Effective conflict resolution essential to manage the risk of failure in strategic partnerships

Recent research - Organising HR for partnering success -–from the CIPD indicates that ‘the number of strategic partnerships (including joint ventures, outsourcing, strategic alliances, and public-private sector commissioning models) is increasing, yet the failure rate of these arrangements is between 60% and 70%¹.  Unsuccessful partnerships waste time and damage relationships, and ultimately therefore do not serve customers.’ 

 Dr. Jill Miller, CIPD research adviser and co-author of the research, said: "In partnering arrangements, HR finds itself not only responsible for the design and delivery of the people agenda in their own organisation, but also across the partnering network.’
"Managers' roles also become more intricate in partnering arrangements, often managing teams which include those who report directly to them as well as people employed by a partner organisation.’ 

Professor Paul Sparrow, the Director of the Centre for Performance-led HR and Professor of International Human Resource Management at Lancaster University Management School, acknowledges the risks of strategic partnership and emphasises the need for effective conflict resolution:
"The risks can be planned for much better - we have to think about the best ways to ensure co-ordination, communication, control, and capability across all the partners - and that means dealing with conflict and cultural problems."

We recommend that HR takes the lead in this vital role designing and implementing a conflict resolution strategy across all the partnership. Conflict in strategic partnerships is normal as complexity, diversity and cultural differences can put pressure on working relationships, communication and ultimately performance.

PRL’s ABC model of workplace conflict resolution (Designing Resolution Architecture and putting in place Resolution Building Blocks to encourage a conflict Resolution Climate) helps HR think and act in a structured way about conflict across strategic partnerships. Here are some steps to consider:

1) Think about the types of conversation and working relationships you need across the partnership and design in Resolution Architecture (policies, guidance and strategies emphasizing commitment to early, effective, efficient conflict resolution):
2) Vision and consolidate common ground and build commitment to collaborative, creative, constructive conflict resolution across diverse organizations and stakeholders
3) Consider what Resolution Building Blocks are already in place across the partnership (conflict resolution trained managers; mediation capacity; access to independent conflict facilitators / coaches; an effective and efficient approach for the investigation and adjudication of formal grievances). Identify gaps, pooling opportunities, increase resolution capacity, introduce resolution efficiency measures and audit and reduce the cost of conflict.
4) Aim to reduce risk and maximise the benefits of diversity by moving away from reactive or avoidance-based approaches to conflict across strategic partnerships. Build and maintain commitment to developing a conflict Resolution Climate which has a number of benefits to strategic partnerships:

·         Appropriately managed conflict produces win/win solutions, builds confidence and trust and enables issues to be raised and solved

·         Time is saved through early effective resolution and people can get back to work rather than being distracted / stressed by conflict

·         Understanding across cultural differences is encouraged and will strengthen working relationships

·         Fewer strategic partnerships will fail as an effective conflict resolution strategy will contribute assist significantly to the management of people risk.

For more on working with conflict across strategic partnerships contact John Crawley at john.crawley@peopleresolutions.com. Download the ABC guide here. 

John Crawley 

The FAIRER workplace investigation process– preventing the rogues

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the Home Office is to introduce a new system of regulation for private investigators to protect the public from unscrupulous activity. The idea is to prevent rogue investigators unlawfully infringing on the privacy of individuals.

Workplace investigations are luckily not dogged by such rogue individuals but it does sometimes feel as though organisations do not put a high priority on supporting and quality assuring their investigators in what is a complex, risky role.

I’ve recently distilled People Resolutions’ vast experience of workplace investigation into the FAIRER model and I hope this will help those of you who are assigned to investigating workplace grievances, disciplinaries, bullying and harassment allegations and other matters.

This is how it works. First the FAIRER acronym captures the spirit of the central value of effective workplace investigation. Investigators need to be demonstrably fair – recognised as fair by a range of stakeholders, parties and their representatives in their management and recording of the process, in their verbal exchanges, treatment and respect of the parties, and in any written material they process or produce.

Fairness isn’t just in the head or heart. It involves preparation, following designated structures and principles and rigorous attention to detail. Policies give some guidance on process and many organisations do have maps, templates and model documents to help investigators act consistently across a range of situations with a range of stressed, demanding parties often with polarised perceptions.

The structure of thinking and working provided by the FAIRER model supplements and dovetails well with workplace policies and procedures.  

F- Find out – what is to be investigated and agree the terms of reference (investigation plan), what are the issues and allegations, what is the evidence, what happened and what can help understand and assess what happened

A– Analyse – apply objective, impartial, rational consideration to reflect and begin to structure what you have and begin to weigh it up against the allegations

I – bring Insight – consider the weight, type of evidence, levels of proof required, utilise external guidance, definitions, seek more information and clarification if required

R- Report – pull together evidence, conclusions, findings* in a detailed, structured report according to policy requirements and the terms of reference

E – Evaluate - explain and get feedback on the report and findings / recommendations with key parties, check in with commissioning person for feedback as appropriate

R - Reflect on learning emerging from the investigation and disseminate as appropriate.

John Crawley

*If Required 

Adding Conflict Management and Mediation Skills to Management Competencies – Improving the Resolution Architecture

Including Mediation A new study on Forbes suggests that CEOs are doing a ‘lousy job when it comes to people management’ and the ‘lowest rated skill was conflict management.’ 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/05/23/ceos-are-terrible-at-management-study-finds/ 

Listening skills, empathy and compassion also scored badly (23%). Of course CEOs need to focus on the bottom line and their decision-making ability is rated much higher in this study. This managerial skills defecit has also been noticed in recent CIPD Fact Sheet on Employee Relations at work

‘Managing the employment relationship rests heavily on the shoulders of line managers, but their competence in this area is, in general, seriously neglected…..A much wider area of knowledge is now required, along with the skills to apply it, including communications and conflict management.’

It is difficult to achieve a balance between people skills and technical, business and professional skills when designing leadership and management training. I believe that the Resolution Architecture at work and general levels of trust, engagement and capability would be improved and resolution-readiness increased if Conflict Management and Mediation skills were more prominently featured in Leadership and Management competencies and standards (see our ABC Guide to Workplace Conflict Resolution). As these skills contain listening, building trust, facilitation and working across diverse teams this change would also have a positive impact on engagement, trust and capability.

I recently sat on a working party leading a Skills CFA review and update of Leadership and Management National Occupational Standards. Conflict resolution and mediation skills barely appeared at all amongst a mass of competencies seen as leadership and management essentials. Without some mention in the standards I felt it was unlikely that these skills would ever be identified as central to success and worth investing in. The Resolution Architecture at work would remain non-conducive to early resolution by managers.

The review panel agreed that this was an omission so I designed a new standard which is ‘about managing conflicts across the broader work environment, between different stakeholders, working at different levels and in different departments or organisations. It covers taking preventative action to avoid the negative impacts of conflicts and resolving conflicts when they emerge.’ NOS are intended as guides to best practice so why not take a look and consider adding some of the skills, understanding and knowledge to your leadership competencies? 

Available at http://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/CFAM_LDD5.pdf or  http://www.skillscfa.org/images/pdfs/National%20Occupational%20Standards/Management%20and%20Leadership/2012/Management%20and%20Leadership.pdf.

Many of these skills are covered in our conflict resolution and mediation training courses which you can find on our website but do get in touch to info@peopleresolutions.com  and be sure to download our 'ABC Guide to Workplace Conflict Resolutions' guide and watch our video series. 

John Crawley

How to Disagree Well

Listening to the radio on the way into work the other day I heard ‘Thought for the Day’ in which The Revered Ruth Scott, an Anglican vicar in Richmond spoke about managing conflict on a highly emotive issue – Women Bishops - that comes with centuries of beliefs, history and values attached. Ruth mentions that ‘Many of our decision-making processes require us to take sides, to win arguments, to beat the opposition and to gain power by defeating ‘the other’. It doesn’t have to be that way.’

Ruth also outlines core skills that she used such as listening attentively, ‘holding in sight the humanity of the other’ and ‘respecting the right of the other to share their story.’ This piece recognised the need to look at processes and skills when attempting to resolve age-old differences. The fact that this proactive, dialogue based approach is being applied to such a difficult conflict is encouraging.

I have spent most of my working life helping people at work to ‘disagree well’ - a concept which is threaded through our new ABC Guide to Workplace Conflict Resolution.  This series of whitepapers is full of ideas and practical steps to take. The ultimate goal is to create an environment at work in which conflict is no longer viewed as something that spreads fear, confusion and closed thinking. ‘Resolution ready’ organisations resolve conflict in a positive way, so that disagreement becomes a fertile, engaging experience in which ideas flourish, performance is restored and trust rebuilt.

I wish the Revered Ruth Scott all the best in her facilitation endeavours. The full text  Ruth’s short talk are published below:

“Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words.” So sang Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She reminds us that while it may be good to talk, communication isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Over the weekend I was helping to facilitate conversations at General Synod between members whose views about Women Bishops are very different.  

One reason why communication goes pear-shaped and conflict occurs is because fear prevents us having difficult conversations in the way we need to have them – by listening attentively, respecting the right of the other to share their story, taking responsibility for the consequences of the different choices we have, and always holding in sight the humanity of the other. The conversations at Synod were painful because members heard how damaging earlier debates had been, not only to themselves, but to those they opposed.

Acknowledging shared pain and working to reframe the dialogue was emotionally costly, but by the end of the day the message coming back from the groups was how much more of these facilitated conversations they wanted. This wasn’t because they worked like magic enabling everybody suddenly to agree with everyone else, but they offered another way of addressing difference. Many of our decision-making processes require us to take sides, to win arguments, to beat the opposition and to gain power by defeating ‘the other’. It doesn’t have to be that way. I was profoundly moved by members in my group holding diametrically opposed views who, after expressing their pain and anger, went on to work together to try and find ways forward that took seriously the perspectives of all of them. While agreement may be desirable, Chris, it may be more important to learn how to disagree well.’ ©BBC Radio 2

Read Part one of the ABC Guide- 'Conflict is Normal: Are you Resolution Ready?'  or email us at info@peopleresolutions.com to be the first to receive the series. 

Unresolved Conflict Stops You Working

The cost, risk and stress associated with unresolved conflict at work is well documented.

‘Conflict between individuals in the workplace can cost an organisation dear. In 2011–12, there were 186,300 employment tribunal claims (MOJ 2012). Over the

past decade there has been a significant increase in employment rights legislation, providing additional avenues for employees to seek recourse through formal channels. People are also now more aware of their rights at work. This expanded legal framework means that, if employers do not manage conflict effectively, the consequences can be serious.[1]’

Negative conflict narrative is abundant and persuasive. The following conflict snapshots are from real life situations:

Levi doesn’t like difficult conversations so he avoids monitoring Stanislav’s performance. When ‘Stan’s performance suddenly dips Levi sends a formal sounding email to set up a review meeting. Stan responds by putting in a grievance for bullying and goes off sick with stress.

Team Gold at the Crawley Call Centre like a ‘bit of banter’ and often pepper one another with texts and emails. They’re all OK with that including the manager as it ‘oils the wheels.’ Two new team members start and are welcomed by a jokey email in which the word ‘gay’ appears. One of them goes to the Team leader and is in a dilemma being gay but not yet out in this organisation.

Sigmaplusplus computing has 11 employees and is a family run business. The director and lead IT specialist disagree aggressively about spending £3000 on external IT support when ‘it was thought this could be handled in-house.’ An external mediator is brought in and the two central parties agree to differ and move on. No-one else is involved and the mediation is kept quite ‘secret’ and the atmosphere continues to worsen. Production dips.’

Grimmingtonland Council has a in-house mediation service and it gets 4 cases a year all of which have been successfully mediated. They are happy with that after a £10,000 plus spend.

Professor Bingaling from Sinistre College is a well know flirt, maverick academic and very direct manager. He has had 4 grievances taken out of him all without a proven outcome. He brings in significant research funds and staff think he is untouchable.

All of these stories could have positive conclusions. One of our aims with the ABC guide to Workplace Conflict Resolution is to show how to turn these negative conflict situations around. Watch this space.

John Crawley

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[1] Mediation An Approach to Resolving Workplace Issues; ACAS CIPD paper Feb 2013

Reframing Resolution - The ABC Approach to Workplace Conflict Resolution (A taster ahead of next week’s launch)

The ABC approach is based around three new reflective metaphors designed to help you think about where you are, what works and what else you need to do to manage conflict at work successfully.  

·         Using Resolution Architecture™ - to design a resolution-ready workplace.

• Introducing or enhancing Resolution Building Blocks ™ to increase resolution capacity, introduce resolution efficiency measures and reduce the cost of conflict
• Changing the Resolution Climate™ - moving from conflict reactive behaviour and thinking to a conflict resolution culture

 Over the next few months we will be releasing some really useful guides using this approach.

Resolution Architecture ™

I’ve developed this term to encourage reflection on the processes, structures, systems, physical environment, social media that house, give context to and condition individual, team and collective workplace conflict resolution behaviours and thinking.

Like architecture in general, resolution architecture sometimes works and sometimes does not achieve its intended purpose. Resolution architecture is often an accident of occurrence rather than design. Over time fashions change and architecture is particularly prone to the influence of strong powerful people and of fashion. Resolution architecture is the same.

For example most grievance procedures give structure and context to conflict conversations but they were designed in a time of deep industrial unrest with significant mistrust between employer and employee. These processes need a new design, an architectural update.

Architecture is also about accommodating improvements in technology and it is important to reflect on how on-line and e-communication can both encourage conflict and assist in its resolution. I suggest you include that if you are redesigning up to date resolution architecture.

Resolution Building Blocks ™

These are the practical, substantive measures that can be introduced to create a resolution capacity where there is none, or improve existing capability. Without building blocks architecture becomes a fictional pursuit. They put the substance into the concepts and ideas. In tough times spending is tight but be reassured many resolution building blocks do not cost a fortune. Nor are they for big organisations only. A wide range of effective models and tips will be included in the Resolution Building Blocks section of the ABC Guide. For example the ‘Talk-it-Out’ resolution and mediation model; the RESPECT model of conflict coaching.

Resolution Climate™

Resolution Climate™ describes the more intangible aspects of atmosphere, culture, habit and circumstance that conditions how we feel and think about conflict at work. Unlike the weather Resolution Climate is susceptible to control. In Section Four of the guide we will be looking at what characteristics and values need to be developed to encourage a resolution culture. Initial research suggests that there are some organisational characteristics more conducive to mediation than others (1) such as how ‘democratic’ or ‘communitarian’ an organisation is.

You may already have in place some of the ingredients conducive to a Resolution Climate. We will be inviting you to share your experience of creating a conflict resolution climate. Many organisations across a range of sectors are starting to use mediation more and have some Resolution Architecture and Building Blocks in place. The Army and Barnardo’s; Citi Bank and the Greater London Authority; NHS Grampian and several private schools. At first glance these organisations could not be more different in terms of sector, values and purpose but they have all funded mediation.

One thing they share is the ability to substantiate the business case for mediation and raise resources. They also share some belief that win/win and not win/lose resolutions have a value for working communities.  The ability to engage stakeholders, and building resolution awareness and commitment is also a key ingredient these organisation share.

For more information start collecting the ‘ABC Guide to Workplace Conflict Resolution’ available exclusively from People Resolutions Ltd – released in four monthly guides by signing up at info@peopleresolutions.com

John Crawley

References

1)      Mediation: A critical analysis of the changing nature of dispute resolution in the workplace (BUIRA Conference June 28 2012) AJW Bennett

Reducing Email stress at work through 'E-tiquette'

According to an up and coming study from Loughborough University reading and sending emails prompts tell-tale signs of stress including elevated blood pressure, heart rate and levels of the hormone cortisol.

The conflict risks of E-communication is one of the areas covered in our new White Paper coming up in July.

Prof Tom Jackson of Loughborough University, who led the study which has not yet been published, said: "The brain can only deal with eight to 12 tasks at any one time and if you can't shut those tasks down you start to become overloaded and fatigued.

"Multifunctional devices like Blackberrys and iPhones allow workers to be accessible 24-hours a day unlike ever before [but] because of this it is likely that there will be an increase in stress levels."

Researchers who followed a group of 30 government employees found that 83 per cent became more stressed while using email, rising to 92 per cent when speaking on the phone and using email at the same time.

Although receiving a single message was no more stressful than answering one phone call or talking to someone face-to-face, emails had a stronger effect overall because people received so many each day.

Emails which were irrelevant, which interrupted work or demanded an immediate response were particularly taxing, while those which arrived in response to completed work had a calming effect.

The study also found that people were unable to identify accurately when their body was showing signs of stress and often were unaware of their state, he added This would indicate that employees might find it difficult to self-regulate their use of communication media to ensure they do not become overwhelmed by stress."

Do you have any examples of e-mail stress and conflict?

We will be launching a useful whitepaper highlighting the issues of conflict- including Etiquette 

All female conflicts at work perceived as more negative – implications for workplace mediators and investigators

If you are about to mediate or investigate an all-female conflict at work, watch out for a tendency to view it harshly. New research from the University of British Columbia's business school suggests men and women perceive conflict between two women co-workers as being more harmful and doing more irreparable damage than conflicts between men. (1)

Participants were asked to make judgements on a scale of one to seven on the likelihood that the two managers would be able to repair their relationship going forward, and the extent to which the conflict would affect their job satisfaction and commitment to the company.

Participants rated those involved in all-female conflicts as also being more likely to let the argument negatively influence job satisfaction than male-female or male-male quarrellers.

The study also found that female experiment participants were just as likely as males to see the all-female conflict as more negative.

"I think people perceive female conflict negatively because it violates the way they think women should be," researcher Leah Sheppard told CBC News in an interview. "We want them to be always nurturing and kind and supportive."

It's an assumption that people don't impose whenever men deal with each other, even in a hostile way, she says.

"We are hard-pressed to think of a term comparable to 'catfight' that is regularly used to label conflict and competition between two men," she notes. "This term is troubling because it dehumanizes women and suggests that competition and conflict between women is akin to a disease when, in reality, moderate amounts of same-sex hostility are natural and expected across [men and women.]"

We all have our hooks which make it difficult for us to see things as they are and remain impartial. What do you think? What implications does this have for training workplace mediators and investigators? Do we concentrate too much on the technical side and not enough on the pitfalls of human bias?

We would love to hear your view. Get in touch. 

John Crawley

(1)http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/02/25/business-sauder-female-conflict.html   

When is a Mediation not a Mediation? When it’s ‘Conflict Coaching’

Recently we have handled a number of cases where a manager is ‘in dispute’ with a team, or vice versa and we have developed an interesting hybrid approach which offers much to mediation but also to coaching.

Mediation’s strength is its ability to encourage people to move towards common ground, rebuild communication and resolve issues. In these team versus manager situations there are often power issues (e.g. 5 team members v one manager) and blocking behaviours (e.g. lack of of self awareness and destructive, habitual negative management habits) which inhibit the success of mediation.

As many of our consultants have a wide range of assessment, coaching, facilitation and mediation skills they have been successfully creating a tailored process which involves three main ingredients:

o   ‘Conflict coaching’ with individuals (often the manager) where necessary to encourage behavioural change and build self-awareness

o   Mini-mediations to build resolution and rebuild trust

o   A team mediation to reset working relationships, reset future working and restore performance.

This approach is particularly useful we find when a manager or particular team member has had a series of difficult situations. All coaching services explicitly aim for supportive and appropriate behaviour change. Coaches don’t just listen, observe and encourage they must challenge too. Coaching is about improvement and change. ‘Conflict coaching’ utilises a number of tried and tested facilitation and ‘breakthrough’ techniques developed from our years of successful work with challenging situations at work. All our practitioners are committed to a non-blaming and constructive approach.

This hybrid of coaching and mediation is proving successful with a range of customers and can unstick some very blocked situations. We can, of course, also train people in conflict-coaching skills and watch out for some new training courses in this area.

Contact John Crawley for more information.

Does justice always have to mean ‘punishment’?

Home Secretary Yvette Taylor recently expressed horror (1) when hearing that community resolution was applied in 10,160 incidents of "serious violence" - about 12 times the figure for five years ago. She described the figures as ‘very serious’ and that this it is ‘letting people off.’ She added "That's bad for justice, bad for victims and goes against all the evidence."

Community Resolution is a well established victim-led resolution technique, in many cases including a mediation-style ‘restorative’ dialogue.  Yvette Taylor’s comments are understandable but fill me with dismay as they focus on the potentially negative aspects of a mediation-style resolution process which generally has well-evidenced success.

Association of Chief Police Officer's representative Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan speaks positively about how community resolution “will be victim-led and above all reflect their views and wishes." Closure for many victims is an important part of justice. Just like mediation, people who may be responsible for bad behavior also get the chance to move on.

ACC Shewan continues "Going through a restorative justice meeting has also been proven to have more impact on an offender than a prison sentence or a court punishment alone, as they see the consequences of their actions and so want to make changes in their future behaviour."

Mediation in the workplace is also uniquely win/win. It challenges conventional views of justice and often generates strong negative reactions. On other hand those who try mediation very soon see its benefits.

There is good learning here for organisations that are thinking of using a workplace mediator or setting up an in-house mediation service.

1.   Do not push people into mediation – it must be their choice

2.   Mount a campaign to promote the many benefits of mediation alongside the risks.

3.   Do not use mediation in cases where it would send out the wrong message and where a more formal, disciplinary approach might be more suitable.

4.   Make sure you are really thorough in measuring the cost of conflict and the subsequent cost benefits of mediation when used appropriately.

5.   Be persistent and resilient as mediation is always put under much more scrutiny than other more legalistic, formal approaches.

So what have you done in your organisation to overcome negative views of mediation?

John Crawley

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[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22346971

Coping with the new normal

Having just joined People Resolutions after 25 years running my own business I have been reminded how tricky it is to be joining a new group of people whose norms are unfamiliar and may be different from your own. I received an enthusiastic welcome full of curiosity and courtesy – so important for new joiners. I realised how useful my well-honed mediation skills were too, as I absorbed and reflected to make sure I got maximum information and suspended judgement to make sure I was building understanding of people, products and the new norms rather than assessing, accepting or rejecting. 

Download R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Humans like to judge – we cannot survive if we do not. We also overdo it somewhat, branding and labelling people, assessing their performance and worth based on assumptions or selective evidence. Suspending judgement is difficult. Impartiality is also a tough quality to enact. I soon discovered impartiality is one of the key qualities that runs through People Resolutions and links it with Responsible Trade Worldwide and Human Potential Accounting. I aim to ensure that we demonstrate active impartiality in all that we do whether in an investigation, mediation, facilitation or learning and development role.

I’m bringing some new tools, ideas and processes and some well proven solutions to the business and by way of a sampler take a look at our R.E.S.P.E.C.T model.  

As the world of work becomes ever more diverse and globally connected communicators will have to put their own norms to one side, build empathy and solve problems from a place of common ground. My main driver is to make ‘resolution’ the new normal. If you disagree with a colleague and cannot understand where they are coming from – talk it out don’t fight it out. If you have a difficult audit or evaluation conversation coming up make sure you that you frame it in a non-judgemental way, hear from as many perspectives as possible and create a problem-solving rather than a blaming atmosphere.

The Five A's of Resolving Workplace Conflict

For today’s post, we’ve summarised the five key elements of addressing workplace conflict in a handy visual (you can save, share and print the image above).

Let’s look at each step in more detail:

Step 1: Acknowledge that there is tension or conflict that needs addressing rather than let it fester any longer. As people, it’s natural for us to avoid and downplay conflict because dealing with it is hard, it takes effort and honesty, and it often brings things out that can make the situation more uncomfortable before it improves. So your first step is to take ownership of the problem.

Step 2: What is it actually that you want to achieve from putting yours and others’ time and energy (and organisational investment), into dealing with the conflict? That is, are you looking to address the underlying issues at the very heart of the conflict, or can you see other ways that the situation could be brought to some sort of closure – like moving someone to another department, reaching a compromise agreement, or conducting an investigation to tick a particular policy box? Your answer to this question fundamentally affects what you do and how the conflict may or may not be resolved. In our experience, if you can get to the root of the issue, it always yields the most positive, and cost effective, result for the business and individuals concerned.

Step 3: Addressing conflict early is always the best approach before it escalates to a point where it becomes increasingly costly to resolve. For example, reaching Employment Tribunal is a situation where nobody really wins. Your aim is to nip the conflict in the bud as soon as it is picked up.

Step 4: Try not to jump to solution mode before you’ve assessed some key factors. It’s important to fully understand first why the conflict occurred, and its seriousness. With groups, it could be helpful to roughly visualise the conflict on paper –representing the many lines of interaction and what each relationship is like, what incidents have occurred between people, so where the hot spots are, etc.

Step 5: Finally, it’s important to accept that some kinds of conflict are easier to resolve than others. A spat in a meeting can be diffused relatively quickly, but resolving the issues bubbling underneath could be a lengthier road. But it’s certainly possible, if there has been a commitment (Step 1) to support individuals during what can be a tough period of dealing with negative emotions, of self-reflection and changing their own behaviour.

We hope you found these steps useful when facing conflict in your organisation. You’ll find more information about our services here and free video recordings of our workplace conflict webcasts.

Successful mediations start with the right HR mindset. When was the last time you checked yours?

When conflict boils over in the workplace, it is tempting to quickly bring the parties together and point them towards a resolution. You can see how they need to work it out, ‘It is just a matter of telling them, right?’

No, not really. A more sensitive approach, based on our current knowledge of interpersonal relationships, usually gets better results which are more relevant to the individuals, and longer lasting.

Time and again, we come across well-meaning, but perhaps ill-advised, colleagues confusing informal HR meetings with mediation in its most valuable and effective form.
 Perhaps it is time for HR professionals and line managers to gain a better understanding of what mediation is, what it can do, when it should be used, and whom is best placed to mediate competently and without bias. After all, the way mediation is introduced into your organisation will shape the way it is embraced and embedded in your culture.

Once the relevant line or HR manager has learned of a conflict situation at work, they will probably want to sit down with each party to gain a fuller picture of the situation. There is much to be gained from these conversations, and one possible outcome may be to propose a mediation.

Problems occur when the meeting turns into the beginnings of a mediation of sorts, before the parties have been duly prepared and have an understanding of what is involved. There is also a risk that, in this context, there is a lack of complete impartiality and that professional mediation practice models are not being followed. This poses a significant risk to the credibility of the process and the way the parties are being supported.

Here are some of what we believe to be the core objectives of an initial needs assessment:

- Gain overview of concerns

- Establish the history of the issue/s to date and the people involved

- Understand what the parties are looking to achieve 
All of the above can, with the consent of the parties, feed usefully into a mediator's background knowledge of the situation, if indeed mediation is the most appropriate next step. 

People Resolutions provides independent conflict resolution services, including workplace investigations and mediation. If you’d like to talk through any situation, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01908 488 828, at no obligation.

The ‘root’ to resolving workplace conflict - an insight into our process

The root to resolving workplace conflict

Every first phone call we receive from a client organisation paints an individual problem scenario of workplace conflict. And while there are unique aspects to each situation, many will share common themes that help guide us along the appropriate route to resolution and closure for all stakeholders.

A return to work clouded in anxieties, interpersonal clashes within a whole team, an under performing manager - all of these could be perceived as being ripe for mediation. But conflict has roots, often buried beneath the surface, which can make an immediately obvious solution hard to spot.

Mapping the conflict picture

The key is to try and map the ‘conflict picture’, complete with roots and branches, to indicate which interventions will work most effectively and in which order. We also look at risks (such as imminence of a grievance being raised or a person leaving) and what is the end goal we want to reach. This isn't to say that all workplace conflict can be ‘solved’ in a scientific manner - we’re dealing with people here - but it certainly helps gain a handle on the situation.

For example, if there is a fallout within a group of employees, it is worth examining whether there is a line management issue underneath, or perhaps a hotspot between two individuals that is causing others to take sides. Informal one-to-ones with each member of the team can go a long way to making everyone’s concerns feel heard and to pinpoint the conflict anchor.

By taking things a level deeper, it may become obvious that conducting a group mediation ‘cold’ might not be the best approach; it could be better to mediate between two people at the centre, and/or provide some coaching or training for the manager to take ownership of their team’s respectful co-worker behaviour. When all the pieces are in place, in the right order, the situation can be brought to a close for everyone to move forward.

In this way, mediation becomes one of many tools available to employ at the appropriate time. Training, either before or after a conflict situation, is very effective in moving towards a culture where tensions are addressed early (and therefore do not require costly time and resource to handle), and where mediations and investigations are carried out by competent internal individuals.

We have over 20 years expertise in helping organisations with workplace mediation, investigations and training, using our network of UK wide specialists. If you have any conflict questions, or a current case or would like to speak to us about, we’d be happy to hear from you. Contact us at information@peopleresolutions.com 

Mediation Webcast for HR Professionals - Attend for free on Wed 16th Jan at 15:00

A taster of the Top Tips we’ll be covering in the webcast

Last week we shouted about our exciting webcast on mediation and to give you just a little taster of what is to come we thought we would give you a sneak peek of some of the tips we’ll be covering in more detail on Wednesday 16th January at 3pm. 

Our conflict experts will be sharing honest, practical advice about how to employ mediation successfully in your organisation – and just as important, the key pitfalls to avoid. Sign up now to secure your place. 

But just to spark your interest- here are the first five top tips which will be covered, along with the next five at the webcast.
 

1. No surprises- Lay the ground work

Early informal one to ones with line managers or HR are essential for gaining a better understanding of the scope and nature of the issues, but they should not take the place of the mediation itself
 

2. Position mediation positively and you have given a good resolution a real chance

The timing and framing of a safe mediation are pivotal in gaining agreement to take part
 

3. Can you hear me now?

It’s easy to underestimate the value of one-to-ones with the mediator in paving the way for an effective joint session
 

4. Protect the process at all costs

Mediation is constructive and future-focused; it is not a vehicle for reprimand, or one that leads to a pre-determined outcome. Create a safe, respectful environment to allow constructive discussion to take place
 

5. Slow down detective: mediation is not an investigation

The two processes are polar opposites in purpose and approach. Make sure the parties are also clear on the differences

Join us on Wednesday to hear these points and more addressed in our one-hour webcast. Sign up here!

You will also have priority access to the accompanying digital whitepaper on workplace mediation- released exclusively to webinar attendees after the session, so don’t miss out and pre-register for your copy.