Turn Enemies into Allies

March 11, 2019
A well-meaning if slim guide to workplace conflict resolution for managers arrives from martial arts instructor and corporate speaker Ringer. She brings to the book years of experience in mediating and resolving workplace disputes through communication skill–building, for which she draws on the philosophical principles regarding conflict resolution she learned about while earning a third-degree black belt in the Japanese martial art aikido, which has the “underlying... intention of disarming without harm” and teaches adherents to reframe “what would normally be seen as an act of aggression” instead “as energy to be utilized... changing the dynamic from resistance to connection.” Ringer takes pains to reassure readers who lack confidence in their conflict-resolution abilities, writing that the skills required are not innate and can be learned. Ringer gives a small amount of concrete advice, such as about recognizing and overcoming unhelpful managerial mindsets vis-à-vis employees (e.g. “This is not my job”; “They should just rise above it”), but her real skill is in emphasizing the power of transparent, effective communication to resolve unhelpful, wasteful conflicts. Though good-hearted and thoughtful, this book is overwhelmed by a single-minded focus on martial arts as metaphor, which will likely only appeal to other practitioners.