• Time: 34 hours
    • Free Certificate

    Negotiation and conflict management are required skills for all working professionals; these skills assist managers in keeping the organization and workforce moving forward. Conflicts arise between employees, teams, or departments within the organization, vendors, customers, and other businesses. While some conflicts may be good for organizational productivity, in this course, we will review the more difficult types of conflict and how they may be resolved. The workplace and individuals will benefit from better conflict management and negotiation skills. Assisting employees in conflict management and negotiating situations are skills that few people possess in the business world today.

    This course will help students to become better negotiators and handle conflicts that occur within the workplace. Several different tactics and techniques will be taught in this course that will help students to feel comfortable and know what to do in any conflict situation that may arise.

    • Unit 1: Introduction to Conflict Management and Negotiation

      This unit focuses on an introduction to conflict management and negotiation, what it is, why it is important, and how you can utilize these skills in the workplace and your personal life. These are important work skills to develop, and those with great negotiation skills are highly sought after. This unit will help you to answer the following questions and more. What does negotiation look like? What's your personal conflict style? How can you use this to assist in a negotiation? Why do you need to think about the other side's wants and needs? How can that help me in a negotiation?

      Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • Unit 2: Communicating to Resolve Conflict

      Now that you understand the basics of conflict management and negotiation, we will review how to use communications skills to address managing these skills. We will look at situations that might occur during the negotiation process and how those can be addressed through communication. The better we can communicate during the negotiation process without emotion or bias, the better the outcome will be for all involved.

      Considering cultural differences is also important because how we respond in a specific situation may differ from how everyone responds. In addition, we will discuss international differences that are important to consider in the negotiation process. These issues and more will be addressed as we move through the second unit in this course.


      Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

    • Unit 3: Creating Value and Positive Outcomes

      In this unit, we will uncover how to create value to ensure a successful outcome during the negotiation process. It is important to determine the value for both sides so that a win/win situation is planned for. Still, sometimes each side may need to learn what is valuable. Understanding all aspects of the negotiation process and what each side needs to determine a successful outcome is important. Sometimes you can create this value by understanding the important issues and using your communication skills to show that value. This process will help to ensure a positive outcome for both sides.

      Completing this unit should take you approximately 8 hours.

    • Unit 4: Bargaining and Negotiations

      Now that we have addressed creating value and the various outcomes that could happen during a negotiation, it is important to address bargaining. You can create value by uncovering the exact needs of each side during the negotiation process. Then you can use that information to create a win/win situation. Not all negotiations will end with a win/win scenario, and some may end with one side winning and another side not being in a worse situation than when they started. When bargaining, both sides should understand their best- and worst-case scenarios. Understanding best- and worst-case scenarios allows for some movement in addressing concerns from both parties.

      Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • Unit 5: Summary of Conflict Management and Negotiation

      Now that you understand conflict management and negotiation well, we will look at common mistakes during this process. It is important to review the mistakes of others so that you may avoid them in the future. There will be times when a resolution cannot be found, and this will be the time for a third party to become involved. This unit will cover when that occurs and the mediation options. Training employees is an important part of a manager's job, and showing employees how to resolve conflict is an important skill to focus on. We will also cover conflict resolution and negotiation training, look at ways to close the negotiation process, and consider how to create an agreement that includes what was resolved.

      Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.

    • Study Guide

      This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary. It is not meant to replace the course materials!

    • Final Exam Preparation

      These case studies are an excellent way to review what you've learned so far and are presented by one of the professors who created the course. Review these materials before you take the final exam.

    • Course Feedback Survey

      Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

      If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org.

    • Certificate Final Exam

      Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

      To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

      Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.