Intra-university Training on “Conflict Resolution Skills”

“The truth is born in disputes, but they can also kill it,” the ancient Greek sages claimed. Guided by this logic, on November 11 and 13, 2025, within the framework of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building project: Development of Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions of Armenia and Georgia in Compliance with the 21st Century Labour Market Requirements” (DeSIRe) funded by the European Union, seminars on “Conflict Resolution Skills” were conducted for the students, academic staff, and administrative personnel of Vanadzor State University.

The sessions were carried out by Henry Matinyan, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Lecturer at the Chair of History of VSU. For the development of this course, representatives of the DeSIRe project had undergone online and in-person training at the Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland.

In the first part of the training, participants engaged in an interactive activity, sharing their perceptions of the concept of “conflict,” defining their own understanding, goals for participation, and expectations.

In the second part, H. Matinyan presented major global theories of conflict management, including Morton Deutsch’s “Cooperation and Competition,” Mary Parker Follett’s “Constructive Conflict,” Lewis Coser’s “Sociological Conflict,” Katz-Kahn’s “Open Systems,” Thomas-Kilmann’s “Conflict Handling Modes,” and Fisher-Ury’s “Principled Negotiation.”

Based on practical exercises and examples, the seminar highlighted effective conflict management strategies and fundamental principles of negotiation, supplemented with quotations from prominent thinkers.

In the final part, students participated in a group game-exercise based on the “Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Model,” while faculty and administrative staff completed the conflict-behavior assessment test developed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann in 1974. Through this test, they analyzed their own behavioral characteristics in conflict situations and received recommendations for more effective conflict management.

The seminar concluded with a clear conviction that conflicts are an integral part of our everyday lives and are objectively necessary for growth. As Charlie Chaplin observed: “Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born”.