Category: Commentary

External commercial conflicts rarely resolve themselves. Whether the pressure comes from a supplier, a customer, a regulator, an insurer, or a contractual partner, the organisations that navigate conflict well follow a predictable pattern — not by accident, but by design. At RESOLVE, I use a structured seven‑step pathway to help businesses stabilise the situation, understand…

Most commercial disputes don’t erupt inside an organisation — they arrive from the outside. A supplier misses a deadline. A customer raises a complaint that feels disproportionate. A regulator asks a question that seems routine… until it isn’t. External conflicts are uniquely dangerous because they often look harmless at first. They sit just outside the…

In commercial disputes between businesses, the presenting issue is rarely the real issue. Deals stall, partnerships strain, and negotiations harden — yet the underlying cause often sits beneath the surface: a power imbalance that no one names, but everyone feels. Power imbalances are not inherently negative. Every commercial relationship has asymmetry — in capital, capability,…

The hidden drivers beneath commercial conflict — and why understanding them changes everything. On the surface, commercial disputes look rational: a disagreement about money, performance, timelines, responsibilities, or decisions. But beneath the surface, something else is almost always driving the conflict. Fear. Misalignment. Assumptions. Unspoken expectations. Competing interpretations of the same facts. These deeper drivers…

Why the earliest moments matter most — and how to stop the emotional bleed. When a commercial dispute surfaces, the first 48 hours determine almost everything that follows. This is the moment when emotions are highest, assumptions are loudest, and communication is at its most fragile. It’s also the moment when leaders often react too…