Sandbox Strategies

Sandbox Strategies for The New Workplace:  Conflict Resolution From The Inside Out, by Penny Tremblay, Rowman & Littlefield, 2023

We've all been there, felt that awful sense of being surrounded, or energized to fight back - but to what purpose?  Conflict can be a career ender, or a new idea creator, but either way conflict takes energy and skill, and it can be a big distraction.  Author Penny Trembly puts some sense into it, and offers a systemic approach to mastering conflict - even using it to strengthen leadership and clarify important goals.

First, recognize that our new hybrid workforce has taken us online for so many business transactions, hours of what pre-pandemic meant assured human contact.  Conflict may exist hybridized, but it can be more of a challenge.  Our dependency on brief zoom meetings, texts and emails does not guarantee smooth going.  Here's where the Sandbox comes in, as author Tremblay says "Play Nice" in her eight "Play Nice" strategies.

Tremblay begins with a story from her consulting work with an employee, Mary, who is offended by what she feels is a harassment callout by her general manager.  The incident lingers and not too slowly becomes a potential cause for Mary's departure and legal action.  But Tremblay intervenes, and her cool-headed evaluation of this simmering conflict leads to a frank and managed discussion, followed by an intervention that brings employee and manager to clearer understandings.

Along the way the author references the effectiveness of her Sandbox Strategy for critical conflict resolution.  In it she outlines eight Play Nice steps: 

1.  Position yourself for success.

2.  Lighten your load

3.  Actively listen

4.  Yield to your WHY

5.  Nurture relationships

6.  Include everyone

7  Challenge conflict

8. Empathize

"Conflict handled well results in stronger teams," she advises, as we will continue to face the workforce challenge of "coming back" to pre-pandemic team levels.  

Patricia E. Moody

FORTUNE magazine  "Pioneering Woman in Mfg" 

IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert

A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers,  patriciaemoody@gmail.com