This September marks an exciting milestone for C4C Associate Suzanna Tan: the launch of her new book, Positive Approaches to Conflict at Work, published by Routledge.
Conflict is something we all encounter at work. Whether it’s disagreements with colleagues, tensions with line managers or internal struggles about our values and direction, conflict is often unavoidable. What matters is how we approach it. Suzanna’s new book is designed to be a practical, accessible guide for navigating conflict in a way that is constructive and sustainable.
The journey behind the book
Suzanna’s background spans 25 years in financial services and close to two decades as a coach. Over that time, she noticed a recurring theme in her coaching practice: around 80% of the issues clients brought to her had conflict at their core. Sometimes it was internal conflict, struggling with decisions or values misaligned with their organisation. Other times it was interpersonal, difficult relationships, clashing expectations or leadership tensions.
Like many of us, Suzanna admits she didn’t always handle conflict well in her earlier career. She often found herself either shying away from it or tackling it head-on in ways that weren’t always constructive. Over time, through coaching, mediation training and extensive client work, she developed a deep interest in how conflict can be better understood and more positively managed.
This lived experience is what inspired the book, Positive Approaches to Conflict at Work.
A practical resource for the workplace
Suzanna explains: “My vision was clear: to create an easy to dip into reference book for anyone at work, not just leaders, but employees, teams and organisations in both public and private sectors.
“The book is structured around case studies drawn from real life experiences (carefully adapted for confidentiality) and filled with practical tools and techniques. My writing style is intentionally clear and straightforward. I want the book to be something people can pick up, relate to and use without needing specialist knowledge.”
One of the central frameworks in the book is a simple but powerful triangle that distinguishes between:
- Healthy conflict – disagreements that drive innovation, growth and collaboration.
- Toxic conflict – situations that harm wellbeing, damage relationships and undermine productivity.
- Unresolved conflict – the issues that are ignored, avoided or left to fester.
By helping readers assess which type of conflict they are dealing with, Suzanna provides the foundation for choosing the right approach.
That practicality has already proved to be valuable. Suzanna has shared insights from the book during a webinar session at Warwick Business School, where participants immediately applied tools from the book to their own situations.
The book also benefited from Suzanna’s collaboration with Bob Thomson, series editor, who challenged her to make complex ideas as clear and accessible as possible. She says: “Working with Bob is one of the highlights of my professional career, and his influence helped shape the book into the straightforward, reader-friendly resource it is today.”
What’s next for Suzanna?
While Suzanna isn’t planning another book right away, she is continuing to focus her professional work on conflict, both through coaching and through webinars and workshops. She is also training as a supervisor, aiming to support coaches who themselves may face conflict in their practice or with clients.
At C4C, we are immensely proud of Suzanna and excited to see the impact her book will have.
You can find Positive Approaches to Conflict at Work on Amazon, Waterstones, Routledge and other major bookstores.
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