BUS 86 — The Mindful Manager: Navigating Workplace Conflict and Hard Conversations
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Tiffany Teng
Date(s): Jan 23—Feb 20
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $470
Refund Deadline: Jan 25
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 23—Feb 20
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $470
Refund Deadline: Jan 25
Instructor(s): Tiffany Teng
Recording Available: No
Status: Open
What if you could ideally reframe any workplace conflict? Communicate more effectively in hard conversations? What if you could resolve arguments faster while building better relationships with colleagues? This course is designed for anyone who manages people, hopes to be a manager, or generally wants to work on their conflict and communication skills. Pulling foundational concepts from the fields of conflict mediation, psychology, and neurobiology (e.g., the stress hormone pathway and its effects on cognition), this course will provide practical skills and frameworks—such as needs identification, the Johari window, and de-escalation techniques—to better manage workplace and interpersonal conflict, both one-on-one and in groups.
In this course, we will build a foundational understanding of conflict mediation, examine workplace power dynamics, and explore skills for working optimally with colleagues while growing cultural awareness. Together, we will learn how to create psychological safety by giving each person space to be heard and to respond. We will rescope large, unwieldy conflicts into smaller, discrete conversations and practice navigating interpersonal conflict with greater cultural and psychological awareness. Through a combination of lectures, group work, and interactive exercises framed around real-world examples from startup and corporate contexts, you will leave the course equipped with practical tools to de-escalate conflict at work, navigate challenging workplace conversations, and express your needs and expectations with clarity and purpose.
In this course, we will build a foundational understanding of conflict mediation, examine workplace power dynamics, and explore skills for working optimally with colleagues while growing cultural awareness. Together, we will learn how to create psychological safety by giving each person space to be heard and to respond. We will rescope large, unwieldy conflicts into smaller, discrete conversations and practice navigating interpersonal conflict with greater cultural and psychological awareness. Through a combination of lectures, group work, and interactive exercises framed around real-world examples from startup and corporate contexts, you will leave the course equipped with practical tools to de-escalate conflict at work, navigate challenging workplace conversations, and express your needs and expectations with clarity and purpose.
TIFFANY TENG
Product and Marketing Executive
Tiffany Teng has over 15 years of management experience in early, mid-stage, and public companies, building new products and taking them to market. Her first startup was acquired by JPMorgan Chase, and her senior leadership roles include executive director at Chase and vice president of global sales enablement and ops at OakNorth, a UK commercial bank. She currently leads B2B product marketing and GTM for You.com, a generative AI company. Teng is a former cognitive neuroscience and psychology undergraduate at Stanford. She received an MSx in management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is certified in conflict mediation by Santa Clara County. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.