Cultivating an Engaging Workplace Course

This course offers an in-depth review of strategies that support a positive workplace culture. Participants develop practical approaches for building trust, influence, and strong relationships, managing organizational conflict, supporting the growth of others, strengthening teams, increasing employee engagement, and fostering a learning-focused organization.

What You Will Learn

• Support a positive workplace culture
• Apply strategies to build trust, influence, and strong relationships
• Evaluate approaches for managing organizational conflict
• Develop structured plans to support the growth of others
• Assess methods for strengthening teams and increasing employee engagement
• Examine strategies for fostering a learning-focused organization

Course Outline

Module 1: Promote a Positive Workplace Culture

• Define and assess workplace culture and its links to leadership and management.
• Compare four culture types—Hierarchy/Control, Market/Compete, Clan/Collaborate, Adhocracy/Create—and when each tends to emerge.
• Identify values and day-to-day elements (communication, recognition, work–life balance, trust) that shape culture.
• Use culture assessments, sample survey questions, and recognition practices to strengthen a positive environment.

Module 2: Employ Effective Strategies for Building Trust, Influence, and Relationships

• Explain how trust, influence, and relationships drive organizational success and avoid common trust-destroying pitfalls.
• Practice trust-building behaviors (clarity, compassion, character, competence, commitment, connection, contribution, consistency).
• Apply organization-level trust levers (authentic leadership, ethics, compliance, customer experience, technology and security).
• Model EI-based behaviors—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management—especially in hybrid settings.

Module 3: Analyze Strategies for Managing Organizational Conflict

• Define interpersonal and intergroup conflict and diagnose root causes (facts, methods, goals, values).
• Use structured questions and stakeholder analysis to clarify issues and perspectives.
• Differentiate destructive vs. productive conflict and set conditions for healthy disagreement.
• Apply practical strategies (neutral settings, root-cause analysis, clear expectations, accountability; insights from “The Gift of Conflict”).

Module 4: Create Comprehensive Plans for Developing Others

• Build effective employee development via IDPs aligned to mission; identify skill gaps and resources.
• Differentiate mentoring and coaching; design programs (e.g., flash/speed mentoring, formal coaching) with clear agreements.
• Measure program effectiveness (process adherence, pulse checks, mentee progress, organizational outcomes; BASICS for coaching).
• Prepare future leaders and plan succession using OPM’s six-step approach.

Module 5: Analyze Approaches for Guiding Teams and Maximizing Employee Engagement

• Identify hallmarks of high-performing teams (purpose, roles, trust, feedback, recognition).
• Adopt team-building approaches suited to hybrid/co-acting groups (project “big-bang” moments, incentives, dashboards, cross-training).
• Link engagement to strategic goals to accelerate delivery, quality, innovation, and retention.
• Create belonging through culture, leadership behaviors, fair practices, relationships, and shared purpose.

Module 6: Analyzing Strategies for Creating a Learning Organization

• Define learning organizations using Senge’s five disciplines (shared vision, systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, team learning).
• Promote organization-wide learning (after-action reviews, coaching/mentoring, open communication, experimentation, metrics).
• Evaluate ROI of development (productivity, readiness for change, retention) and track outcomes with clear measures.
• Foster continuous improvement and risk-aware experimentation to adapt to change.