“Truth is born in disputes, but they can also destroy it,” claimed the ancient Greek sages. Guided by this logic, on November 11 and 13 of this year, seminars on “Conflict Resolution Skills” were conducted for the students, academic staff, and administrative employees of Vanadzor State University after H. Tumanyan. The events were organized within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme capacity building DeSIRe Project /Development of Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions of Armenia and Georgia in Compliance with the 21st Century Labour Market Requirements/ funded by the European Union.

The seminars were delivered by Senior Lecturer of the Chair of History, Ph. D. Henri Matinyan. For the development of the course, the representatives of the DeSIRe Project underwent both online and on-site trainings at the Institute of Art, Design, and Technology in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland.

In the first part of the training, participants had the opportunity, through interactive methods, to share their perceptions of the concept of “conflict,” defining their understanding, purpose of participation, and expectations.

In the second part, H. Matinyan presented the world’s key theoretical approaches to conflict management, including Morton Deutsch’s “Cooperation and Competition”, Mary Parker Follett’s “Constructive Conflict”, Lewis Coser’s “Sociological Conflict”, Katz and Kahn’s “Open Systems”, Thomas–Kilmann’s “Conflict Mode Instrument”, and Fisher–Ury’s “Harvard Negotiation Project” theories.

Through practical exercises and examples, the effective strategies of conflict management and the fundamental principles of negotiation were highlighted, accompanied by apt quotes from renowned thinkers and traditional wisdom.

In the final part of the seminar, the students took part in a group game-exercise based on the Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, while the academic and administrative staff completed the 1974 Conflict Behaviour Model test developed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann. The test enabled them to analyse their own behavioural tendencies in conflict situations and receive recommendations for managing conflicts more effectively.

The seminar concluded with the clear understanding that conflict is an inseparable part of our daily lives and is objectively necessary for growth. And as Charlie Chaplin observed:
“Even stars collide, and from their collisions new worlds are born.”