Conflicts are present in all spheres of public life, in relations between colleagues, friends, relatives and strangers. The conflict reveals the existing contradiction, which means it allows you to pay close attention to it and eliminate the problem.
Who can manage the conflict?
Conflict experts are professionally engaged in the study of conflicts, the causes of their occurrence, and methods for resolving and resolving them. For effective process management, it is necessary to objectively perceive the positions and values of the parties, to understand the mechanisms of development of controversial situations, to correctly choose a method of influence, to evaluate the boundaries of one's own competence in overcoming differences.
What kind of professional conflict expert is he?
The personality of the specialist acts as an important conflict management tool. A successful professional should have character traits that help him cope with difficult situations and realize the tasks set in conflict management. Conflictology initially appeared at the junction of several humanities, therefore, a specialist needs to possess knowledge from the fields of sociology, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, law, be able to conduct trainings and sociological studies. The more skills a specialist gains during a professional career, the more valuable his services in the field of conflict management become.
How to become a conflict expert?
The training of such specialists is carried out in many universities in Russia. A diploma is issued after mastering the undergraduate program - 4 years of full-time study on a paid or budgetary basis. The specialty of conflict studies is open for admission to universities and institutes in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Perm, Yaroslavl, Astrakhan, Tyumen, Omsk and other cities. Of course, the number of graduates in this specialty from all these universities significantly exceeds the demand on the labor market in modern Russia. In this regard, when choosing a university, special attention should be paid to the quality of education and the level of training of the teaching staff, so that after training, you will become a truly qualified and sought-after specialist.
In St. Petersburg, the specialty of conflictology is presented at St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology and Social Work, Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen. The direction of education in each university is determined by the faculty, within the framework of which this direction is open: for example, at the Russian State Pedagogical University. Herzen conflictologists are taught at the Faculty of Law, and at St. Petersburg State University - at the Institute of Philosophy. A separate faculty of conflictology has been opened at the St. Petersburg Humanitarian University of Trade Unions. In addition, at this university, students can practice professional practice and study real situations at the Center for Monitoring and Analysis of Social and Labor Conflicts.
In Russian universities, you can also continue education and get a master's degree in conflict management. At St. Petersburg State University, admission is carried out to the master's programs “Analysis and Conflict Management”, “Political Conflictology” and “Mediation”.
Specialty conflict management: whom to work with?
Professionals can find application in government bodies, large corporations, labor inspectorates, human resources departments of various institutions and enterprises. The resulting specialty (conflict management) by itself does not become an unconditional pass to a well-paid job in a well-known company, therefore, even during training, you must look for the opportunity to practice, undergo additional trainings and internships.
The most opportunities are represented by work in the field of human resources management. The variety of forms of organizational conflicts - between employees, the trade union and the leader, departments and divisions, within the leadership - demonstrates the need to resolve all these contradictions. Conflict resolution and consensus-building always improve the quality of staff work and normalize the psychological climate in the organization.
Mediation
After receiving a diploma in conflictology, you can additionally undergo training and work as a mediator. This is an impartial third party who mediates disputes. The mediator should not be interested in a specific outcome of the conflict. He organizes a meeting of the parties and regulates the process of discussing the essence of the contradiction and the development of a mutually acceptable solution.
The task of the mediator is not to evaluate and pronounce the verdict. Decisions are developed only by the parties to the conflict. Some ideas can be introduced by mediators, but only as possible alternatives. The mediation technique is widely used in conflict divorces of spouses in order to avoid going to court. Such assistance also becomes indispensable in the settlement of disputes between neighbors, tenants and landlords, workers and management.
Should I become a conflict expert?
Being a graduate of the school, not everyone will be able to accurately determine whether the specialty conflict management is suitable for him. This profession is for people who can present themselves, to convince a potential employer that such an activity in the organization is necessary. When working with conflicting parties, both firmness and flexibility are often required. The amount of knowledge that a specialist must have for successful work is quite large, and constant training is required.
Thus, before making the final choice and going to study as a conflict expert, you should objectively evaluate your potential and personal qualities. After all, it is not enough to learn the texts of lectures and successfully make presentations at seminars several times. After graduation from the university, it will be necessary to find application for your skills, and it is currently not easy for many graduates of humanitarian specialties to do this. Only high education, determination and excellent communication skills will make a conflict expert a welcome employee in any organization.