diagnosis of the dispute, a chosen approach with reasons, a mediation outline, a resistance response matrix, a rollout phase plan and a set of adoption indicators. The plan is used at work to brief the team, agree terms with the parties and sponsor, and run the first follow-up check.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is team disputes and change resistance training suitable for managers new to leading change?

Yes. Team disputes and change resistance is taught through a worked team case and templates. The programme assumes some experience of managing people, but no earlier mediation or change role.

Which frameworks does team disputes and change resistance training rest on?

Team disputes and change resistance training rests on the Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes, Kotter's eight-step change model and the ADKAR change model, together with interest-based dialogue.

How is the plan from team disputes and change resistance training used at work?

You use the dispute and change plan to brief your team, agree terms with the parties and your sponsor, and run the first follow-up check against the adoption indicators.

How does team disputes and change resistance training differ from general negotiation training?

Team disputes and change resistance training teaches how to diagnose, mediate and plan a rollout inside one team, while general negotiation training concentrates on bargaining between separate parties over terms.