Conflict resolution. Sometimes it seems that’s all we do. Today, we follow up on yesterday’s story on mediation, and present a new audio conference that helps line supervisors and managers learn how to do it right.
With the high costs of litigation, mediation is an increasingly popular way to deal with conflicts at work. However, “there are times when mediation does not work,” says attorney Stephen R. Marsh on his website, adrr.com. Here are situations he suggests where mediation will fail.
Procedural Problems
1. Lack of settlement authority. Those with authority must attend in order for the process to work.
2. Lack of preparation. Typically, this describes a party to a case who does not know enough about their own case to be able to settle it.
3. Hostile and incompatible attorneys.
Surveys say your supervisors likely deal with conflict for over an hour every day! Are you confident they know what they are doing? Send them all to July 24 BLR’s Conflict Resolution for Supervisors audio conference for one low fee. For info, to register, or if you can’t attend, to preorder the CD, click here
Special Problems
Certain other situations spell doom for mediation, says Marsh:
1. Where one side is engaged in litigation with the primary intention of bleeding the other side with expenses, mediation is not fruitful. It will be seen as one more opportunity to impose costs on the opposing party.
2. Where an uninsured defendant faces catastrophic liquidity problems.
3. Where one side is mentally unable to appreciate the legitimacy or the limits of the other side’s position.
4. Where one side is completely in the wrong, but hopes to obtain the benefit of mediation’s push to compromise.
It Works Most of the Time
Nevertheless, Marsh notes, an 85 percent overall success rate for mediation suggests that there are many, many times that the process does work. And even when mediation fails to help the parties reach agreement, he notes, it often educates the parties and helps them move forward.
Conflict Happens
It’s a fact that conflicts at work are inevitable. When they do erupt, do your supervisors know how to “mediate” and resolve them? Most don’t—and that lets minor conflicts morph into significant, maybe even violent, ones.
Here are some facts about conflict from BLR’s upcoming audio conference, Conflict Management Techniques for Supervisors: What You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Stress and Improve Cooperation in Your Workplace
I▪ In the average 8_hour workday, your frontline managers and supervisors spend 60 to 90 minutes (according to recent surveys) just keeping the peace.
▪ From hurtful gossip to co-worker flare-ups, from bullying to harassment, workplace conflicts quickly drain energy and destroy morale. That means decreased productivity levels, unwanted turnover, unnecessary distractions for your supervisors, and higher costs and legal risks for your organization.
This means your supervisors need to understand how to provide constructive criticism without demoralizing employees. How t handle difficult conversations with workers who may be upset when conflicts erupt. And how can they prevent conflicts from spilling over and spreading negativity throughout their unit or department.
Conflict resolved. People back to work. Your supervisors must have attended BLR’s Conflict Management Techniques for Supervisors audio conference. If they haven’t, sign them up now. For info or, if you can’t attend, to preorder the CD, click here
Train them in all these skills by having them attend Conflict Management Techniques for Supervisors: What You Can Do Right Now to Reduce Stress and Improve Cooperation in Your Workplace
The date is July 24, 2008. The time: 1:30 pm to 3 pm (Eastern time—adjust for your time zone). As with all BLR audio conferences, one fee trains all the supervisors you can fit around a conference phone; you can get your (and their) specific phoned-in or e-mailed questions answered in an extensive Q&A following the presentation, and your satisfaction is assured or you get a full refund.
What if you can’t attend on that date? Preorder the conference CD. For more information on the conference and the experts presenting it, to register, or to preorder the CD, click here. We’ll be happy to make the arrangements.