Coaching Through Conflict: Role-Play Scenario
Interactive role-play activity for new managers to practise coaching a conflict between co-workers who represent different stakeholder groups.
Activity structure:- Introduces the scenario.
- Lets the learner pick a role focus (Alexa or Jordan)
- Walks them through key coaching steps (Goal, Explore, Decide, Follow-up) with prompts.
- Provides examples panels they can reveal after thinking about each step.
- Provides reflection questions they can consider to evaluate how their coaching approach might impact the conflict.
Scenario
Two coworkers, Alexa and Jordan, are in conflict over how to prioritize work for a shared stakeholder group. Alexa wants to focus on internal requests from their department head, while Jordan is concerned about commitments to external partners. Tension has been visible in meetings.
You are the manager coaching them through a joint conversation. Use the four-step framework (Goal, Explore, Decide, Follow up) to structure your approach.
Before you view any example prompts, take a moment to write your own response in the spaces provided. Then compare your wording with the sample and consider where it aligns or differs. The sample is just one possible coaching approach, not the only correct answer for this scenario.
Choose a role focus
Start by choosing which perspective you want to pay closest attention to as you practise coaching.
Alexa – internal stakeholder focus
- Accountable to the internal department head for quick turnaround on internal requests.
- Worried that external commitments are pulling time away from urgent internal work.
- Feels Jordan doesn’t appreciate internal pressures.
Jordan – external stakeholder focus
- Manages relationships with external partners who rely on consistent delivery.
- Concerned that internal urgent requests are causing missed external commitments.
- Feels Alexa doesn’t see the reputational risk externally.
Step 1 – Goal
As the manager, you start by clarifying the purpose of the conversation. Think about one or two sentences you could use to set a clear, neutral goal.
Example: “We’re here to talk about how you’re working together on stakeholder priorities, and to find a way forward that works for both internal and external commitments.”
Step 2 – Explore perspectives
Next, you invite each person to describe their perspective and what matters most to them. Draft one open question you could ask Alexa and one you could ask Jordan.
Question for Alexa
Question for Jordan
Here are some example coaching-style questions you might ask:
- “Alexa, can you walk us through what you’re most concerned about when internal requests come in?”
- “Jordan, what are the key commitments to external partners that you’re trying to protect?”
Step 3 – Decide on a shared approach
Now help Alexa and Jordan identify where their priorities overlap and where they differ. Draft one idea for how they could share or sequence work in a way that respects both sets of stakeholders.
Example: "Agree on simple criteria for prioritization (e.g., fixed external deadlines first, then internal urgent requests), and a shared plan for who will communicate with which stakeholders when trade-offs are needed."
Step 4 – Follow up
Finally, confirm how you will check in on this agreement. Write one follow-up question you’ll ask in a future conversation to see how things are going.
Example: “In two weeks, let’s check in on how this approach is working for both of you. What will tell us that it’s helping, and what might we need to adjust?”
Reflection – How might your approach affect the conflict?
Think about which aspect of the conflict your responses focused on most. Use the questions below to reflect on your approach.
Conflict dimension
Identify which dimensions of conflict are most present in this scenario (e.g., perspectives and emotions, roles and power, priorities and resources, trust and relationship).
For example:
- Understanding perspectives and emotions.
- Clarifying roles, responsibilities, or power.
- Negotiating priorities or resources.
- Repairing trust and the relationship.
Impact on the conflict
Describe how your chosen response might de-escalate the conflict or risk reinforcing it, and what you would watch for in the follow-up.
- In what way could it help de-escalate tension or build understanding?
- Is there any risk that it could unintentionally reinforce the conflict?