Our Mission:
Help Hospitals Take Care of Their Professionals as Well as Their Patients
We help hospitals transform conflict from a multi-million dollar drain into an opportunity for growth, innovation, and a deeper fulfillment of their mission.
That's the purpose of our Conflict-Intelligent Healthcare Program.
In healthcare, the nurses, physicians, and other professionals go above and beyond even when they themselves are neglected or mistreated.
But they deserve better. And patient care will improve when healthcare professionals flourish at work.
When conflicts are mismanaged, however, dedicated professionals burn out and leave careers they once loved. Communities lose trusted institutions.
And unlike other industries, when hospitals fail at managing conflict, patients and professionals get harmed. And some die.
But these costs are entirely preventable. We can help. Get in touch to learn more.
Why healthcare, why now: After more than three decades of working in conflict intelligence across industries, Mike is now focusing on healthcare.
Nowhere else are the stakes—human lives, professional wellbeing, community health—so high.
And nowhere else is the cost of mismanaged conflict so high and preventable.
Mike is bringing his knowledge of social psychology, decision science, law, and organizational science to bear on conflict intelligence in healthcare settings.
About Mike
Mike Palmer has spent over 35 years helping individuals and organizations transform conflict into collaboration. As a former litigation attorney, mediator, and internationally recognized dispute resolution expert, he's seen firsthand how unmanaged conflict undermines even the most well-intentioned teams.
What makes his approach different:
Legal background and social science expertise give him systems-level understanding of organizational conflict
International consulting across six countries revealed cultural dimensions of workplace dynamics
Created innovative software for quantifying risk and value
Taught everyone from top business executives to university students how to build conflict intelligence
Credentials:
J.D., Georgetown University
Dr. Phil., Philosophy & Social Sciences, Free University of Berlin
Negotiation and Mediation Certificates, Harvard University
Author: Win Before Trial, Professional Ethics for Managers, and The Morally Responsible College
Consultant to: Johnson & Johnson, CIGNA, KPMG, academic institutions, and government agencies
Mike’s scholarly work is available on SSRN, Academia, and Google Scholar.
The Conflict Crisis in Healthcare
Healthcare faces conflict dynamics that for which generic approaches to conflict are not well suited:
Life-and-Death Stakes Every disagreement carries weight beyond typical workplace conflicts. When teams don't collaborate effectively, patient safety is compromised.
Complex Professional Hierarchies Multiple professions with distinct training, values, and status create unique power dynamics and communication challenges.
Relentless Time Pressure Healthcare operates 24/7 with no pause button. Conflicts must be resolved in real-time, often during emergencies.
Regulatory Complexity Legal and compliance constraints limit options and add layers of complexity to every conflict.
Emotional Intensity Constant exposure to suffering, death, and family grief creates cumulative stress that amplifies workplace tensions.
The Financial Impact: These factors cost the average 300-bed hospital $5-8 million annually in:
Nurse and physician turnover
Productivity losses from workplace tensions
Quality impacts and patient safety issues
Leadership time consumed managing conflicts
Litigation and settlements
Damaged reputation affecting recruitment and patient volumes
The Human Cost: Behind these numbers are talented nurses leaving careers they once loved, physicians experiencing moral injury, and patients receiving care from exhausted, conflicted teams.
About Our Conflict
Intelligent Hospitals Program
After 35+ years studying conflict across industries, Mike Palmer developed the Conflict-Intelligent Healthcare Program to meet healthcare's unique challenges.
The Problem We Address
Healthcare faces conflict dynamics for which generic approaches are not well suited:
Life-and-death stakes intensifying every disagreement
Complex hierarchies across multiple professions
Time pressure demanding real-time conflict skills
Regulatory complexity constraining options
Relentless emotional intensity from constant exposure to suffering
These factors cost the average 300-bed hospital $5-8 million annually in turnover, productivity loss, quality impacts, and leadership time consumed managing conflicts.
Conflict Intelligence
Conflict Intelligence is the organizational and individual capability to prevent conflicts through intentional design, address them constructively when they occur, and transform them into opportunities for learning, innovation, and stronger relationships.
Our Approach
The framework consists of three interconnected elements:
1. Accurate Diagnosis Using our Taxonomy of Healthcare Conflicts, we help leaders identify seven distinct conflict types—from resource scarcity to values clashes to system dysfunction. Accurate diagnosis enables effective intervention.
2. The Three Types of Work Excellence requires mastery of handwork (clinical tasks), mindwork (decision-making), and peoplework (how we relate and collaborate). Most improvement efforts neglect peoplework—yet it's the foundation that makes everything else possible.
3. Ten Core Values Conflict-intelligent hospitals embody operational values that become real through specific practices: Love, Truth, Fairness, Respect, Positivity, Stewardship, Competence, Courage, Humility, and Trustworthiness.
Implementation
We will guide organizations through a 3-5 year transformation journey:
Assessment and foundation building
Capability development and system redesign
Hospital-wide integration and sustainability
But meaningful improvements appear within 6-12 months.
Current Stage
We're developing this program through partnerships with pioneering healthcare organizations. Beta participants receive comprehensive support while helping refine the framework for broader implementation.
Results
Organizations can expect to see a 20-40% reduction in conflict-related turnover, improved patient outcomes, millions in annual savings, enhanced reputation, and healthcare professionals who rediscover meaning in their work.
Next Steps
Complete the free, 5-minute Conflict Assessment Questionnaire to discover your organization's conflict intelligence baseline and explore whether this program might be right for your hospital.
Read the 160-0age Draft Summary of Conflict-Intelligent Hospitals, available for free.
Schedule a call with Mike to share your views and experience as a healthcare professional.
The Journey to Conflict Intelligence
Transformation doesn't happen overnight. We guide organizations through a 3-5 year journey with three phases:
Phase 1: Assessment & Foundation (Months 1-12)
Comprehensive conflict climate assessment
Leadership team capability building
Quick-win interventions that demonstrate value
Begin culture shift with early adopters
Phase 2: Capability Development & System Redesign (Years 2-3)
Organization-wide training in conflict intelligence
Redesign key systems (scheduling, communication, decision-making)
Build internal capacity for ongoing conflict work
Measure and refine based on data
Phase 3: Integration & Sustainability (Years 3-5)
Embed conflict intelligence into all operations
Develop peer coaching and mentoring systems
Create self-sustaining improvement cycles
Position organization as a model for the field
But meaningful improvements appear within 6-12 months.
Early wins typically include:
Reduced turnover in high-conflict units
Improved team satisfaction scores
Fewer formal complaints and grievances
Better communication between shifts and disciplines
Leadership teams that navigate difficult decisions more effectively
What Hospitals Can Expect
Based on our framework and research from similar interventions, hospitals can expect:
Quantifiable Improvements:
20-40% reduction in conflict-related turnover
$2-6 million annual savings for 300-bed hospitals
Improved patient satisfaction scores (expect 5-15 point increases)
Reduced serious safety events tied to communication breakdowns
Decreased leadership time spent on conflict management (30-50% reduction)
Cultural Transformation:
Healthcare professionals who rediscover meaning and joy in their work
Teams that handle high-stress situations with greater resilience
Leaders who navigate difficult decisions with confidence
Organizations known as great places to work, attracting top talent
Reduced burnout rates and improved staff wellbeing
Sustainable Competitive Advantage: In an era of nursing shortages and recruitment challenges, conflict-intelligent hospitals become employers of choice—creating a virtuous cycle of attraction, retention, and excellence.
Join Us in Building The Conflict-Intelligent Healthcare Program
We're in Development
Conflict-Intelligent Healthcare is currently in beta phase. We're looking to partner with pioneering healthcare organizations to refine and validate our framework through real-world implementation.
What Beta Partners Receive:
Comprehensive assessment and diagnostic services
Leadership team training and coaching
Access to all program materials and tools
Regular consultation and support
Significantly reduced program fees
Co-creation opportunity: Your input directly shapes the program
What We Ask from Beta Partners:
Commitment to the full implementation process
Willingness to share data (anonymized) for research
Feedback on what works and what needs improvement
Patience as we refine the approach together
Consideration of case study participation (optional)
Timeline: We're looking for beta partners for the 2026 launch, with selection process going on now.
Explore Whether This Program Is Right for You
1. Take the Free Assessment Complete our 5-minute Conflict Intelligence Questionnaire to discover your organization's baseline and identify priority areas.
2. Download the Book Read the complete 182-page framework summary: Conflict-Intelligent Hospitals: A Framework for Transformation
3. Experience the Foundation Join our free "Listening to Understand" workshop to learn core conflict intelligence skills.
4. Schedule a Conversation Talk with Mike about your organization's specific challenges and whether this program might help.
Contact us
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