Workplace Issue Resolution Program
If you work with others, sooner or later you will almost inevitably face the need for conflict resolution. You may need to mediate a dispute between two members of your department. Or you may find yourself angered by something a colleague reportedly said about you in a meeting. Or you may need to engage in conflict resolution with a subordinate over a missed deadline. In organizations, conflict is inevitable, and good conflict management tools are essential.
What is conflict resolution, and how can you use it to settle disputes in your workplace?
Conflict resolution can be defined as the informal or formal process that two or more parties use to find a peaceful solution to their dispute. A number of common cognitive and emotional traps, many of them unconscious, can exacerbate conflict and contribute to the need for conflict resolution:
Self-serving fairness interpretationsRather than deciding what’s fair from a position of neutrality, we interpret what would be most fair to us, then justify this preference on the bases of fairness. For example, department heads are likely to each think they deserve the lion’s share of the annual budget. Disagreements about what’s fair led to clashes. |
OverconfidenceWe tend to be overconfident in our judgments, a tendency that leads us to unrealistic expectations. Disputants are likely to be overconfident about their odds of winning a lawsuit, for instance, an error that can lead them to shun a negotiated settlement that would save them time and money. |
Escalation of commitmentWhether negotiators are dealing with a labor strike, a merger, or an argument with a colleague, they are likely to irrationally escalate their commitment to their chosen course of action, long after it has proven useful. We desperately try to recoup our past investments in a dispute (such as money spent on legal fees), failing to recognize that such “sunk costs” should play no role in our decisions about the future. |
Conflict avoidanceBecause negative emotions cause us discomfort and distress, we may try to tamp them down, hoping that our feelings will dissipate with time. In fact, conflict tends to become more entrenched, and parties have a greater need for conflict resolution when they avoid dealing with their strong emotions. |
Given these and other pitfalls, how can you set up a constructive conflict resolution process when dealing with conflict at work and other realms? Conflicts can be resolved in a variety of ways, including negotiation and mediation.
Program Guidelines
The Workplace Issue Resolution Program provides an opportunity to resolve work-related issues with your manager or colleagues. It helps you work through a problem at an early stage and address misunderstandings that can cause a communication breakdown.
The goals of this program are to ensure an open line of communication and to promote flexible, creative solutions that are agreeable to everyone involved in a disagreement.
The resolution of conflicts in the workplace typically involves some or all of the following processes:
- Recognition by the parties involved that a problem exists.
- Mutual agreement to address the issue and find some resolution.
- An effort to understand the perspective and concerns of the opposing individual or group.
- Identifying changes in attitude, behavior, and approaches to work by both sides that will lessen negative feelings.
- Recognizing triggers to episodes of conflict.
- Interventions by third parties such as human resources representatives or higher-level managers to mediate.
- A willingness by one or both parties to compromise.
- Agreement on a plan to address differences.
- Monitoring the impact of any agreements for change.
Issues Ineligible for the Workplace Issue Resolution Program
- Determination of base salary or salary increases
- Claims of salary inequities, job grading, and classifications
- Selection for jobs or reassignments
- Performance appraisals
- Decisions resulting in restructuring or position discontinuations
- Disciplinary Actions
- Termination
Open Communication Philosophy
Open dialogue between you and the management in your college or department is essential. Open Communication is the quickest way to raise your issues, by going directly to your supervisor or a higher level of supervision. Your supervisor may be closest to the situation and in a position that could be helpful in working toward a solution; ask to talk over your problems with him/her.
If you believe your supervisor can’t give appropriate consideration to your issues, or you have concerns about retaliation, contact Office of People Relations for guidance about how to proceed.
If you’re dissatisfied with your immediate supervisor’s response, or need to talk to someone other than your supervisor, take your problem to the next higher level of supervision. You’re encouraged to speak with the administration and management in your college or department, since that’s often the most direct way of addressing matters.
Negotiation
In conflict resolution, you can and should draw on the same principles of collaborative negotiation that you use in deal making. For example, you should aim to explore the underlying parties’ positions, such as a desire to resolve a dispute without attracting negative publicity or to repair a damaged business relationship. In addition, determine your best alternative, what you will do if you fail to reach an agreement. By brainstorming options and looking for tradeoffs across issues, you may be able to negotiate a satisfactory outcome to your dispute without the aid of outside parties.
Conference/Facilitated Meetings with the Office of People Relations
If you’re uncertain about how to approach the management in your area, or if you’ve approached your supervisor or another colleague and haven’t reached a satisfactory outcome, you’re encouraged to seek support from the Office of People Relations. A trained professional can help you address and resolve issues by having discussions with your supervisor, co-worker, or other departmental manager or by facilitating a meeting to help resolve the issues you raise. If the issue involves a violation of federal, state, or local harassment or discrimination laws, it will be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity for investigation.
You may also contact the Office of People Relations for clarification and interpretation of policies and procedures, which may apply to the issues you’re raising.
The Office of People Relations partners with other NMSU entities to develop learning modules or live presentations on a variety of topics. Opportunities could be for individuals or groups, such as team building activities. We can work to customize training to meet the needs of the participants.
Mediation
In mediation, disputants enlist a trained, neutral third party to help them come to a consensus. Rather than imposing a solution, a professional mediator encourages disputants to explore the interests underlying their positions.
Mediation is a private and confidential process for resolving conflict. With the help of a neutral third party, those in conflict learn to recognize and better understand each other’s perspectives, as well as develop communication skills to facilitate future discussions.
A mediator helps you find flexible and creative solutions to workplace problems. All agreements are voluntary, and all other options for settlement are still open to you if mediation doesn’t result in a satisfactory outcome.
Mediation can be initiated by a request or recommendation from anyone involved in a workplace issue—including you, your supervisor or a fellow co-worker—or parties may be referred to mediation by your department, or the Office of Institutional Equity.
The Office of People Relations chooses one or two trained mediators to mediate your dispute. As neutral facilitators, they won’t render any final or binding decision. Instead, you and the other concerned parties work towards a mutually acceptable agreement.
The Office of People Relations provides the mediators with the basic information needed to conduct the mediation. They may or may not have prior in-depth knowledge or facts about the issues. None of the involved parties has the opportunity to speak to them before the first meeting. This keeps the mediators unbiased and open-minded as they approach the process. In cases where more than one meeting is necessary, it may be appropriate for the mediators and the participants to have some discussion between sessions.
When you meet with the mediators, they will explain their roles and the structure of the process. They will ensure that you and the other participants have an opportunity to convey your issues without interruption. Once everyone has stated their issues, the group will discuss them and respond to each other’s concerns in order to come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
Throughout the process, the mediators guide the conversation and help explore resolution options. They make sure that each concerned party understands and is comfortable with proposed solutions. Where applicable, the mediators will check with appropriate NMSU resources to make sure that all proposed solutions are legal and in compliance with University policies.
If you reach a mutually acceptable agreement on any or all of the issues, the mediators may assist in developing a written agreement, if you choose to, which will be signed by all participants in the process. You, the other parties, and Office of People Relations each receive a copy of the mediated agreement. All notes other than the written agreement are destroyed by the mediator as soon as the session ends. Mediation sessions are not taped.
Common topics of mediation are:
- Supervisor/employee dynamics
- Navigating challenging relationships
- Sharing or clarifying your thoughts around an issue
- Perceived unfair treatment
- Miscommunication
- Incivility in the workplace
- Cultural Misunderstanding
- Career progression and development
Retaliation
Retaliation against anyone is prohibited for utilizing the Workplace Issue Resolution Program. The University considers any such action a serious offense and a violation of University policy. Violators are subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. If you feel you’ve been retaliated against, you should contact the Office of People Relations.
Allegations of Illegal Discrimination
Allegations of illegal discrimination should be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity. In cases where an allegation of unlawful discrimination is not the sole issue but needs to be resolved, you may decide to try mediation first and then contact the Office of Institutional Equity, pending the outcome of the mediation. If you contact the Office of Institutional Equity first and there is no finding of illegal discrimination, the parties may then agree to use mediation to address any underlying issues.
