Organizational and Workplace Conflict Managment

Organizational and Workplace Conflict Overview

CDR provides six categories of service to a wide range of companies and public agencies:

Design of dispute resolution systems
Conflict resolution between groups, teams, or departments
Conflict resolution between or among individuals
Facilitated decision making
Coaching assistance to managers
Capacity-building through training and mentoring

Sample list of clients

Design of Dispute Resolution Systems

CDR Associates consultants help companies, organizations, and agencies to enhance their procedures for resolving disputes: between employees, among organizational units, with customers or contractors, and with other organizations. We assist organizations to design new systems or to enhance existing systems in order to:

Produce procedures that are cost effective, efficient and widely accepted
Recognize the unique culture of specific organizations
Address the underlying causes of conflict in order to reduce the frequency of disputes along with other behaviors such as absenteeism and decreased productivity that are caused by stress and low morale.

We typically work closely with an internal design team to:

Identify recurring disputes and diagnose the causes of such disputes
Assess the ability of existing systems to handle the disputes which arise
Explore the range of conflict management procedures (coaching, mediation, facilitated problem-solving meetings, counseling, dispute panels, etc.)
Select and design appropriate procedures that match the disputes to be managed
Develop a comprehensive implementation plan for the dispute management system (referral, intake, case management, funding, legal requirements, etc.)
Identify the skills needed to operate the new system and deliver training programs for personnel who will implement and administer it
Gain acceptance of the new system among potential users and existing authorities
Maintain quality control and feedback to ensure organizational learning

Disputes Among Groups or Departments

CDR Associates offers proven approaches to assessing and resolving a variety of conflicts between groups, departments, or teams, including:

Work teams that are struggling due to in-team conflict
Departments or other units that depend on each other but establish competing goals and/or use contrasting work styles
Employee/management groups grappling with the effects of downsizing and reorganization
Labor and management groups working toward more productive working relationships, within or outside the context of contract negotiations

CDR Associates' consultants help groups to define together what a productive relationship would look like, to identify barriers to attaining that relationship, and to make commitments to specific actions or changes that will help them to be successful. We help to build mutual understanding, respect, and accommodation of differences that will support the overall prosperity and well being of the organization.

Disputes Among Individuals

We mediate a wide range of disputes, such as:

Personality disputes between employees
Sexual harassment and other discrimination claims
Disagreements between employees and supervisors regarding performance evaluation and expectations, forms and levels of supervision, discipline, and inappropriate workplace behavior
Chronic conflicts between managers and supervisors at any level

Mediators help the individuals in dispute discuss their concerns and needs so that they can develop their own joint decisions to resolve the issues within the bounds of company policies. We also help the individuals examine the broader issues of workplace relationships, such as how an employee might be reintegrated into the work setting, how people communicate productively on the job, and how they will deal with future problems.

Facilitated Decision Making

We design and facilitate decision making and planning processes for a wide range of private companies and public organizations in the areas of policy development, strategic planning and achieving organizational change. We can help organizational and company leaders to:

Identify the appropriate persons to participate in a decision-making process
Frame the issues to be decided and set parameters on those issues
Design the best methods for involving groups of people in decisions that have broad application and effect within an organization
Define the roles for individuals and groups in this process
Facilitate a focused and productive process in order to achieve closure on the decision

We bring objectivity, wisdom in managing group dynamics, and creative problem-solving approaches. These skills enable organizations to involve the appropriate individuals (a large or small number, a wide or narrow range) in decision-making processes in ways that are cost-effective and time-efficient and produce high quality, realistic decisions with broad organizational support

Coaching Assistance

CDR coaches assist managers at all levels, to identify "developmental edges" such as fear of taking risks, fear of success, fear of dealing with conflict, inability to motivate employees, or inability to effectively communicate with peers and upper management. We offer a non-threatening approach that focuses on confidence building, anger management, dealing effectively with change and transition, and goal setting and accountability. We teach skills and techniques that enable you to get the most from your employees in terms of enthusiasm, performance, loyalty and honesty. Our coaches help managers to improve listening skills, ask powerful questions, facilitate supportive dialogue, and solicit honest and critical feedback from employees, peers, upper management and customers.

Building Capacity Through Training

CDR has an unmatched record of providing training in critical skills to organizations. These skills include interest-based negotiation and problem-solving, raising issues productively, effective communication, identifying causes of conflict and developing appropriate strategies and techniques for dealing with deadlocks. We train teams of internal dispute resolution specialists in coaching mediation and facilitation. We also develop and deliver tailored training programs in leadership and change management.

For a detailed description of training options, click here or go to our Training Programs section.

Projects with Organization or Workplace Focus

Sample List of Clients

United Airlines

Denver Public Schools

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Levi Strauss & Co.

U. S. Department of the Treasury

Supreme Court of Ohio