Redesigning human friction into breakthrough opportunities

Boxers & Briefs Podcast #14: Conversations on Conflict (resolution) with Mark Saunders

What if the conflicts that drain your organisation’s energy are actually disguised laboratories for transformation? Mark Saunders, founder of Frenesis and expert conflict architect, reveals how reimagining discord can unleash hidden potential.

Reimagining the battlefield

If you’ve been viewing workplace conflicts as problems to eliminate, prepare for a paradigm shift. Behind every heated exchange and stubborn standoff lies something far more valuable: an opportunity to redesign relationships, systems and outcomes that can propel your organisation forward.

“Managers spend up to 75% of their time resolving conflict,” explains Mark. “That’s an extraordinary amount of untapped creative potential waiting to be channelled in more productive directions.”

This isn’t just about making peace—it’s about transforming the very DNA of how humans interact in professional environments. The visionaries who master this art aren’t just solving problems; they’re architecting new realities.

Beyond the surface: Excavating the invisible architecture

Traditional approaches to conflict focus on positions—the visible demands and surface-level complaints that people vocalise. But Mark reveals there’s a more fascinating layer beneath:

“Lawyers talk about rights and obligations. Mediators talk about needs and interests. These are the things that underpin most disputes,” he explains.

This distinction isn’t just semantic—it’s revolutionary. When we dive beneath positional statements (‘I deserve a raise’) to explore underlying interests (‘I need to feel valued and secure’), we discover a playground of creative possibilities that positional bargaining could never reveal.

The challenge? “Most of us are very hesitant to be transparent about our needs and interests,” Mark notes. We’ve been conditioned to ‘keep our cards close to our chest’ rather than expose our deeper motivations.

The creative breakthrough comes when we design environments where people feel safe enough to reveal these hidden layers, opening up a dimension of conflict resolution that most never experience.

The $50 million transformation canvas

The financial impact of reimagining conflict resolution is staggering. Mark shares the example of British Motorola, which introduced a conflict resolution process throughout their entire organisation:

“Over a period of five years, they reduced their external legal spend by more than 50%.”

For a large Australian organisation spending $100 million annually on external legal costs, that translates to $50 million straight to the bottom line.

But the true creative potential goes beyond cost savings. When organisations design comprehensive conflict systems rather than reactive Band-Aid solutions, they’re building an invisible infrastructure that transforms everything from employee satisfaction to customer experience.

Designing the ripple effect

The most powerful aspect of this creative approach extends far beyond the workplace. Mark shares a striking story from Harvard Law School about a coal mining company plagued by wildcat strikes.

After implementing a revolutionary conflict system that empowered workers at every level, they witnessed an unexpected transformation. A chronically angry employee approached the consulting team with profound gratitude:

“You’ve taught me a whole lot of things about who I am and what I do. I’ve been a really angry person for a really long time, but you’ve given me tools to deal with that. It’s meant that I’m happier in my work, but not only that—I’ve been able to use some of those things at home.”

The ripple effect continued when the next employee entered and asked with wonder: “What did you do to Joe?”

This isn’t just conflict resolution—it’s human transformation design. The most innovative organisations understand that creating systems to address workplace friction doesn’t just improve business metrics; it redesigns the entire human experience both inside and outside company walls.

The values blueprint: Engineering integrity into conflict

Organisations love to display their values on office walls and websites, but Mark challenges us to a more revolutionary application: using them as the architectural blueprint for conflict engagement.

“For an organisation with a strategic plan, most of the time there is an articulated set of values. One might be Integrity. The question becomes: how does that organisation ensure all its members are walking the talk of those values—even in conflict?”

This perspective transforms how we approach toxic workplace environments. Instead of accepting dysfunctional behaviours, employees at any level can ask the disruptive question: “Can you please explain how this behaviour reflects our values?”

While this question might not instantly transform entrenched leadership problems, it creates a moment of creative tension that can catalyse greater awareness.

Breaking the compromise trap

Perhaps most revolutionary is Mark’ perspective on compromise—a concept we’ve been taught to revere as the gold standard of conflict resolution.

“I describe compromise as a dirty word,” he reveals. “You simply haven’t worked hard enough to find other options that might have led to a solution.”

True creative conflict resolution isn’t about meeting in the middle, where both parties surrender something important. It’s about designing entirely new solutions that address the underlying needs of all involved—solutions that will still feel right five years later.

This is where conflict resolution becomes an art form. Like a master designer who refuses to accept uninspired templates, the skilled mediator pushes beyond the obvious to discover breakthrough possibilities that conventional thinking would never uncover.

The innovation framework: Building your conflict system

For organisations ready to transform their approach to conflict, Mark offers a design framework:

1. Map the ecosystem: Identify all stakeholders and relationship touchpoints where conflict emerges—internally, with customers, and with suppliers.
   
2. Engage across strata: When designing your conflict system, involve representatives from all levels. Systems imposed from above without input from those who will use them rarely succeed.
   
3. Lower decision thresholds: Empower people throughout the organisation to resolve issues at their level. The coal mine example shows how something as simple as authorising a foreman to replace stolen boots could prevent an entire strike.
   
4. Design for early intervention: “The sooner a conflict is acknowledged, addressed and resolved, the less the cost will be to the organisation.”
   
5. Build psychological safety: Create environments where people feel secure enough to express needs and interests rather than rigid positions.
   
6. Challenge assumptions: “If you find yourself drawing negative conclusions about something that’s happened, reality-check your assumptions.”
   
7. Embrace the balcony perspective: When emotions run high, use what Mark calls ‘going to the balcony’—a powerful metaphor for mentally stepping away from the heated situation. “Walk away from the situation and say ‘Look, I really would like to resolve this, but I’m feeling very upset at this particular moment. May I have a minute? Can we reconvene in five minutes?'” This creates psychological distance, allowing you to view the conflict from above, like watching a play from a theatre balcony, rather than remaining entangled on the stage. From this elevated perspective, you can see patterns and possibilities invisible from ground level—while reinforcing your commitment to resolution.

The conflict revolutionist’s mindset

The most innovative organisations now recognise that conflict isn’t something to be eliminated but rather transformed—a raw material waiting to be shaped into breakthrough opportunities.

By creating systems that address the human dimensions of disagreement, these forward-thinking companies aren’t just reducing costs and improving productivity. They’re engineering the conditions for people to bring their best selves to work, which in turn shapes how they show up in every other aspect of their lives.

This isn’t just business strategy—it’s human transformation by design.

This article and podcast is proudly brought to you by Gilligan Sheppard, the problem solvers in business who believe in thinking differently.