Genuine Contact™ Program: Processes for Reducing the Cost of Conflict - Part II

Dates: March 5-6, 2009
Where: Val-David, Quebec
Module 3 of the Genuine Contact Program

Additional Information: info@mbureau.com
Registration Form: http://www.integralvisions.com/sessions.htm

Be prepared to be surprised at the results! I recently worked with a client to estimate the costs for a year of conflict in this organization. Depending upon the factors that we included, the annual cost for the conflict in this small team (fewer than 10 people) was estimated to be from $250,000 to $500,000! And this conflict had been raging for 3 or 4 years!! Would these numbers motivate earlier resolution of workplace conflicts in your organization? While there are both humane and morale reasons for our work to create healthy organizational systems or Conscious Open Space Organizations, these sorts of numbers provide eye-opening financial reasons for doing so.

There are many wonderful programs and resources such as those from the Mediation Training Institute International available to support you in working more effectively with conflict in your organization and hopefully reducing or preventing these costs. As a facilitator of mediation programs at Dalhousie University College of Continuing Education and Registered Practitioner in Dispute Resolution, I am constantly learning and developing my skills and personal ability to journey with individuals and organizations to bring new and healthier futures into reality.

The Genuine Contact™ Program processes (especially Whole Person Process Facilitation and Working With Open Space Technology) have enhanced my competency in working to resolve conflicts, particularly group conflicts. These collective processes invite people to open to and develop their natural human capacity to create new futures. I am particularly excited by the potential of this program to support the emergence of capacity in organizations to sustain health and balance both for individuals and their teams – lowering the cost of conflict and increasing the success of the organization on an ongoing basis. Birgitt and Ward Williams, creators of the Genuine Contact™ Program, call these high performing organizations Conscious Open Space Organizations. These simple meeting processes (OST and WPPF) can be learned and used frequently within any organization. Why not have a successful organization and provide a nourishing environment in which the human spirit can flourish creatively and fulfill its potential? I’d like to work in such an organization. Would you?

Workplaces and communities need new collective practices like these to work more effectively. Researchers Duxbury and Higgins reported that between 1991 and 2001 conditions have “seriously deteriorated” for many Canadian workers.1 A 2004 report from Warren Shepell suggested that changes in Canadian public sector workplaces have resulted in 900% increases in anger rates over the past three years and a doubling of depression rates.2 Another report from Health Canada showed that work-life conflict is adding at least an extra $6 billion a year to Canada’s annual healthcare costs3. I want to see things change! It doesn’t have to be like this!

So with this passion I seek out leaders who will want to see things change. There are many leaders who see the pain of the people who work in their organizations and want to see changes too. But they don’t know what to do about it! They may be personally suffering from the conflicts and stresses to the point that they have little energy left themselves. What are the costs to a manager of making the choice to do something about the conflicts in the team and take action to change things? Where do they get the personal energy and resources needed to take this bold step?

more tomorrow...

Source : Donna Clark : http://www.emergentfutures.ca/articles/Conflict.pdf
Photo :http://www.sxc.hu/photo/704013