Avoiding Conflict Around Change

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Avoiding Conflict Around ChangeMany organisations have learnt that much time and effort must go into preparing for change. It is important to have certainty around the process or procedure that is being changed and clarity about how this will be presented to staff and then implemented.

All the effort that goes into setting up trust between management and staff during a change management process is wasted if the executive and every other level of management do not deliver a consistent message. There must be consistency and alignment through all levels of management about what the change message is, what is being promised and exactly what the implementation process is. Read more »

Courageous Conversations or Change Management 101?

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Mediation visionary Raymond Shonholtz posted a guest blog item on the New York Peace Institute website in November 2011. His comments explored the notion of courageous conversations. He spoke of conversations as being courageous because both the person’s actions and the message they delivered, put them in a position which was usually fraught with danger, and often death.

In the business world, we speak of courageous conversations – conversations that take courage – but are we kidding ourselves that they truly take courage when all we might face is a backlash of criticism, a scathing reply or stone cold glare? How does that compare to those who step forward and face real risks of persecution, even death? Read more »

Mediation – a restorative and transformative approach

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Mediation is a well known dispute resolution toolMediation is a well-known alternative dispute resolution method. However it is extremely under-utilised in the Australian workforce.

Many managers and employers dismiss disputes between employees as ‘trivial’ believing that their staff should ‘get over it’ and ‘grow up’. However if staff don’t have the skills to resolve such disputes – many cannot just ‘get over it’. Read more »

The Push or Pull Method of Leadership?

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Do you ever feel as though you have to stand behind some of your team members and metaphorically ‘push them’ to get any movement forward in completing work to the standard or timeline you find acceptable or to encourage them to join in team activities or help others in the team?

Have their been times when you have felt as though you were standing on higher ground – the point where you want your team to be – and as you dangled down the rope of guidance and tried to pull everyone up, their lack of effort seemed to double the burden? Read more »

Self-Management – the first step toward conflict resolution

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Self-management is an informal process that seeks to restore workplace relationships without looking for the alleged perpetrator to be disciplined in some way. It is only appropriate to try this method if you feel safe to do so.

It is important that you, the complainant, remain calm and polite. This process should be seen as an assertive and objective exercise and not an opportunity to become angry and aggressive. Think about an appropriate time and place to approach the perpetrator. Raising your complaint in a space where colleagues can see and/or hear you could easily humiliate or embarrass the perpetrator and cause more conflict with the same person or others who decide to ‘take their side’. Read more »

Workplace Harassment – Different to Bullying

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Workplace harassment is unlawful when someone is made to feel offended, intimidated, insulted or humiliated because of characteristics specified under anti discrimination laws and other legislation such as the Fair Work Act.

The definition of harassment, only takes into consideration how the receiver felt and not the intentions of the person exhibiting the harassing behaviour/s. So even if the behaviour, joke or action seemed harmless or was meant to be just a passing comment or a bit of fun, the allegation of harassment may still be substantiated. Read more »