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Description

Difficult Behaviours: Analysing, Setting Boundaries and Driving Change

Address a behaviour that persistently disrupts the team without reducing the person to a label

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Some behaviours resist the usual conversations. Systematic opposition in meetings or silent withdrawal eventually forces everyone else to organise their work around the person concerned. The team expects the manager to react, and the absence of a reaction costs the manager credibility.

These two days focus on repeated individual behaviours, not on conflicts between two people, which are covered by a dedicated programme. Participants learn to describe a behaviour in factual terms, then to conduct a structured confrontation meeting and define the next steps if the behaviour persists.

Learning objectives

  • Describe a problem behaviour in observable terms
  • Distinguish what relates to the behaviour from what relates to the person
  • Analyse the benefits the situation brings to the person concerned
  • Conduct a structured confrontation meeting
  • Define the next steps when the behaviour persists

What makes this programme different

Work on real situations described without personality labels
Confrontation meetings role-played then reviewed sequence by sequence
A clear articulation between managerial action and escalation to human resources

Programme

1Describing Rather Than Labelling

Moving beyond personality labels

  • The effects of a label on the working relationship
  • Factual description of a behaviour and its frequency
  • Assessing its impact on the team and on the activity
  • The part played by collective ways of working in the situation

2Understanding What Sustains the Behaviour

Looking for the function before the cause

  • The benefits the behaviour brings to the person concerned
  • The reactions of others that keep it alive
  • Behaviours triggered by the way work is organised
  • The limits of the analysis carried out by the manager

3Conducting the Confrontation Meeting

Naming the behaviour and requesting change

  • Opening the meeting with dated and situated facts
  • Maintaining the request in the face of denial or aggression
  • Handling challenges directed at the manager or the team
  • Securing a verifiable commitment to change

4Managing Persistence and Protecting the Team

When the behaviour does not change

  • Organising follow-up and keeping a record of exchanges
  • Involving the human resources function at the right moment
  • Protecting the team's ability to function during the situation
  • Preparing possible next steps with your own line management

Who is it for

Experienced managers dealing with repeated individual behaviours that weigh on the team's work.

Prerequisites

Prior experience of conducting performance or corrective discussions.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.