The Montana State University Management Institute was developed by the MSU College of Business to offer executive education for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations in Montana and the Rocky Mountain West.

Each Management Institute session offers professional development opportunities to participants through real-world insights and a deeper understanding of business principles that can be applied immediately to their ventures. Recognizing that professional learning takes place in both informal and classroom environments, the course format has been carefully chosen to offer structured learning objectives as well as dynamic interaction amongst participants and instructors.

Upcoming Courses

From Conflict to Collaboration: Managing People, Not Problems 
Date: October 16, 2009
Location: Riverside Country Club, Bozeman, Montana
Time: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $495.00 includes all course materials, continental breakfast and lunch
         Business discount—pay for two participants and the third attends free
         Non-profit organization discount—pay for one participant and the second attends free
Instructor: Scott Bryant, Ph.D.

Course Description: Conflict is a natural part of life in organizations but, if dealt with poorly or not at all, conflict can lead to much bigger problems. Left unattended, excessive conflict can lead to incidences of sexual harassment; negative, angry and hurtful employees who lash out at individuals and their organizations; and can ultimately destroy teams and inflict significant damage to an organization. Fortunately, conflict that is identified and dealt with appropriately saves managers and employees time, increases productivity and effectiveness, encourages more creativity, and builds stronger teams.

Join MSU College of Business faculty member Scott Bryant for an experiential exploration of conflict and the tools needed to leverage conflict within organizations. This session will guide participants through an examination of interpersonal sources of conflict (e.g., emotional intelligence, perceptions, personal experiences, generation gaps) as well as structural sources of conflict (e.g., teams, sexual harassment, scarce resources, different goals, layoffs). Participants will explore multiple tools for managing conflict including conflict styles, principled negotiation, communication skills, mentoring and knowledge sharing. Participants will leave this course with a better understanding of what causes conflict as well as tangible tools for turning negative conflict into positive outcomes.
Seminar participants will:

• Identify different sources of conflict and learn ways to respond to those conflicts effectively
• Assess their own tendencies with regards to conflict by completing a conflict style assessment
• Examine various case studies that highlight conflicts between generations, difficult team members, and managing perceptions

This program is appropriate for individuals who manage people, teams, divisions or departments and would like to better understand the nature of conflict and how to effectively manage conflict within their organizations.

Due to the interactive nature of this program, seating is very limited.

**How to Register:  Register Online

Scott Bryant is Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business at Montana State University (2002) and serves as Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship for the New West. He has a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Oregon and a BA and MBA from Seattle Pacific University. Dr. Bryant teaches several Business courses which feature interactive, experiential designs that encourage student learning in a fun and relaxed setting. In addition, Dr. Bryant consults with several firms including Microsoft, Nike, Planar and Electronic Arts (EA). His research on peer mentoring, knowledge management, emotional intelligence and entrepreneurship has been published in academic journals including Group & Organization Management, International Small Business Journal, Database and the Journal of Managerial Issues. In his spare time, he coaches his son’s baseball teams and volunteers with his church.

Past Course Offerings

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