Of all the departments that will need to deal with conflict effectively in a workplace, the human resources department is the most likely. Outside of the hiring process, most employees will only interact with human resources during times of conflict, which often makes human resource departments the least favorite team to interact with for an …
What is a high-conflict personality? If you have ever been in a conflict with a person who seems keener on continuing and escalating the conflict than resolving it, you may be dealing with one. High-conflict personalities are not the easiest to have conversations with, especially if you need to resolve the conflict. However, high-conflict personalities …
Communication is an important part of any workplace or group setting, and a key component of reaching agreements. When communication is healthy, a workplace or group can be productive and reach its objective. When communication breaks down, other aspects of the workplace begin to fall apart as well. In some cases, communication breaks down as …
Many of us try and avoid conflict at all costs. This can include changing our actions and statements to avoid causing conflict. However, conflict is an inevitable part of life, and even the most vigilant of conflict-avoiders will run into a conflict of some kind. For most, the conflict that arises will be situational, or …
One of the best ways to learn about a topic is through examples; ineffective communication is no different. Unfortunately, many people struggle to identify ineffective communication because the examples they have been given are either too obvious, unhelpful, or so specific to a situation that they are not replicable in the real world. Because of …
By Lalita B. Nordquist, SPHR, MA, MDR The holiday season is meant to be a season of thanks, of giving, of love and of friendship. Picture yourself with a mug of your favorite tea or hot chocolate, sitting in the cozy corner of your couch in front of a fireplace surrounded by family, friends, good …
By Vivian Scott We are a great group of people, us mediators. We understand how emotions and values play into conflict, we recognize the power in a solution that fits both parties’ needs, and we approach the world with a quiet confidence that any disagreement can be resolved. I love that about us. Too bad …
By Zachary Ulrich Ever get mad at someone because they did something you didn’t expect? Of course you have, we all have. They’re not something we directly think about every day, but expectations are a key component of what drives many peoples’ behavior – including our own – all the time. When we sit down …
By Kristofer S. Michaud Dispute Resolution Systems Design and Implementation in a Corporate Setting Increasingly, corporations recognize the value of a Program for managing workplace conflict that precludes litigation. These systems are designed by trained ADR consultants retained by the company on a contract basis. In order to implement such a Program, there must first …
By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Hostile mail – especially email – has become much more common over the past decade. Most of this mail is just “venting,” and has little real significance. However, when people are involved in a formal conflict (a divorce, a workplace grievance, a homeowners’ association complaint, etc.) there may be more …