Title:Conflict Management - Understanding Conflict and Resolving Conflict
Publisher: BBC for Business/Xebec McGraw Hill Interactive Learning
Date: 2001
Format: CD Rom including 50 page Guide plus Tutor Guide, also available online
Price: £699 each or £1,199 the pair
The first CD, Understanding Conflict, consists of four online courses - What is Conflict, Personal reactions to Conflict, Self awareness in Conflict situations, and Organisational aspects of Conflict. Each of the elements takes approximately 30 minutes to work through. The second CD, Resolving Conflict, consists of three on line courses, Joint problem solving, (20 minutes) Defusing conflict situations, (30 minutes) and Mediating conflict situations (40 minutes.) The CDs use video scenario case studies which play well and feel reasonably authentic. These are followed by questions on the case which are automatically marked, with feedback. There is a real variety of approach, with short “expert” video clips commenting on the situations.
There are self assessment tests for each module, and mastery tests for each module. These are largely text based multiple choice questions, and I feel these could have been slightly more imaginative. The support materials i.e. the Handbook and the downloadable PDF file replicate material which is in the video, and there is no reference to other sources of help.
It really wouldn’t have cost much more to have improved the support materials.
Conclusion
This is a good resource. If you want to check the material out a free demo CD is available from the website. The website also lists other resources, and the other courses that are available. If I was being trained in Conflict Management, a training day with a real life trainer looking at specific issues in your organisation should be more effective than 2 hours with these videos.
As a permanent resource for the training library, and as value for money these are an excellent product. There are similar multimedia training resources on Stress Management , Recruitment and Selection and Assertiveness, available from Xebec McGraw- Hill.
This resource reviewed by Chris Green.
