Lessons from Aikido: Workplace Conflict Management

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Lessons from Aikido Workplace Conflict
Management

• Nigel Carruthers-Taylor

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Who am I?

• Director and Principal ConsultantiCognition Pty
  Ltd
• Information Management Consultancy and
  Implementation Company
• Founded 2003
• 20 staff, several part time contractors
• Offices in Canberra Sydney. Melbourne virtual
  office
• Aikido 4th Dan
• Nearly 30 years practice
• Two years study in Japan

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What is Aikido?

• ai ki do ai harmony ki
  energy do - way

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What is Aikido?

• a modern Japanese martial art (1930s-40s)
• consolidated in post WWII Japan
• the founder, Morihei Ueshiba, called it the Art
  of Peace
• techniques of harmony, not contention a way of
  avoiding fighting and war.

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Aikido

• teaches self-defence
• but the greater essence includes
• How to resolve conflict positively
• Learning to let go of fear
• Combines physical and mental control

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Some Aikido Techniques
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Some Aikido Techniques
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Some Aikido Techniques
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What is noticeable?

• No blocking
• Non-resistance
• merging of movement
• Go with the flow
• Neither passive nor aggressive
• Definitely assertive
• Not really win/win, but not really win/lose

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Why Non-Resistance?

• Each action causes a similar or greater reaction
• Force vs Force Greater Force Wins
• and/or
• Loss Determination to Seek Revenge
• Sometimes we dont have the greater force
• We dont need enemies

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Non-Resistance

• Going with your opponents puts you into a
  position of power
• Takes you off the path of conflict
• Helps you understand your opponent
• Empathises with them
• Allows you to walk them in the right direction

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Aiki Principles Relax/Heavy

• Relax means your natural condition to let the
  tension drop completely and allow everything to
  settle.
• Relax does not mean floppy. Your natural
  condition has a springy-ness to it like a
  rubber ball.
• Relax has weight when you try to pick up a
  relaxed person they are very heavy compared to a
  person who is tense.

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Aiki Principles Centering

• Where does your body and mind unify? Where is the
  power station of your body. Asians believe it
  is the pit of the stomach the one point, or
  hara.
• All movement must come from center, ensuring
  balance and power in our techniques
• From center our awareness extends out

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Aiki Principles Leading

• To use force against your opponent will
  inevitably result in an equally direct reaction
  against you.
• So we lead our opponents to where we want to go,
  moving with our opponent in a non-resistant
  manner, avoiding blocking our opponent.
• Leading includes moving in (irimi), and opening
  out (tenkan)

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Aiki Principles Extension

• Relaxed power extends from our center our
  energy, our ki.
• We use this extension to either cut through our
  opponent(s) center or to move our opponents
  center.

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A Workplace Scenario

• Business Area Representative (BAR - Jason) has
  recently implemented a new system
• Project Manager (PM - Nigel) was project manager
  of the new solution
• The PM has recently implemented a system into the
  BARs area. It hasnt gone well the system is
  not well accepted and there are angry people. The
  PM knows this, but is waiting to see if the
  issues sort themselves out. Now the BAR enters
  PMs office to confront him.

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Scenario 1 defensiveness (attack, block,
counterattack)

• BAR Nigel, this new system is crap! Its not
  working!
• PM What do you mean its not working? My team
  spent a month testing it!
• BAR Yeah, you said it would work for me! You
  said it would be easy to use! My people hate it
  they cant use it!
• PM Hey, wait a minute here - you spent a week
  doing User Acceptance Testing! You signed it off!
  You said it looked good!
• BAR Only after you got my boss to pressure me
  into signing it off. With all the hundreds of
  thousands of dollars spent on this, you better
  use it, he said
• PM The fact is that you did sign it off, and
  then we spent the next 3 weeks training and
  supporting your people we achieved a successful
  implementation! We did all we can to ensure your
  system was a success!
• BAR My system! What a load of bullshit! It was
  never my system you pushed it onto me!
• and the beat goes on

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What creates this defensiveness?

• Fear
• Wanting to dominate
• Needing to control
• Use the Aiki Principles to overcome this

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Scenario 2 Non-resistance (listen, reflect,
then lead)

• BAR Nigel, this new system is crap! Its not
  working!
• PM Sorry, whats not working?
• b This system, its shit you said it would
  work for me! You said it would be easy to use! My
  people hate it they cant use it!
• PM Okay, lets slow down. What is it thats
  happening? Whats the issue?
• BAR Its just not working! My people are less
  efficient and less effective!
• PM Im aware there are some efficiency issues.
  Is it just teething problems?
• BAR Teething problems? Im getting anger and
  resentment for allowing this thing to go ahead!
  People are hating me!
• PM Okay, thats pretty shitty. Is it a systemic
  problem, or is it specific issues?
• BAR They cant use it its too complicated
  and not intuitive.
• PM Is it the interface or the business
  process?
• BAR I think its a bit of both people are
  saying that they cant easily complete the
  business process.
• PM Well why dont we conduct a review of this
  and analyze what exactly is going on
• BAR yes, lets do this we need to do this as
  soon as possible!
• PM righty oh lets do it

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Thank You

• Questions?