S2 Ep6: Conflict at Work, How to understand it: Prof Mark de Rond

Decoding Culture with Dr John Curran

My name is John Curran and I am your host. I am a business anthropologist, executive coach, systemic team coach, facilitator and trainer.

I am also the CEO of JC & Associates which is a consultancy that helps businesses develop better working cultures and relationships with their stakeholders.

This episode is the second part of my interview with Professor Mark de Rond, who is Professor of Organisational Ethnography at Cambridge Judge Busines School, Cambridge University.

Here, Mark and I explore the role that conflict plays in organisations and teams – from a fear of loss of identity to being a positive force in relation to idea generation and problem solving. I learnt a lot here about what we can learn from a underperforming rowing team.

We discuss how conflict is part of organisational culture and not outside it. And how can be interpreted as a form of communication.

Mark shares with me his 6 step approach to having courageous conversations in lockdown and how we must not be deterred from working with conflict when we are all cocooned in zoom work environments.

An important conclusion is the ability to create an environment that places empathy at the centre. Here, we agreed that leaders need to think anthropologically to achieve this.

You can also find out where Mark will take his anthropological note book.

Please do subscribe to the podcast feed and please feel free to give the podcast a rating on iTunes. To keep up to date with interesting trends on culture, business and anthropology sign up to my Decoding Culture newsletter. The link is also in the show notes.
Show Notes:
Mark:
Cambridge Judge Business School
“Courageous” conversations in lockdown
There is an I in Team (book)
Doctor's at War (book)
LinkedIn
John:
Twitter
LinkedIn
JC & Associates
Decoding Culture Newsletter
Training Programme