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Queen's University IRC

Stephanie Fischkohl

Team Effectiveness: From Pandemic To Promise In The Learning Organization (Executive Summary)

Team Effectiveness: From Pandemic to Promise in the Learning Organization (Executive Summary)

Organization Development / By

This research on the effectiveness of teams was conducted in the early fall of 2020. It is largely supportive of, and consistent with, much of the thinking of others who were paying close attention to the experience of teams and leaders in a virtual environment. And the focus on teams also highlights the important relationship between teams and organization leadership and their interdependencies. The research also highlights a number of important insights and ‘learnings’ that will serve us well in the coming months; while it is difficult to predict with any certainty, it is possible that new habits will emerge as teams continue to focus on their overall effectiveness in support of organization priorities.

Team Effectiveness: From Pandemic To Promise In The Learning Organization (Research Report)

Team Effectiveness: From Pandemic to Promise in the Learning Organization (Research Report)

Organization Development / By

This research captures how organizations are re-thinking the role of teams, the work they do and how they approach and carry out that work. This report is based on a survey of team leaders, organization consultants and leadership coaches, as well as research in the field. The survey on the effectiveness of teams was conducted in the fall of 2020 with a goal to examine the following: What we have learned at the team level of the organization from the experience and challenges of moving through a pandemic? What has taken on greater clarity for leaders, managers and supervisors in terms of priority areas as teams strive for sustained effectiveness over the next period of uncertainty?

What We Can Learn from the “Wall of Moms” Movement to Improve our Workplaces

What We Can Learn from the “Wall of Moms” Movement to Improve our Workplaces

Labour Relations / By

I work as a conflict resolution practitioner and “workplace conflict capacity-builder”. I am a strong advocate of workplace community building and I consider myself and to be a multi-partial (rather than impartial) support to all members of my institution. I am also a leader in a department of gifted and diverse human beings. I know that when tough issues arise, a foundation of community will support sustainable resolutions and lasting collaborations. In our current political and pandemic culture, I have been thinking about how our workplace communities can be compromised because of distance and differences.

The Myth of Body Language as a Credibility Assessor

The Myth of Body Language as a Credibility Assessor

Labour Relations / By

Workplace investigators and human resource professionals should be cautious of relying on the body language of a witness to evaluate their credibility during an investigation. Fact-finding investigations, especially in cases of harassment, at times turn into an evaluation of one person’s version of events versus another’s, or as some call it, the “he said, she said” dilemma. In these cases, assessing the credibility of the two parties may be the easiest way the investigator can come to any defensible determination relative to credibility.

Best Practices for Returning to the Workplace

Best Practices for Returning to the Workplace

Labour Relations / By

There are many unanswered questions about Canadian workplaces as we look toward reopening offices. The well-established principles and guidelines that employers, unions and employees have followed for many years will certainly help navigate this process. That said, this pandemic takes us into new and uniquely uncharted waters that may well shift some or all of these principles as we move forward. This article will look at the frameworks in place today, as well as best practices for boldly going where few workplaces have gone before.

What’s Your Superpower? A Reflection on Personal and Team Branding

What’s Your Superpower? A Reflection on Personal and Team Branding

Human Resources / By

Like many people, my life changed significantly overnight in mid-March. Suddenly I was working from home – exclusively. Among the many changes from this, my commute went from 60 minutes a day to approximately 60 seconds a day to the “office” (including grabbing a coffee on the way). With this excess capacity and time, after a few sleep-ins (comparatively 08:00 a.m.), I decided to use this time productively for mental health (reflection, planning, introspection and improvement).

Embracing Emotions in the Workplace

Embracing Emotions in the Workplace

Labour Relations / By

During one of our Strategies for Workplace Conflicts programs, a participant commented that she told her staff that she didn’t “DO emotion!” I really appreciated her forthright statement which led to a valuable discussion about the place of emotion in the workplace. How do we handle the expression of emotion? Are emotions welcome or not? How do we handle an emotional outburst in a meeting or deal with strong negative emotions between two co-workers in conflict? How do we deal with our own emotions?

Key Learnings for Building our Future

Canada’s Pandemic Response: Key Learnings for Building our Future

Organization Development / By

What if the entire population becomes vulnerable due a pandemic? COVID-19 took the world by surprise, then by storm, compelling us to adapt to new realities which considerably impact our individual, social and professional lives. The Canadian Federal Government, responsible for leading the pandemic crisis response, had to take effective and swift action in a rapidly shifting environment, driven by a new and mysterious threat. Implementing a multitude of effective responses across the country during COVID-19 posed a significant challenge for the Federal Government with regards to speed, agility and performance, and they proved up to the task, using an action learning, collaborative and iterative approach.

Remote Learning Options

Introduction of Virtual Seats

News / By

The current COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted our ability to offer training the way we normally do, with participants travelling from across the country to meet face-to-face and work together to build new skills. We know that you still have training needs, and we have been working hard to find ways to meet these needs in a way that keeps everyone safe, continues to deliver the premium training you expect from Queen’s IRC, and has options that work with provincial and organizational restrictions.

Reducing Participant Stress Before a Workplace Investigation

Reducing Participant Stress Before a Workplace Investigation

Labour Relations / By

It is normal for participants in a workplace investigation to feel some anxiety, but too much worrying can create barriers to obtaining critical information, which is a challenge for investigators looking to build complete and thorough reports. Ensuring participants fully understand the process and their role in it can help alleviate unnecessary anxiety during the investigation. With a greater understanding of the process, participants can feel empowered to speak confidently in the interview and provide the investigator with the necessary information.

Facing the Storm

Leveraging Pandemic Learnings (Part 1)

Organization Development / By

Emergencies and crises often create the perfect storm for transformation, as change is primarily driven by the powerful winds of Pain and/or Gain. Not surprisingly, up to 80% of change is propelled by Pain, a wake up call that pushes us out of complacency, providing opportunities to raise the bar, innovate, shift paradigms, modernize, and make systems work better for more people.

Preparing for the Future with Scenarios

Preparing for the Future with Scenarios

Organization Development / By

Our lives, personal and professional, have been disrupted in a way that many of us may have never imagined. As schools and businesses close, people find themselves isolated from colleagues, friends and family, and sometimes facing this challenge alone. Everything that we took for granted seems to be upside down and inside out. And there is no definitive end in sight.

Queen’s IRC response to COVID-19

Queen’s IRC response to COVID-19

News / By

We hope that you and your colleagues are staying safe during this pandemic. We are grateful for the essential staff in our community who have been working on the front lines to keep us safe, fed and healthy during this time. Given the current Covid-19 situation, we have cancelled some programs and adjusted our fall 2020 program lineup.

The Starting Point for Building a Trust Plan

Levels of Trust in Workplace Relationships

Human Resources / By

How do you define trust? How do you describe what trust means to you? Ask ten people and you will likely hear ten different responses.  Because trust is personal. Our past experiences with building, keeping or losing trust really shape how we define trust. For me, I define trust as having the belief that someone, or a company, will do what they say they will do and in with my best interest in mind. A tall order? 

HR’s Role in Developing Innovative Organizations

HR’s Role in Developing Innovative Organizations

Organization Development / By

Being an innovative organization is far more than developing innovative products. It includes developing services, processes, business model innovation and even societal and policy innovations. Most innovation discoveries occur through convening diverse employees, teams, departments and organizations that combine perspectives, resulting in new ways of thinking and operating. Organizations need HR to drive innovation through the creation of leadership capacities, diverse team and organizational methodologies that allow innovation to flourish.

Practical Tips for Workplace Investigations

Evidence Collection: Practical Tips for Workplace Investigations

Labour Relations / By

Workplace investigations have become commonplace across Canada. Many Canadian jurisdictions require that employers implement workplace harassment and discrimination policies, which often include mandatory investigation provisions. Whether or not investigations are legally mandated, it is sound practice for an employer to conduct an investigation when there may be potential workplace harassment, human rights violations, breach of company policy, criminal activity, security breaches, legal action, or media scrutiny.

A Coaching Differentiator

A Humble Mindset: A Coaching Differentiator

Human Resources / By

As a leadership coach, I regularly reflect on the approaches which support the essential relationship between the client and coach. Something that allows these approaches to work more effectively is an overarching mindset of humility, a mindset that applies to both the client as well as the coach. I do want to be clear that ‘humility’ for me does not imply weakness, nor is it the opposite of a tough-minded approach to supporting a client in his or her developmental goals. Rather, it implies a respectful environment that recognizes that the most appropriate coaching relationship is one in which client and coach work on strategies, plans and actions that will result in positive impact.

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