From small indignities such as not giving credit where credit is due to much larger dignity violations such as sexual harassment or experiencing bullying behavior from a peer or supervisor, most of us have experienced a workplace conflict in which an apology would have gone a long way toward making amends and helping a relationship and/or project get back on track.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Resources
Tag Archives: conflict management
Organizations going through significant change inevitably run into conflict. It is not a matter of if, but when. Whether the change is driven by new product or service offerings or growth through mergers and acquisitions, change rattles people. And that rattling echoes throughout the organization.
Humans have a profound ability to engage in deeply protracted conflict that wounds us psychologically, emotionally, spiritually and physically. From terrorism to capitalism and numerous “isms” in between, humans have created systems that wound at an individual and collective level. We are far more adept at spreading widespread conflict than we are at cultivating widespread peace. Why are we so much better at harming others and ourselves? What must we do to become equally adept at loving others and ourselves? These are the questions in which this paper will seek to provide answers.
The 2016 presidential election has brought to the forefront of American politics a schism that can no longer be ignored, excused or overlooked. How did we become so divided? And, what will it take for the American people to unite? Those are the defining questions of 2016.
If you manage people or processes, you most likely experience near constant workplace conflict. From warring egos to workplace stress and heavy workloads, the American workplace is wrought with conflict. Yet, few managers receive any training in conflict management and dispute resolution. This lack of effective conflict management skills in the workplace is costing corporations approximately $359 billion in paid hours. It doesn’t have to be this way.
If you lead or manage people, processes or projects, you have experienced workplace conflict. After all, where there are people, there is conflict. And where there is conflict, there is a choice.
Emotional intelligence — a phrase coined by two psychologists and academicians, John Mayer, of the University of New Hampshire, and Peter Salovey of Yale University and made popular by Danial Goleman in his best-selling book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ — is one of the most critical yet overlooked aspects of effective leadership in the workplace.
Too often organizations are headed by visionaries and/or high-performers who rose into leadership positions as a means of rewarding high performance. But being a visionary and a high-performer are not necessarily indicators of effective leadership.
May. 19, 2016
How Restorative Justice in the Workplace Fosters a Collaborative and Caring Work Environment
Leave a commentRestorative justice is a process for achieving justice that helps to restore the dignity of all people involved in a wrong-doing and puts into place a framework for all people involved to have the opportunity to share in their mutual human development.
Mediators and peacemakers work with individuals and groups experiencing conflict. The role of a mediator is to be an impartial, third-party facilitator who helps individuals and / or groups achieve resolution to a conflict. A “conflict sherpa,” the mediator is trained to move parties through a resolution process while ensuring the parties maintain complete control over the outcome. The process for arriving at resolution belongs to the mediator. The resolution of the dispute belongs to the parties, which means a resolution may or may not occur. Relationships may or may not be restored. The pain associated with the conflict may or may not be healed. Forgiveness may or may not be desired and / or achieved. The role of a peacemaker and peace-builder goes far beyond that.
Conflict is normal and occurs in every aspect of our lives, yet it is especially prevalent in the workplace. In fact, a study commissioned by CPP, Inc. in partnership with OPP, Ltd. found that 85 percent of the study’s participants reported experiencing conflict in the workplace at “some level” and 29 percent reported experiencing conflict in the workplace “almost constantly.”