Human Resource Services

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Conflict Management Services

Overview

Human Resource Services provides facilitation, mediation, consultation, and training services that help the campus community reduce and better manage difficult workplace situations, problems, and conflicts. The Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution Office (DRO) provides services to both employees and supervisors to resolve workplace complaints. The purpose of these services is to assist in the informal resolution of workplace issues through communication, information, coaching, and impartial third party services.

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Workplace Mediation

Mediation is a problem-solving process for resolving conflicts. It's an informal, yet structured, process that helps increase honest communication, air emotions, and solve problems. Participation in mediation is voluntary and the process is confidential. While mediation gives the parties an opportunity to talk about their issues and feel heard, its focus is the future and how to help improve working relationships and gain confidence in communication skills.

The mediator is the person who facilitates the session and helps the parties talk about their concerns in a safe environment. The mediator is an impartial third party who doesn't take sides or determine who is right or who is wrong in any particular situation. Unlike a judge or arbitrator, the mediator does not determine how the dispute should be resolved for the parties. The parties themselves, with the mediator’s assistance, voluntarily develop mutually acceptable solutions. Any agreement will only contain things that all parties have agreed to. Mediated agreements are generally more successful because they result from a process that allows the parties to create their own solutions.

There are many situations when mediation is appropriate and beneficial, including when:

  • The parties have an ongoing relationship, such as a supervisor/employee relationship or a coworker relationship
  • The parties want to retain control of the outcome
  • Poor communication has led to misunderstandings and conflict
  • There is a need for assistance in communication and information exchange
  • The parties want to resolve the issues at the lowest-possible level
  • The parties are willing to be candid with each other and negotiate in good faith
  • The parties want to avoid publicity either within or outside their unit

Mediation is provided at no cost to the parties and the session is facilitated by two mediators. The mediators are volunteers from the university's mediator pool and the Texas Intergovernmental Shared Neutrals Program for employment disputes. The mediators have met the training requirements pursuant to the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Act and the Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable standards. An employee, supervisor, or manager can request mediation. Prior to scheduling the mediation, the DRO will meet with each party individually to assess whether the concerns are appropriate for mediation, describe the mediation process, help the person prepare for mediation, and provide conflict coaching.

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Facilitation

Facilitation is a creative process where an impartial third party helps the parties or group work together more effectively. The facilitator's job is to lead the group process to help the parties improve the way they communicate, examine and solve the issues, and make decisions or plans for moving forward. Facilitators do not contribute to the substance of the discussion nor do they have decision-making authority. Such meetings often help clarify misunderstandings, work expectations, and helps to improve positive communication between you and your supervisor.

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Conflict Coaching

Conflict is natural, inevitable, and part of the workplace dynamics even in the most solid workplaces. It develops when there are barriers or a threat, perceived or real, that prevent at least one person from meeting his or her interests or needs. Another person can be drawn to the conflict whether they want to be or not, unless there's an option to leave the relationship.

The problem isn't that there's conflict—the problem is how we handle it. Unmanaged interpersonal disputes can have a significant impact on an organization. If we begin to understand the causes and how we respond to conflict, we may be more successful in preventing and managing conflict in the future.

Conflict coaching assists employees engage more effectively in disputes that may arise in the employment relationship to help prevent the escalation of interpersonal conflict. When there's conflict in the workplace, managers and staff generally become reactive rather than proactive. Consequently, by the time the conflict comes to the attention of to those who can help, perceptions and positions have hardened, sides’ form, negative emotions are high, thinking has become distorted, and the parties involved begin to interact in counterproductive ways. Conflict coaching provides an opportunity to work one-on-one to help people enhance their skills and abilities to manage conflict.

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Conflict Management Training

We all know that conflicts can be negative and disruptive occurrences in our lives. Conflict can also have a positive side including:

  • Promoting communication
  • Identifying concerns and solving problems
  • Creating opportunities for positive changes for the parties involved

Conflict-management training provides fundamental concepts, skills, and processes to help you engage and resolve conflict within your work environment. The workshops provide self awareness and focus on sources and responses to conflict, effective communication skills, and interest-based problem solving. Conflict 101: Understanding Conflict Dynamics for Employees (PN546) or Managers (PN545), Problem Solving Model for Managers (PN547; prerequisite PN545), and other problem solving course names are offered through TX Class (requires log in) under class listing for PN.

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Resources

You may want to consider the following resources to see if they address your workplace concern.

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