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Strategies for Workplace Conflicts

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?

Ongoing and Everyday Conflict Engagement

Creating Kinder, More Productive Workplaces: Ongoing and Everyday Conflict Engagement

Labour Relations / By

Conflict is tough for most of us. According to many physiologists, we tend to tap into several simple strategies when faced with conflict: fight, flight, or freeze. As a result, we likely aren't reducing unnecessary conflicts, and effectively dealing with necessary conflicts in productive ways. So many opportunities are lost because we aren’t engaging well. Being effective at conflict, both in a proactive and reactive way, demands that we work at it as an ongoing and everyday activity. In essence, it is a lifestyle choice in how we talk, problem solve, inquire with others, and arrange our processes and teams.

Conflict Coaching in the Workplace

Conflict Coaching in the Workplace

Labour Relations / By

It is common for employees to seek help from their manager if they are experiencing conflict or relationship challenges in the workplace.  What are your options as a manager to respond in a way that provides benefits to the employee, to the workplace as a whole and to you?  Consider this scenario: You are Karen’s manager.

Dealing with Difficult Behaviours (Rather Than Difficult People)

Dealing with Difficult Behaviours (Rather Than Difficult People)

Labour Relations / By

In the Queen’s IRC Strategies for Workplace Conflicts course, we start by asking participants what they would particularly like help with in their workplace. A common response is difficult / high conflict people. However you define it, this is a huge challenge in today’s workplace and, unless it is handled well, it takes significant time, energy and expertise away from the work to be done. Most people have heard about Serena Williams’ public outburst at the U.S. Open this fall. Her behaviour and words were shocking and unexpected.

3 Bad Habits that Impede Successful Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

3 Bad Habits that Impede Successful Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

Labour Relations / By

A habit can be defined as a “usual manner of behavior.” But what I know about conflict is that there is often nothing “usual” about it. What happens to those of us who support others in conflict is that we tend to reach for the same set of tools each time, although we often are trying to solve very different problems. Even with the best of intentions, these habits can result in frustration, shallow or even bad resolutions, and won’t meet the needs of the people in conflict.

5 Benefits of Workplace Conflict

5 Benefits of Workplace Conflict

Labour Relations / By

It may seem like an oxymoron to have the words “benefit” and “conflict” in the same sentence. Our workplaces today often involve varying levels of interpersonal and institutional conflict and so much energy is devoted to prevention and management it is understandably difficult to understand how conflict could possibly have a positive side!

Paul Juniper

Director’s Note – January 2017

News / By

There’s a great deal of talk about high performance organizations and teams these days. In a rapidly moving global economy that increasingly relies on big data and technology, we all recognize the advantage of using information and systems to help drive innovation and set goals. But how do we determine which models are most appropriate for our organization’s unique needs?

Paul Juniper

Director’s Note – August 2016

News / By

Do you know about Botlr, the robot who delivers room service requests to guests at the Aloft Starwood Hotel in California? How about Brian, a robot that provides companionship to seniors in a nursing home? Robots are just one example of how technology is affecting the workplace, and changing the skills that humans will require in the future.

In Conversation with Bernard Mayer

Labour Relations / By

How can organizational leaders help to create healthy, conflict-friendly workplaces? Bernard Mayer, a Queen’s IRC Facilitator who is an international expert in conflict resolution and mediation, shares insights for managers in the following Q & A. What is a ‘conflict-friendly’ environment? The key here is to acknowledge that organizations, communities and relationships need conflict. It …

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Strategic Negotiations: Perspectives from a Road Well-Travelled

Labour Relations / By

The Don Wood Lecture in Industrial Relations was established by friends of W. Donald Wood to honour his outstanding contribution to Canadian industrial relations. Dr Wood was Director of the Industrial Relations Centre from 1960 to 1985, and the first Director of the School of Industrial Relations, established in 1983. The lecture brings to Queen’s …

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Getting to Yes

Labour Relations / By

In his research and practice, Queen’s IRC Facilitator and mediator Gary Furlong has found that when it comes to real-life conflict, one size does not fit all. In the following sampling from his new book, The Conflict Resolution Toolbox, Gary discusses the value of the Circle of Conflict as a multi-purpose tool — one of …

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The Seven Habits of Successful Mediators

Labour Relations / By

An expert in managing conflict, Dr. John S. Andrew teaches negotiation at Queen’s School of Urban and Regional Planning; provides independent facilitation and mediation services to parties involved inland use, environmental, and transportation disputes; and leads executive seminars on strategic consensus-building in corporate real estate. Dr. Andrew spoke with us about what makes a good …

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Relationships by Objectives: The Experience at Petro-Canada

Human Resources / By

If Canadian industries are to compete successfully in the new economy, unions and management must move away from their traditional adversarial relationships. This study analyzes a conflict resolution method, known as Relationships by Objectives (RBO), that directs unions and management away from conflict and towards cooperation through joint problem solving. RBO was part of the Preventive Mediation Program provided by the Ontario Ministry of Labour beginning in 1978.

Internal Dispute Resolution

Labour Relations / By

This research paper traces the development of Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) as a way of resolving human rights issues internally without involving third parties. It also provides detailed practical advice for designing IDR programs, which improve employee morale and cost less when compared with more traditional, formal procedures.
 

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Labour Relations / By

Where once Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) referred to an alter­native to the courts, ADR in the field of labour relations is increasingly being referred to as an alternative to arbitration. The objectives of ADR and the newly emerging Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) are to settle disputes prior to having to go to binding arbitration over which the parties have little control. ADR and IDR are recognized as giving the parties greater direct voice in fashioning remedies and more timely settlements.

Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Systems in Canadian Nonunionized Organizations

Labour Relations / By

Responding to a growing interest in the subject in recent years, this study is intended to improve our understanding of conflict management and dispute resolution systems in nonunionized workplaces in Canada. It sets out the key reasons for the increased interest in effective systems, describes the various procedures being used, and evaluates their effectiveness. The authors identify the strengths and pitfalls of various systems.
 

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