Leadership Training: Negotiation and Conflict Management for Air Force Executives

(To air Force)
08/04/23

From 4 to 6 April the course of “negotiation and conflict management” in favor of 14 generals and colonels of the Air Force. The activities designed by the department for didactic and managerial training together with the lawyers Federico Antich and Claudia Caluori who provided it, they provided the students with the key elements for an effective identification of situations of interpersonal conflict, their optimal management and the application of valid negotiation techniques according to the reference models in the literature.

The mode blended in presence and at a distance it has allowed a strong concentration of the contents and the specific activities of role playing e case method, made the topics addressed in the classroom particularly effective; in particular, the staff involved were able to apply the principles of the experiential way Program on Negotiation of Harvard Law School, together with other conceptual models that constitute the Western backbone of negotiation. This activity is part of the broader pool of leadership training.

The Air Force to date has equipped itself with a model also addressing the emerging interpersonal area between the Self , Team leadership. The course was opened by the commander of ISMA, air brigade general Urbano Floreani, who underlined how "this type of advanced training is unique in the Public Administration sector and provides management figures with the right tools to face the complex challenges in which they are called to operate on a daily basis both nationally and above all in international contexts".

The course represents the expression of the Air Force's will to always be aimed at continuous improvement and the search for new solutions to better face the challenges of the future. In this perspective, the personnel of the Armed Forces of all levels converge at the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences because they are constantly called upon to improve, through continuous training, their cognitive performance (hard skills) and behavioral (soft skills).

The Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences, dependent on the command of the 3rd Air Region Schools, is home to numerous training activities including the normal master course, staff course for the captains of the special roles and further training moments foreseen in the rank of major/lieutenant colonel and colonel for the officers who will assume the function of group and department commander; to these, was also added the seminar for brigadier generals which stands as a clear opportunity for reflection, during which to exchange experiences and knowledge, as well as to enhance the analysis tools and stimulate the strategic thinking of future leaders of the Armed Forces. ISMA also provides the course of “Public Affairs Officer” for institutional information and communication specialists.

In the ISMA the department for didactic and managerial training (Re.Fo.Di.Ma.), which has the task of carrying out face-to-face and remote training activities (e-learning) and related research/development in the sectors of teaching methodologies and managerial skills, especially in collaboration with the University of Florence. By virtue of this, the department is focal point within the Air Force for the methodology e-learning and for training leadership.

The Re.Fo.Di.Ma. is also responsible for the training of professional figures who in various capacities are involved in planning and evaluating training courses: for this purpose a course on the didactic planning and evaluation for training managers, in which advanced techniques and tools are provided which are essential for creating courses based on the maximum possible training effectiveness.

Furthermore, in collaboration with the University of Florence, the department for didactic and managerial training also provides advanced training courses, specifically on Human Resource Management, as regards the managerial field, and on new training methodologies (experiential/outdoor training) as regards innovative teaching methods.
Likewise, the Institute also establishes itself as a cultural and thought pole of the Armed Forces, hosting international congresses and seminars of an aeronautical and military nature, as well as national and international conferences and study and work groups. The logistical and technological potential of ISMA is also known and appreciated at joint and international level for hosting symposiums, work tables, meetings and committee.