Colorado Technical University and IADR Global to Offer New Master's Program in Dispute Resolution.

Workplace Conflict Adds Billions to the Cost of Business

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Approximately 42% of a manager's time is spent reaching agreement with others when conflict occurs, according to Leadership Quarterly. That conclusion makes it crystal clear that conflict is a costly drain on resources. It is particularly corrosive in the realm of business and is exacerbated by a shrinking world of global commerce.

On a recent broadcast of the PBS television program CEO Exchange, Sir Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony Corporation, explained his thoughts on the value of understanding and managing the cross-cultural divide and the conflict it sometimes produces by saying that, "HR is now more critical than they ever understood at Sony and I believe, along with Jack Welsh, that the head of HR is as important, if not more important, than the CFO. And for us, it's really, really important. We have to get Chinese executives to run Sony China, and Indian executives to run Sony India. We've got a huge task..."

Colorado Technical University Online (Colorado Tech Online) and IADR Global - an organization established in 1994 with expertise in national and international dispute resolution training - have joined forces to offer a new Master's degree program. Designed to teach professionals how to avoid conflict in the workplace and, when conflict does occur, how to manage it and mitigate the consequences, the program is expected to help fill the need for professional dispute resolution experts in industries worldwide.

The degree program has been designed to give managers the tools to create an organizational culture that maximizes team cohesiveness, improves employee morale and staff retention, and improves an organization's overall effectiveness and efficiency. Organizations - both corporate and nonprofit - that implement well-managed dispute resolution programs clearly recognize the benefits and regularly find that the investment is more than offset by the savings realized.

The new degree program being offered through Colorado Tech Online - a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Mediation and Dispute Resolution (MBA-MDR) - should appeal to a wide range of professionals in fields such as human resources, labor relations, law, diversity improvement, and training and development, to name just a few.

According to Shauna Ries, LCSW, MFT, Chief Executive Officer of IADR Global, "with the huge growth of global commerce, the cultural diversity and contrasting personal experiences that exist within international organizations frequently cause conflict and add unnecessary expense to the cost of doing business. This 'cross-cultural interface' can be treacherous if not fully understood and managed. Corporate leaders are often faced with two 'correct positions' according to one's own values and norms. Graduates of the new MBA/MDR program will serve as 'balancers' who can distill and then clarify the interests underlying a business conflict. The MBA-MDR graduates will be prepared to answer this demand by helping companies negotiate cross-cultural interests within global commerce."

Dr. Elizabeth J. Beardmore, the Director of Education for Colorado Technical University Online, states that "one of the most immediate benefits of conflict management is that it often eliminates the need for costly litigation. I am excited that CTU has partnered with IADR Global and the fact that the new program is being offered by an online university with a very wide geographic reach will make this important program available to a very wide audience."

Dr. Wallace Pond, Chancellor of Colorado Technical University Online, adds "I am encouraged by the opportunities that our collaboration with IADR Global represents, and I think it is indicative of the kind of powerful partnerships that will be far more common in higher education in the future. By combining the extensive educational delivery expertise and technology resources of Colorado Tech Online with the subject matter expertise of IADR Global, we can provide a truly value-added experience for learners."

Some of the areas to be covered in the 46 credit-hour Master's programs include:

* Increasing effective communication and negotiation skills within teams and with clients.

* Learning to identify and distinguish healthy and unhealthy conflict, and implementing proven mediation strategies to maximize positive outcomes.

* Handling conflict areas such as legal proceedings, contract negotiations, and employee disputes with greater efficacy and increased cost effectiveness.

* Mitigating risk internally and externally by implementing the most advanced practices and processes in dispute resolution, and being able to track and monitor their execution through the entire organization to the client.

* Modeling desired behaviors as an effective leader by having the skills to be confident, poised, and appropriately assertive in high conflict situations.

* Applying the principles of negotiation, both competitive (0-sum) and win-win.

* Learning to communicate from interest-based negotiation principles to effectively present projects, conflicts, and solutions to upper management.

For additional information about CTU Online or about the new program, visit www.ctuonline.edu. For more information regarding IADR Global, please visit www.iadrglobal.org.

ABOUT COLORADO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

Founded in Colorado Springs in 1965, Colorado Technical University is an institution of higher learning that delivers career-focused education to students by providing applied industry programs. CTU offers a wide range of programs at the Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degree levels, as well as professional certificate programs with curricula designed to support today's leading career fields. CTU offers online education programs through Colorado Technical University Online, its web-based virtual campus.

Colorado Technical University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, Illinois 60602-2504) www.ncahighrelearningcommission.org.

ABOUT IADR GLOBAL

Ries/Murphy Associates LLC was established in 1994 to provide conflict resolution and stress management services to corporations and the public. In 2003, RMA began doing business as IADR Global with the revolutionary mandate to increase mediation training and post-training support by providing online certificate courses. Since that time, IADR Global has grown into an established provider of graduate-level professional courses.