Workplace Conflict Resolution

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Workplace Conflict Resolution

• Jim Wohl, DVM, MPA

University Ombuds Office Quad Center, Suite
005 Auburn University, AL 36849-5274 TEL (334)
844-7170 FAX [phone] ombuds_at_auburn.edu www
.auburn.edu/ombuds
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What Is Conflict?

• Competition between perceived or actual
  compatible needs, goals, desires, ideas, or
  resources.

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Conflict Styles
Assertiveness
Competing
Collaborating
Compromising
Avoiding
Accommodating
Cooperativeness
- Brinkert, Thomas Killman Inventory
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Which styles when?

• 1. Competing
• Emergencies
• Being right matters more than relationship
• Trivial matters

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Which styles when?

• 2. Avoiding
• Trivial matters
• Insignificant relationship
• Time is short
• Powerless but want to block

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Which styles when?

• 3. Collaborating
• Issues and relationship are both significant
• Cooperation is important
• Addressing all concerns is possible
• Creative end is important

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Which styles when?

• 4. Accommodating
• Dont care
• Powerless but no desire to block
• Realized youre wrong

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Which styles when?

• 5. Compromising
• Cooperation important but time is short
• Finding some solution is better than stalemate
• Efforts to collaborate would be misunderstood as
  forcing

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Points To Ponder

• Choosing a conflict style is situational The
  type of conflict and external environment provide
  the context
• But.most people gravitate (specialize?) toward a
  particular conflict style

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Goals Objectives During Conflict

• Content Goals/Issues
• Who wants what?
• Contending over the same things (e.g. fixed
  resources)
• Parties want different things?
• Usually, easiest issues to identify
• Often, the presenting issues

- Willmort Hocker
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Goals Objectives During Conflict

• Relational Issues
• Who are we to each other?
• Concerning value, purpose, and expectation of the
  relationship
• How interdependent are parties?
• Is there a shared understanding of the
  relationship?

- Willmort Hocker
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Goals Objectives During Conflict

• Identity Issues
• Who am I in this interaction?
• Affect of the conflict on the individual
• Disrespected, attacked, shamed ?
• Defensiveness, retaliation?
• Has adequate time elapsed to recover from assault
  on identity or self-esteem?

- Willmort Hocker
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Goals Objectives During Conflict

• Process Issues
• Will a fair process be used in resolving the
  conflict?
• Present in all conflicts but may be latent
• Related to procedural justice in civil, legal,
  and workplace environments
• Fairness, transparency, and participation may be
  key

- Willmort Hocker
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CRIP Framework
C
C
R
R
I
I
Party As goals/issues
Party Bs goals/issues
Often, conflicts are presented about a specific
topic or issue a content issue. However, there
are almost always underlying relational and
identity goals and many times these categories of
issues overlap.
- Willmort Hocker
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Points To Ponder

• Not all types of goals emerge in all disputes
• Interests overlap, and differ in primacy
• Identity and relational issues are drivers
  (they underlie content and process issues)
• Parties often specialize in one type of goal
• Goals may emerge in a different form
• Identity issues are often best approached
  privately
• Relational issues are often best discussed
  jointly
• Finding common issues (CRIP) among parties can be
  effective in reaching agreements

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Negotiation Interests vs Positions

• Negotiation Discussions or problem solving
  between two or more parties where some form of
  interdependence exists. Thus, both parties
  believe they can accomplish their goals (or
  defend their goals or interests) to a higher
  degree than working independent of the other
  party or parties.

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• BATNA Best Alternative to a Negotiated
  Agreement (aka walk away, what will you do if
  no agreement is made).

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• Position A claim of what a party must have
  statement of what a party claims
• Interests The reasons that underlie positions.
  The why behind the position.
• Creating Value, Expanding the Pie including
  elements of a negotiation which help one or both
  sides gain more.
• must be uncovered during the negotiation
• valued differently by each party.
• parties can increase their gains at minimal or no
  cost to the other party.

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Increasing power or bargaining strength

• Improve your BATNA (often best done before
  entering negotiations)
• Define your Reservation Point (RP) (and dont
  forget it!)
• Define your Target but remember your BATNA
• Identify your interests
• Identify your counterparts interests
• Know your counterparts BATNA
• Appeal to objective third party expertise

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From Beyond Reason by Fisher and Shapiro

• When emotions run high during a workplace
  conflict or negotiation consider these five core
  concerns that may underlie those emotions
• Appreciation Are our thoughts feelings and
  actions devalued, or are they acknowledged as
  having merit?
• Autonomy Is our freedom to make decisions
  impinged upon or is it respected?
• Affiliation Are we treated as an adversary and
  kept at a difference, or are we treated as a
  colleague?
• Status Is our standing treated as inferior to
  others, or is it given full recognition where
  deserved?
• Role Are the many roles we play meaningless, or
  are they personally fulfilling?

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Ombudsman (OM-buds-man )

• Sweden 1809
• Classic Ombuds model
• Statutory/investigative role
• Organizational Ombuds North America
• Facilitative role, dispute resolution
  practitioner
• Academia Corporate US
• 34 increase in US higher education since 2004

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Organizational Ombuds

• IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics
• Guiding Principles
• Informality
• Neutrality
• Confidentiality
• Independence

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Opening an Ombuds Office

• Proposed by employee governance groups
• Imposed / suggested as a result of prior
  controversy
• Instituted by executive
• Promoting Activities
• Reaching the four corners
• Organizational versus Classical Model
• Communicating senior leadership endorsement

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An Ombudsperson Does NOT

• Make decisions, findings of fact, or determine
  the guilt or innocence of those accused of
  wrongdoing
• Establish, change, or set aside policies or
  administrative decisions
• Offer legal advice
• Offer psychological counseling
• Participate in grievances or other formal
  processes
• Serve as an agent of notice for Auburn University
  
• Serve as an advocate for any individual

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An Ombudsperson Does

• Actively listens to your questions and concerns
• Offers information policies, procedures, and
  programs
• Discuss your concerns and clarify issues
• Help identify and evaluate a range of options
• Gather information and offer referral

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An Ombudsperson Does

• Advise steps to resolve a problem informally
• Facilitate communication indirectly
• When given permission, serve as an impartial
  third party
• Collaborative agreements through negotiation or
  mediation
• Track perceived issues and trends
• Make recommendations for review of policies or
  procedures to appropriate bodies

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Contact Information

• International Ombudsman Association (IOA)
• http//www.ombudsassociation.org/
• Jim Wohl, DVM, MPA
• University Ombudsperson
• Suite 005 Quad Center
• Auburn University, AL 36849-5274
• 334 844-7170
• www.auburn.edu\ombuds
• ombuds_at_auburn.edu

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A parting task

• Think of an important conflict youve had at work
  (or the last good fight you tried to mediate).
• What conflict style did you (or another) utilize?
• competing, avoiding, collaborating,
  accommodating, compromising?
• Which of the 5 core concerns were underlying your
  (or anothers) emotions?
• appreciation, autonomy, affiliation, status,
  role?

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Interested? Try one of these

• Getting to Yes Negotiating Agreement Without
  Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury, Bruce
  Patton. Penguin (Non-Classics) 2nd/Rep edition
  (December 1, 1991) (ISBN-10 0140157352)
• Getting Past No by William Ury. Bantam Revised
  edition (January 1, 1993) (ISBN-10 0553371312 )
• The Four Agreements A Practical Guide to
  Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. Amber-Allen
  Publishing 1 edition (January 15, 2001)
  (ISBN-10 1878424505)
• Breaking Robert's Rules The New Way to Run Your
  Meeting, Build Consensus, and Get Results by
  Lawrence E. Susskind, Jeffrey L. Cruikshank.
  Oxford University Press, USA (July 19, 2006)
  (ISBN-10 0195308360)
• Beyond Reason Using Emotions as you Negotiate by
  Roger Fisher and Daniel Shapiro. Viking Adult
  (October 6, 2005) (ISBN-10 0670034509 )
• Leading Leaders How to Manage Smart, Talented,
  Rich, and Powerful People by Jeswald W. Salacuse.
  AMACOM (November 3, 2005) (ISBN-10 0814408559)_

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