The Conflict Thinking approach
Conflict Thinking is a container of tools, methods and ideas developed around the concept of "conflict as a starting point for problem solving, innovation and evolution" of oneself and within a team.
Through our way of working and approaching companies and teams, through workshops and tools for analysis and learning, we want people to understand how diversity of culture, background and opinions can be used as creative material rather than elements that can create misunderstanding and distance.
The diversity of team members is a key resource for analyzing a problem from multiple perspectives. Communication among members and the pooling of individual visions and skills can easily lead to the development of creative and comprehensive solutions.
Therefore, it is important to create the ideal environment for this communication to manifest its full constructive potential. Physical tools such as the Game of Conflicts card game can be used to identify the very problem to be solved, we also call it a "parameter conflict". It may arise within an engineering, design, design thinking, or other innovation process. Through the game, the problem (in the form of a "question") is analyzed and broken down from different perspectives according to the diversity of the team, and then reduced to a set of preferences through voting. At a later stage, the same conflict preferences are analyzed to generate possible solutions, which are also discussed and evaluated by the team.
On a broader level, Conflict Thinking is meant to be a learning path of doing that starts precisely from the diversity of opinions, cultures and projects.
Our activities focus on transforming the idea of conflict. In our workshops we help individuals grasp the importance of discomfort – whether it's venturing beyond their comfort zones or managing conflicting aspects within a project. Using games, dialogue, and exercises, we empower them to avoid giving up or getting stuck. Instead, we teach them to see projects or situations from fresh angles and equip them with tools for transformation.
In summary, Conflict Thinking contributes to innovation by fostering a culture of critical analysis, collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
When conflicts are viewed as opportunities for positive – sometimes even radical – change, individuals and organizations can harness the energy generated by conflicts to drive innovative solutions and improvements.