Resolution Mediation

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The masculine and feminine sides to conflict resolution

Posted on 27 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

When you think about it, we all have a style of resolving conflicts. In my research and work in conflict resolution over the past 30 years, I see strong differences between the masculine and feminine styles of resolving disputes. The masculine way is linear, aggressive, and often attacking. The feminine style includes conciliation, withdrawing, and concession. If you have a style that is predominantly one or the other, you won’t be as effective as you could be. And, the feminine and masculine aren’t necessarily tied to people of the same gender: in other words, there are men who have a more feminine style, and women who are more aggressive.

Think about the way our national and state governments resolve issues. It is typically a masculine way, with finding fault, blame, and lacking compassion. If governments at all levels practiced a more balanced approach, it would look very different. We would see opposing sides taking responsibility, being assertive in their approaches, attempting to learn from successes and failures, and having compassion for the other side.

Companies that have a strong masculine approach to conflict resolution have a culture of “take no prisoners.” It’s good to be competitive, but that approach doesn’t allow for learning, so there’s no

recurrence of the same conflicts.

Organizations that have a strong feminine approach — there are far fewer of these — are pleasant, avoid conflicts, and don’t address the tough issues, thereby causing a reduction in competitiveness.

What can you do? Develop a balanced approach to conflict. Here are some basic guidelines to follow:

1. Even in the face of strong disagreement, have compassion for your adversary. It’s tough to do, but is highly effective.

2. Ask more questions of the other person so you can understand their perspective better, even if you vehemently disagree.

3. Start your discussion with a listing of the facts surrounding the situation. This helps to de-fuse the situation. And better than starting off by telling the other side how wrong they are!

4. Know what is negotiable and non-negotiable before you enter a discussion or negotiation. You don’t have to reveal these right away but know what they are.

5. Maintain neutral language when you are in the discussion. Pointing fingers, assigning blame, making accusations just puts more oil on the fire instead of making it possible to resolve the situation.

6. Stand your ground – don’t allow yourself to be bullied. If the other person tries to intimidate by yelling, for example, you can say something like, “I can hear you better if you don’t raise your voice. Please say that again.”

These are just a few guidelines for you the next time you need to resolve conflict with another person. People that have a more feminine approach to conflict generally don’t want to have these conversations. They are afraid of the intensity, especially if the other person is higher on the food chain at work. Working with clients over the years, my clients have become much more comfortable with being a problem-solver, becoming much less intimidated by conflict.

Here’s a story of someone I recently worked with that had a conflict with her manager. Jane (not her real name) has a micromanager for a boss. He is over her shoulder, making her nervous and prone to mistakes. She has a stereotypical conflict style – she hates conflict and would rather not deal with it at all. After getting a bit of coaching, she learned how to be more assertive and stand her ground. She used her compassionate nature to her advantage, disarming her boss by showing how she understood what a hard job he had, and that he could use his time better than to stand over her desk. There’s more to the story, but I think you get the point.

On the other hand, when someone is aggressive, learn to ask questions, let the other person have their say, become more understanding. These are all qualities that are extremely useful.

We don’t change our basic nature, we just learn to enhance our positive qualities, and minimize the negative ones.

Look around you at your coworkers, clients, etc. Start to identify who has a masculine style, who has a feminine style, and who has a balanced style. I bet the people you view as balanced – between masculine and feminine – are more likeable and you are more prone to give them the extra mile.

Wouldn’t it be grand if our elected officials could learn that, too?

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Getting along key to career success

Posted on 24 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

February is never remembered as the shortest month of the year, but rather it is better known as the romance month because of Valentine’s Day. Yet, if you really think about it, I am sure you’ll agree that this is a bit of a fallacy. After all, focusing on celebrating a relationship for just one day is simply not enough.

Building and maintaining strong and caring relationships both at home with our family and at work with our colleagues is critical to our personal happiness and success every day of the year. And if you don’t pay attention to these relationships on a daily basis, cracks will begin to appear and the relationships will eventually falter.

Then again, some people may pay close attention to their family relationships but fail to see the importance of paying close attention to their relationships at work. Since you spend a majority of your time at work, ensuring that work relationships are strong and effective is critical to career success.

These relationships are broad and complex. For instance, you have to build relationships with co-workers and your immediate manager, but at the same time, most people will also have to build relationships with customers or suppliers. For those in management, you will also have to build relationships with senior managers and executives and sometimes with a board of directors.

As well, most relationships include people from different disciplines and occupations and as business becomes more global, work relationships will expand and include different languages and cultures.

Although creating and maintaining an effective family relationship might result from basic instincts, instinct alone is not enough to build strong relationships in the work world. In fact, work related relationships need a conscious, systematic effort; in other words, it takes planning, strategy, time and plain hard work. First of all, you need to believe that building a web of relationships is indeed important and worth the effort that you will have to expend.

The following 10 guidelines will help to steer you in the right direction:

Listen and observe. Become a people watcher — listen, observe and learn about others. Pay attention to how they think, what is important to them, what they like to do and what they want out of life. Take care not to rush to judgment. Let people talk about themselves; invest time in listening and look for commonalities between you.

Show respect. Polish up your manners and be sure to use “please and thank you” generously. Show people that you care; avoid interrupting when someone is talking and allow your colleagues to express their feelings without replying so quickly with negative comments. Show that you value your colleague by avoiding gossip or divulging confidences.

Be generous. Teammates who always take are those who never seem to think about the needs of others and believe me, people quickly get tired of these individuals. Instead, recognize that relationships are built by being generous and helping others to achieve their goals.

Understand the boundaries. Every relationship has specific boundaries, areas where you must tread lightly or not tread at all. Boundaries are a form of self-protection and so you must pay attention to what both you and others feel is acceptable behaviour. Your workplace will have boundaries as well. Find out what they are and behave accordingly.

Create work allies. Allies are co-workers that you can count on to provide advice, give information or assist you when you need it. They can also act as your sounding board and support base. Allies are your friends and without allies, work can be a lonely place.

Be open and honest. Strong relationships are built on trust, rapport and honest communication. People whose conversation is one of “evade, shade or spin” will quickly lose the respect of others. Being open and honest builds trust and understanding.

Always be professional. Building relationships is all about what you do and how you do it. Being professional means showing a consistent high level of appropriate behaviour. In other words, you must continually look, talk and act like a professional by being dependable and trustworthy and having good self-control.

Treat everyone as an equal. It doesn’t matter what your colleague’s job is, each of the roles you play in your organization has value and must be respected as such. Appreciate your colleagues for what they do. Treat them as your equal.

Engage in healthy conflict resolution. Conflict will arise in any relationship. The challenge you will face is how to deal with it. The most effective means of dealing with conflict is to raise your issues early rather than letting them fester. Next, pay attention to applying a win/win solution so that each person will gain something.

Keep commitments. Be sure to do what you agreed to do and do it well. It doesn’t matter if your commitment is big or small; take all of your commitments seriously. Helping people to understand that they can count on you builds trust and respect.

Discussions around the issue of effective organizations typically focus on the need for competent and motivated employees, a shared vision and clear direction. Yet at the same time, the importance of interpersonal relationships within the workplace is often downplayed. However, organizations will be effective only when their people are effective and productive. And whereas instinct alone does not create strong relationships, organizations need to incorporate soft skills training into their workplace so that employees can gain concrete relationship building skills and apply a conscious and systematic effort.

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Minnesota workers’ comp costs among lowest in 15-state study

Posted on 20 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

Minnesota’s workers’ compensation costs were 30 percent below the median total cost per claim among a 15-state sample and injured Minnesota workers received their first payment more quickly, according to a recent study by the non-profit Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

While average benefits were in-line with other states, injured workers in Minnesota returned to the job more quickly and the state had the lowest percentage of claimants awarded permanent partial disability or lump sum payments in the study, resulting in lower overall cost per claim. The average total cost per claim in Minnesota was $5,031 compared with $7,195 median total cost across the 15 state samples of claims from 2005 to 2008.

In addition, 52 percent of Minnesotan’s injured on the job received their first payment within 21 days of the reported injury, the second best performance in the study sample.

Rate of first indemnity payment at 21 days higher in Minnesota than most states

mp main wide 1stIndemnityPayment452 Minnesota workers comp costs among lowest in 15 state study

Source: WCRIClaims with first indemnity payment within 21 days of injury, 2007/08 claims with more than seven days of lost time

Steve Sviggum, commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, said he was pleased that the study showed Minnesota’s workers’ compensation system “is not out of control” but he added that it could be improved.

Sviggum credited Minnesotans’ work ethic as well as the informal dispute-resolution process, which is “less litigous” than systems in other states, with contributing to Minnesota’s lower overall costs.

Sviggum cited his top priorities for improving the system as controlling the growth of both health care and rehabilitation costs and simplifying the “cumbersome dispute resolution system.” He noted that the Workers Compensation Advisory Committee is making recommendations to state Legislature to improve Minnesota’s workers’ compensation dispute resolution system. The recommendations are modeled on the process used by the unionized construction trades workers compensation system, which is separate from the state administered system, Sviggum said.

Workers’ compensation cost comparisons can be one important factor, not just for current employers but as a selling point for the state to encourage location or expansion decisions within Minnesota. Total costs include wage replacement, medical and rehabilitation expenses and administrative costs. Wage replacement is defined by state statute and ranges from a minimum of $130 to a maximum of $850 per week in Minnesota.

Other study findings about Minnesota’s workers’ compensation experience include:

The average length of time off – 14 weeks — was nearly three weeks shorter than in the median.
Claims with more than seven days of lost time were 14 percent lower than the median.
Fewer workers were off work for at least one week – 17 percent compared to 19.5 percent median.
More Minnesota claimants, nearly 17 percent, used vocational rehabilitation services, compared to 3 percent of claimants with more than seven days of lost time in the typical study state. Minnesota also paid out the highest amount for these services, but that may be due to how these expenses are recorded in other states, according to the study authors.
Defense attorney payments in Minnesota were among the highest of the 15 study states, although defense attorneys were involved in significantly fewer cases than typical. The higher defense attorney payments per claim “likely reflect the complex informal dispute resolution system in Minnesota…which likely requires more defense attorney hours,” the study authors observed.

The authors said the 15 states were chosen for the study because of they present a wide range of industries and variety of benefit and cost structures which are representative of the entire country. They also comprise a significant portion of the U.S. population, he said. The study, “Benchmarks for Minnesota, CompScope10^th Edition,” drew on over 27 million claims across 15 states and includes 56 percent of claims filed in Minnesota in 2007-2008.

WCRI describes itself as a nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization conducting public policy research on workers’ compensation, health care and disability issues. According WCRI executive director Richard Victor, the insurance industry makes up the largest portion of its membership which also includes employers, governmental entities and insurance regulators in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as several state labor organizations.

Cost per claim in Minnesota 30% lower than 15-state median

Source: WCRI2005/08 all paid claims, adjusted for injury/industry mix and wages

The study provides a meaningful comparison of the workers’ compensation systems in 15 states on key performance measures such as benefit payments and costs per claim, timeliness of payments and defense attorney involvement by analyzing a similar group of claims and adjusting for interstate differences in injury mix, wage levels and industry type.

The average cost of vocational rehabilitation provider services was highest in Minnesota – at an average of about $6,100 per claim with these services. WCRI cautioned that the vocational rehabilitation measures it reports reflect the payor portion of the costs for these services as reported in insurance data, not the portion provided through state agencies, which could be significant in some states.

The study also found that total costs per claim in Minnesota for claims with more than seven days of lost time at an average of 12 months of experience increased 8 percent in 2007 after several years of more moderate growth.

Rising medical costs were the key driver of that growth, increasing 9 percent from 2006 to 2007, evaluated as of March 2008, according to WCRI.

There was a slight steady improvement in the time to first indemnity payment from 2002 to 2007.

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Dealing with conflict

Posted on 17 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

Conflict and conflict resolution are a part of any relationship. It is unrealistic to expect to spend decades with

someone without one getting on one another’s nerves.

I excel at conflict. I should have been an attorney. My big mouth, stubbornness and excess of opinions have provided ample training opportunity to whet my skills. However my interest in participating in conflict has waned over the years. Many conflicts seem irrelevant, useless and/or repetitive. As a result, I have become aware of my ‘triggers’ and adept at diffusing conflict or managing it more effectively when it occurs.

Most conflict originates with perception and sleight. Though there are times when perception and reality are one and the same, frequently perception is based on an initial sleight that escalates into a colossal misunderstanding or altercation. Why? I think it is usually ego and the need to be ‘right,’ to establish dominance, control the dialogue or to seek vindication for some perceived ‘wrong.’

Conflict usually emerges as a response to disruptions in routines, change, unclear goals or expectations, the quest for power, ego, incompatible value systems, poor communication or hidden agendas. It is expressed through rude, inconsiderate, disrespectful, hostile, selfish behavior and defensive/offensive language.

Conflict escalates when two people are determined to establish dominance via being ‘right.’ Usually both individuals quit listening to one another as soon as debate evolves into dispute. Egos and emotions become invested and the outcome will typically involved elevated adrenalin levels, establishing ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and an increased potential for weeks (or months) of passive aggressive behavior.

I find that understanding why someone thinks or feels the way they do tends to diffuse the potential for conflict. Understanding where a person is coming from does not mean that you agree with them, but it certainly makes it easier to accept different perspectives. It allows you to continue a debate/dialogue with insight and empathy into the other person’s mental and emotional ‘wiring.’

Currently I am less involved in drama and conflict than at any other point in my life. I am not as concerned about whether I’m right or wrong about anything. I realized that my ego was getting in the way. These days if a situation or person is unbearable, I often choose to leave. They don’t need to change a thing about themselves and there is no need to debate the finer points of behavior or philosophy if I don’t have to put up with them in my space for a protracted period of time. There’s no need to engage in the ‘great debate’ if someone is disinclined to postulate a reasonable argument. I have no intention of changing my stance, opinion or philosophy until presented with a compelling reason to do so, but there is no correlation between my stubbornness and a need to be ‘right’ anymore.

I’m not ‘right.’ I’m one of 7 billion people on the planet. Despite my arrogance, the statistical likelihood of me being wrong on an ongoing basis is undeniable. Optimistically, I am ‘right’ about what I think, feel or believe 10% of the time or less. I think that is true of others as well, but they are more adept at maintaining their personal delusions. Thus, the other party is welcome to be ‘right’ while I happily continue to exist within the blissful domain of my delusions and erroneous assumptions.

Often, when I pause to consider what I am ‘reacting’ to for a moment, I realize that I am not invested enough in the issue/person/dispute to interject/intervene. I have eliminated half of the conflict in my life simply be concluding that it isn’t worth it. I prefer to invest energy in endeavors that serve me or serve my interests. When I invest an enormous amount of my energy in a futile debate with a ‘nimrod,’ I just ‘gave’ that individual a significant amount of my energy, time and attention. Why? What do I get out of that regardless of whether the argument is a win/lose/draw? Life is a finite resource with an absolute deadline. Many conflicts aren’t worth the time and energy ‘zap’ to bother with them.

How do you discern what is valid and invalid for you? The next time you feel the tide of rage taking hold, pause to ask yourself a few questions: Why are you having such a strong response? Consider environment, context, participants and what’s at stake. Is the dispute ‘worth’ it. What do you stand to gain?

There are definitely issues, relationships, principles and people worth the fight. Whereas I seek to minimize unnecessary conflict, I don’t believe in avoiding conflict entirely.

It is unavoidable unless you are looking to coast passively through life being used as a doormat by the rest of the world.
Conflict can be constructive, because it often challenges antiquated thoughts and belief systems. This provides an opportunity to confront fears, increase perspective and continue to evolve.
I’m half Irish. Sometimes I believe it is more important to fight the ‘good fight’ than whether you win. I know that I can be exasperating and difficult, especially for Right wing Christians, racists, misogynists and other folks filled with hatred or fear. Not only am I not sorry about that, but I think I may have been put on the planet to vex them. I not only excel in that role, but I take great delight in finding new ways to be annoying without ever raising a finger against anyone. You know that saying about sticks and stones breaking bones and words doing no damage? It’s not true.

In intimate relationships and friendships, the ability to deal with conflicts as they arise is crucial to longevity and stability. Assuming that you are in a situation that demands response and conflict is unavoidable, there are definitely tactics that tend to be more effective than others.

What to do:

Self-awareness is crucial. When you are in touch with who you are, including your strengths AND weaknesses, your beliefs and perceptions and how they dictate your reactions, you become more aware of why you respond, which allows you to articulate your needs and grievances more calmly as situations arise.
Address your partner’s complaints with an objective eye and willingness to understand the other person’s point of view.
Try to find the cause of the conflict rather than focusing on the symptoms. Everyone involved needs to agree on a definition of the problem before it can be addressed and resolved.
Look for common ground. Stay focused on solution-based outcomes rather than tenaciously clinging to your perspective, even if that outcome is an agreement to disagree.
When you maintain a positive outlook and a sense of humor, conflict can be a powerful source of positive change and increased knowledge/understanding. Attitude often governs response. When you become too emotionally invested, your perceptions, logic and rational thinking become impaired and cloudy.
Usually the ‘truth’ is somewhere in the middle and that is where the solution belongs. Shoot for a win-win solution. There may be a variety of solutions available if you can focus on a positive outcome and remain engaged in the process of finding a solution rather than engaged in an argument about which person is ‘right.’ Challenge yourself to be a creative problem-solver rather than challenging the other person on legitimacy and validity.
Concentrate on what you can control. Rather than approaching a conflict with the intention of establishing the ‘fault’ of the other, look for areas within your sphere of influence. What part of it is your ‘fault?’ Where can you make a difference? What can you do to mitigate the problem? How are you impacting or obstructing the desired outcome? You cannot change areas, people or behaviors outside your realm of control, but you can control yourself.
Try to view conflict as an opportunity to analyze the situation objectively, assess the needs of both parties and come up with a solution that helps you both.

What not to do:

Many people will internalize their anger and frustration until they explode rather than discussing it in a calm, respectful manner. Often one partner will want to discuss troubling issues in the relationship and the other will refuse to talk or listen. Conflict avoidance insures that the source of consternation will continue unabated.
Communication is far more effective than reading someone’s mind, psychoanalyzing them or assuming you can predict responses, thoughts or feelings. Conflict often occurs when one person misinterprets their partner’s actions and what it means.
Conflict is exacerbated when one person decides that there’s a ‘right’ way to look at things and a ‘wrong’ way to look at things and that they are ‘right.’ Often people take it as a personal attack when someone does not perceive things the same way rather than looking for a compromise or agreeing to disagree. Often there are valid elements in both points of view. Often the ‘truth’ lies somewhere in the middle.
Listen to your partner. No one appreciates being ignored or invalidated. Rolling your eyes, interrupting or rehearsing your comeback is a sure fire way to take conflict to all new unpleasant levels of pointlessness. These behaviors insure that you will blithely ignore the other person while alienating any receptivity to your perspective.
Avoid sweeping generalization or blowing things out of proportion. Key words to avoid are “always” and “never.” Think about what you say and do not say things that are exaggerated, melodramatic responses. Do not bring up past conflicts to derail the current topic. This only serves to increase the potential for a destructive battle of Wills.
Try to avoid being hyper-sensitive and defensive. Defensive people tend to consistently deny any wrongdoing and culpability. They do not want to acknowledge participation in any problem, but when you are participating in a problem and unable to acknowledge participation, the problem/issue is guaranteed to continue. Anger is not your friend when it comes to successful conflict mediation. It creates an atmosphere of aggression and condemnation, which is the equivalent of throwing a gallon of gas on a fire.
Some people handle conflict by finding fault, criticizing, shaming and blaming the other person for the situation. Admitting weakness or culpability weakens their credibility so they engage in the ‘blame game.’ any weakness on their own part as a weakening of their credibility, and avoid it at all
When you are determined to ‘win’ arguments, keep in mind that you may ‘lose’ the relationship. The goal should be mutual understanding, agreement or resolution where each person’s needs are respected. When the focus is establishing the other person as ‘wrong’ or at fault, there is no room for mutual resolution. It discounts the other person’s thoughts and feelings for no reason other than to elevate oneself.
Character assassination is a lousy strategy. If you take a negative action or issue and transform it into an epic character flaw, it creates negative perceptions on behalf of all participants. See #5 on exaggeration and melodrama.
Do not ‘flip out.’ Not everyone can live up to your expectations all of the time.

Each of us perceives the world around us differently. We make decisions based on those perceptions. The perceptions vary based on upbringing, personality, culture, religious background or what part of the world we came from. Interpersonal conflict is a natural component of human interaction. In fact, if the issue remains the object of focus, rather than the people involved, disagreements can generate new ideas and growth. The opportunity for productive conflict resolution increases when conflicts occur with an awareness and sensitivity to the other party’s feelings and perspective in the absence of judgment or blame.

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Conflict resolution as a career

Posted on 13 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

BRUNSWICK — Growing up in New Jersey, Jonathan Reitman wanted to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers. As he grew older he retired his dream, and set his sights on something bigger: changing the world, modestly speaking that is.

Influenced by his parents, who were active in the civil rights movements during the 1950s and 1960s, and as a child of the Vietnam era, Reitman felt drawn toward the law. He became an attorney and for years practiced labor and employment law. In 1990, Reitman switched gears and became a full-time mediator.

“I am a mediator, which means I help people resolve conflict or try to get out of the conflict that they are in,” Reitman explained in an interview with The Times Record on July 15. “I do that in Maine, and New England, and domestically, working with people who are, who might be in the middle of a lawsuit.”

Well known within the state for his work mediating Patten Free Library and Sears Island disputes, Reitman also has worked abroad in Israel, Palestine and Bosnia. He is a partner at Gosline & Reitman, a Maine-based mediation firm.

Although he is not aware of the exact number of cases he has mediated, Reitman says that his conflict resolution challenges now number more than 1,500.

When starting out, he would offer his services. Now clients, towns, individuals and groups, approach him to help resolve impasses.

The first thing he does is simple: Listen.

“If you get stuck in a formula, my belief is that you are not really being present, because you are thinking, ‘Oh gee, where am I in the formula?’” Reitman said. “Most of what you try to do in the beginning is to get people to open up, to tell you what’s really bothering them, what’s really underneath their concerns.”

Sometimes, Reitman applies his mediation skills to help formulate resolutions to very personal conflicts, such as marital disputes, custody cases and property rights. Other times, he’s asked to try his hand at salving cultural or political wounds that have festered for centuries.

Although Reitman said that every case is complex, he pinpointed cross-cultural conflicts as the most difficult, most intractable disputes.

Spending a great deal of time working in Israel and Palestine, he has experienced violence firsthand. One day he left from a train station that was bombed only five minutes later. Still, Reitman remains optimistic that there can be peace, in part because he sees an inkling of trust developing between the factions.

“I do see an end in sight. I’m just not sure it will happen in my lifetime, and that used to bother me, but it no longer does,” he said. “Because my job is to do the piece that is put right in front of me, and all I know is that in the 10 years I have been teaching (mediation skills in the Middle East), probably 10,000 people have been exposed to mediation and conflict resolution in a new way who weren’t before. So what are the ripple effects of that?”

Reitman also traveled to work in Bosnia two months after the Dayton Peace Accords, which were concluded in November 1995. Arriving in January, he worked with a nonprofit organization that was asked to come to Bosnia and assess what kind of conflict resolution would be possible in the post-war period.

“We put together inter-ethnic workshops,” said Reitman. “Serbs, Croats, Muslims, and for many people this was the first time they had been in the room with ‘the other side’ since” war tore asunder what used to be Yugoslavia. “Things got very heated. Everyone had been traumatized by the war. There were no winners. When the noon siren went off, people would scramble under tables convinced it was a bomb alert. And people were very quick to point fingers at one another. They had a lot of rage still. So our job was to create a safe environment where people could say what they needed to say, express that rage.”

During a five-year period, Reitman made 17 trips to the former Yugoslavia. Working throughout the region, he said that 14 years later, ethnic tension remains, but it has lessened. For perspective, he noted that an undercurrent of tension — ethnic, political and religious — can be found in almost every nation, including the United States.

Reitman’s wife is also a mediator by training. This can make things interesting in the house when a dispute arises.

“One of the things we say is that success in conflict resolution is understanding the other side’s point of view, which sounds kind of counter-intuitive,” Reitman said, noting that 90 percent of a mediator’s job involves getting disputants to understand the other side’s perspective.

A common response to that strategy is, “How can I get what I want if you’re telling me I have to spend all this time understanding the other side,” Reitman said. “So when my wife and I have a disagreement, she goes, ‘Whatever happened to 90 percent…’ It’s bad when someone knows all your tricks.”

Regardless of the scope or severity of a conflict, Reitman remains optimistic. Having been told hundreds of times that an impasse cannot be broken, that it’s impossible, the disputants — often with help from a mediator — find a way to hit upon a solution.

“When conflict gets resolved it’s not because I’m brilliant, it’s not because I have been the cog that transformed the whole situation,” he said. “It’s because I have created an environment where the people who were in conflict were able to transform their situation.”

Now confident in his job choice, Reitman has no plans to retire any time soon.

“(I’ll work) as long as I’m able,” said Reitman. “It’s what I was put on this earth to do.”

This summer Reitman is not traveling in the Middle East, instead opting to remain in Brunswick, spending part of his time working on a book he’s co-authoring with a Palestinian colleague.

He’ll take time off Saturday from that work to facilitate a discussion and accept an award at the sixth annual Peace Fair on the Brunswick Mall. His conversation, titled “The Building Blocks of Dialogue: How We Can Get Our Lives and Our World Unstuck,” is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

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Dealing with conflict at work requires action

Posted on 10 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

Picture today’s workplace as a rope, with its threads unraveling. Unless managers are alert…and capable of intervening, the rope will most certainly snap.

The nation’s persistent economic problems are taking their toll on families and workers. They are fueling and escalating workplace conflicts that are costly in both personal terms and business productivity.

While workplace conflicts are nothing new, they are increased by the stress being placed on workers and the businesses where they work.

The recent news that Kern County’s unemployment rate jumped to more than 17 percent in January should not have shocked any of us. We have read and heard about layoff notices being given to teachers in most local districts.

A major credit union has announced the closure of branches and layoff of workers. The biggest job losses in January in Kern County occurred in construction, down 3,500 jobs year-over-year.

In 2007-2008, when we saw the first wave of layoffs, companies were shedding “excess workers.” But despite people’s hope that the economy would improve in 2010, statistics indicate otherwise. We are now in our second and third rounds of layoffs, with the job losses cutting into the muscle and bone of companies.

Those blessed enough to still be employed may have spouses who have lost their jobs, significantly reducing household incomes and increasing debt and concern. And the people remaining in reduced workforces have worries about their own job security, may have taken a cut in pay, and have likely seen their workloads increase.

My hope is not to be seen as a depressing naysayer, but rather as someone who is sounding a warning: These are the ingredients of a stressed workplace, where unproductive, costly and dangerous conflicts can get out of control unless managers are vigilant, proactive and trained in conflict resolution.

“Conflict” is a difference in wants, needs or expectations. It is not always bad. It can lead to innovation, creativity and collaboration. But not properly controlled and channeled, it can be disruptive and costly. It can range from a fist fight in the warehouse, to the circulation of malicious rumors. It can involve intimidation and bullying, or passive-aggressive behavior.

Supervisors and managers often ignore early warning signs, sparingly applying conflict resolution techniques as a last resort and often after problems have grown substantially.

The results of unresolved workplace conflict include stress, frustration, anxiety, loss of sleep, strained relationships, grievances and litigation, employee turnover, loss of productivity, customer complaints, absenteeism, sabotage, injury and accidents, disability claims and increased absenteeism.

Managers must encourage open communications in the organization. They must foster the acceptance of different behavioral styles and perspectives. They must be alert to brewing conflicts, understanding that the formation of cliques is often a warning flag. In addition, those in charge need to worry less about everyone becoming friends, and more about everyone doing their job. They need to empower workers to resolve their conflicts by identifying the stressors they face, finding ways to become resilient, letting go of the “small stuff,” and taking care of themselves physically.

The road to resiliency requires ACTION:

A – Aware – Be aware of how you feel and react to pressure and demands.

C – Check – Check out perceptions.

T – Test – Test situations.

I – Implement – Implement healthy habits.

O – Optimism – Be optimistic.

N – Never – Never forget your ability to take control or let go.

Conflict is found in every workplace. Employees compete for pay and promotions. Bosses — all the way up to executive staffs and boards of directors — compete for funding to support their programs and departments. Conflict is a fact of life on the job.

But when conflict interferes with the jobs that employees are asked to do, and the company’s productivity, it must be resolved. Bringing in outside mediators or human resources consultants to intervene helps resolve conflicts and trains workers and supervisors that addressing conflict is a great step.

Wise company owners and managers who are concerned about the well-being of their workers, as well as their company’s bottom line, will be aware and train all levels of their staff to resolve conflict in the workplace.

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Your Turn: Make work more fun

Posted on 6 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

As we trudge bleary-eyed into another working week, Screen Play regular contributor Dateman this morning comes to our rescue with suggestions on how to make work more fun.
Since his last Your Turn entry, Dateman says he is “now a year older, fatter, no wiser, less hairy, and lives in constant fear of turning on his launch PS3 for it catapulting him back to 1999 where he will have to change nappies again”.

Make work more fun

Last year was just awful, what with the GFC and GT5 put back till 3010. For me, games became a much more important escape from the harsh realities of life. This got me thinking, why should we only enjoy games at home when they could help make our lives more fun and productive at work?

How about the following suggestions:

Budget Fun!
Your budget will be presented in tabular form. It will suddenly start to move across your screen to the right, then drop down a line, and move across the screen to the left. As it drops down each line, it starts to move faster and all you’re allowed to use is the left/right arrow and a space bar for corrections. Each number you manage to shoot out from the descending hoard will reduce your budget. Your staff will rejoice at the decimated budget (except those that have to be let go because of the lack of money). You can deal with them with the following game…

HR Head Cutting!
Those you have to ‘let go’ are first put into the re-deployment bucket and given the chance to re-apply for their ‘new’ old jobs! Once you have a sufficient number in the bucket (let’s call it a lobby as it sounds nicer) we will then put them into teams which look remarkably like clans. Since we’ve done all the hard work, all you have to do now is let them loose in an online shooter like MAG. Teamwork, collaboration, communication will all be evaluated to see how it fits within the company’s mission, values and other crap, along with knifing and RPG skills (which tend to be in short supply within industry today). In the interests of diversity, Pac-Man will also be offered to any ye olde school gamerz where they wipe out their competing teammates by swallowing a small pill. This concept could even be extended to the job interview process and would streamline all that talking and testing. Those that survive better get down to work…

WoW!
Those that are left now have to prioritise enough work for 200 people to be done by 20 people in half the time. Easy, just jump on-line into your massively multiplayer online role playing game and get your dweeby friends to help out. Welcome to the “World of Workraft” where you need to save your credits for that pinstripe suit and there are so many cool ties to customise your avatar with. Slay expense claims with your Level 50 Biro, and use the Enchanted Mouse to work magic into your spreadsheets. You can even work collaboratively on a PowerPoint presentation with cool animations and slide transitions showing the work of spells and decapitations so no one really understands the content. Though by now you had better be ready for some frustration creeping into your group…

Conflict Resolution!
All this restructuring can cause bad vibes and will create tension in the office environment. Don’t worry about contact officers and conflict resolution processes, it’s Wii Boxing time. Wii Boxing can deal with tension between employees in a fun and expressive way. Just remember there will be one avatar on the system that is constantly getting their lights punched out as every office has a social moron with a wiring defect. No mediation, just get on the Wii and sort it out and the looser gets kitchen duty for a week. You may also wonder why the moron didn’t get the arse in the first round of cuts but that’s life, don’t think about it too hard…

Back to it!
Now you’ve settled into your new job role, you can fire up the new version of Heavy Rain where you get to sit at a desk for eight hours a day and update Excel spreadsheets while you search for the one that is stealing your coffee bags. The dreaded origami coffee killer has remained and just leaves half-used coffee bags laying there in the sink bleeding their caffeine goodness down the drain. NNNNNOOOOO! Once found, and since stealing is a dismissible offense, it’s off to the HR FPS. You have also heard rumours that this version, ‘Heavy Petting Rain’, has an easter egg related to some form of the hot beverage, which may involve a member of the opposite sex and a desk. Time to put in some overtime.

Feel free to use these ideas to survive the next GFC! (Gamers Forgo Caffeine) or just get through work today. Combine them with these other helpful money-saving tips to impress your boss:

- Use Xbox 360s during winter to save on office heating bills.

- Avoid the use of PS3 as the date/time bug will force you to deal with the Y2K bug again, and again.

- Be careful when talking about the Wii as some militant feminist will take exception to it and sue your company for sexual harassment

What part of your working life could be better realised in game form?

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Tags: Clans, Collaboration, Constant Fear, Contributor, Dateman, Deployment, Gfc, Harsh Realities, Hoard, Launch, Mission Values, Other Crap, Ps3, Realities Of Life, Right Arrow, Screen Play, Shooter, Space Bar, Teamwork, Trudge

Breaking through the Border: Tips for Companies Employing Cross Border Employees

Posted on 3 Aug 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

The globalization of business is occurring at an unprecedented rate. Focusing a corporation only on home soil dramatically limits the size of market a firm can serve. With this realization comes a push for business leaders to seek growth opportunities. This leads motivated companies across the border, expanding into the U.S. or Canada.

Unlike many locations overseas, cross border expansion offers a full spectrum of advantages such as the use of Western business models, English as the first language of business, highly developed infrastructure, and quality labor assets.

While there are similarities in organizational culture between the U.S. and Canada, it is crucial to the success of an expanding business to be aware of the disparity that exists as well. Companies unfamiliar with the differences between the Canadian and American employment fields can face many challenges. To ensure the transition is successful, it is vital that a company understand the legislative differences between Canada and the U.S. employment, and the consequences of overlooking those differences.

There are two major differences within American and Canadian employment environments: cultural and legislative. The history of social welfare in Canada has led to higher labor standards in areas such as employment insurance, collective bargaining, workers’ compensation, leaves and terminations. For example, it pays to be aware that in Canada most employees are entitled to up to 52 weeks protected maternity/parental leave, and “at-will employment” does not exist. Additionally, workplace alcohol and drug testing is much less prevalent in Canada – most mandatory testing is prima facie discriminatory and the employer will have to justify it as a bona fide occupational requirement.

Companies who fail to adhere to a country’s employment laws can find themselves in time consuming and costly litigation. For example, employees in Canada and the U.S. can file complaints against an employer through Employment Standards Tribunals, at no financial cost to the employee but at a significant burden to the employer in time and cost.

The good news is that there are many resources available to assist new companies in breaking through the border. Companies can acquire information from government bodies, and can hire an employment lawyer or a Human Resource Manager well versed in employment legislation. However, for companies who lack the time and funding, or prefer more flexibility, another solution is to use a total Human Resource Outsourcing Provider. This is distinct from a Functional Human Resource Outsourcer that specializes primarily in one area of HR, such as job placement or payroll.

A total Human Resource Outsourcing Provider is the solution for a company needing Canadian or American expertise in all areas of Human Resources and employment. Such a company will build and implement a Human Resource infrastructure that is not only in compliance with Canadian legislation, but fits with the needs and culture of a U.S. company in Canada, and vice versa.

Another valuable option for new companies in Canada is a total HR Outsourcing Provider that can offer Third Party (or “Outsourced”) Employment services, becoming the employer of record for some or all employees if a company lacks the infrastructure to be an employer themselves in their own country or across the border. This employment can be short term or long term based on the company’s needs. As the employer, the Third Party Employer should ensure all employment laws are adhered to and should handle employee payroll, tax remittance, workers’ compensation, registration, benefits, separation paperwork, performance management and conflict resolution, while keeping day-to-day management of the employee in the client company’s hands.

Business in the U.S. and Canada differs in many respects, despite similarities in customs, language, economic trends and judicial principles. These differences demand considerable review, amendment and modification of standard employment practices. With informed appreciation of these matters along with the aid of Human Resource Outsourcing Provider, businesses should find the cross border transition relatively smooth and successful.

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Finance corporations may disturb the financial segment

Posted on 31 Jul 2010 - by admin In: Uncategorized

It is not a good option to create a sectoral corporation for every sector, says Planning Commission member B.K. Chaturvedi.

The B.K. Chaturvedi panel has submitted the second part of its report on highways to Union road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath. In an interview, Chaturvedi, a member of India’s apex planning body, the Planning Commission, defended his stand against setting up a separate corporation to finance road projects—which was part of the minister’s 100-day agenda—and discussed other issues. Edited excerpts:

Why are you against setting up a separate road finance corporation?

The issue was discussed by us in great detail. It was felt that unlike the power department, where we have the Power Finance Corp., the road sector is one which requires huge resources. We already have IIFCL (India Infrastructure Finance Co. Ltd) for infrastructure funding and that, along with

the recommendations of the committee on getting the loans with the sector being considered—secured loans, on which some movement is taking place—the committee felt that it is not a good thing. Otherwise, each sector will start asking for each sectoral corporation. It gets very difficult then to manage the overall NPAs (non-performing assets), the overall sectoral balances across the board in the entire financial segment.

What are your recommendations on improving finance availability?

…One (recommendation) is on the question of take-out financing. We understand that already some movement has taken place by IIFCL on this take-out financing, and that will enable companies to take funds from the financial segment. (The) other recommendation is on considering this as a secured loan.

…In case the loan is defaulted, then government pays 90% of the loan, it is secured in (the) sense of tolls revenues being available. So we felt that it is in a sense secured loan. We understand that the committee under the finance secretary is already working on this and discussing with the Reserve Bank of India on how to take it forward to consider this as a secured loan so that the rates of interest go down…

Many seem to like the exemption of dividend distribution tax for special purpose vehicles (SPVs) that you have asked for. But do you think the finance ministry will be reluctant to implement this?

This report will now go to the group of ministers. They would take a view on it. The ministry of finance will be represented there and the call will be theirs. I understand the group of ministers is chaired by the finance minister and there the ministry of road transport will put forth its point of view.

The Planning Commission will put forth its point of view and mention the rationale of the recommendations. The ministry of finance was part of the report and, therefore, they also felt that it (tax exemption for SPVs) was a good recommendation. Let us hope that it does get implemented.

How crucial is the issue of dispute resolution for road projects?

I do think it is an important issue because around Rs10,000 crore is locked up in dispute(s) between companies. If companies are in dispute with their organizations, I do not think they can work very well.

Neither the company feels very comfortable nor the organization feels very comfortable. But in case this is resolved one way or the other, it will provide them the resources to move forward or enable them to put this as a bad loan in their balance sheet and move forward from there. But one way or the other, it will (have to) get resolved. The focus, therefore, was that we must try and get these issues resolved quickly.

How soon do you expect to hear a final word on your report?

As I mentioned, the report now will go to the group of ministers. It will be piloted by the ministry of road transport. The minister for road transport will put it in front of the group of ministers and they have to take a call there.

Do you feel disappointed that suggestions of expert panels are left pending or only partially implemented due to political or financial compulsions?

To be honest, we are living in a democracy. Every actor has to do his job. As experts we are supposed to do our job and as part of the political system the government takes a call on how much it can implement. We keep on emphasizing in these reports and from the Planning Commission the need for these reforms. Quite often they get implemented, may be with some delay.

But the good point is that you will find (the) Dr Rangarajan Committee, (the) committee under my chairmanship and (the) committee under Dr Kirit Parikh…have given similar recommendations. So that emphasis does really point out that there is a lot of meat to what we are saying what is required to be done…