Comments from Genuine Contact Community Members

Comments regarding Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution Workshop in Val-David, Qebec, Canada

Thank you for sharing this, Michelle. Congratulation, to both Marquis and you.
It's great to read, that French Canadians are getting familiar with GC. May this energy come to French speaking Europe soon – Switzerland.

Thanks Michelle for informing us about this - I feel like you do when I am in USA and I also learn a lot – Sweden.

Enjoy the experience! - Venezuela

Thanks for sharing your experience. I can understand you very well. It is particular to feel, think, and learn as a non native speaker. But our Heart can speak in all languages. It helps me every time to know that the GC community is with me - Germany.

Hi Michelle, when I read the last part of your message about the yoga I realized how much I miss you all and that I had forgotten to spread my wings for a while, so I will do that yoga right now :-) I am sure you are having a great learning and as always, whoever comes are the right people – Sweden.

Session 3 of the Genuine Contact Program en français

Greetings from Val David Quebec where Marquis Bureau and I are facilitating Session 3 of the Genuine Contact Program en français - La résolution de conflits interculturels. We have three participants - making five with Marquis and I.

We decided that it was important to offer the course and maintain the energy of moving the course forward even with small numbers. There is much interest for the work of Genuine Contact in the francophone community - and for the second time we have not attracted any English speaking participants, something we will evaluate after we offer Organizational Health and Balance in May.

With three participants Marquis and I are participating when we want to have the group work in pairs. When he is in the role of facilitator, I participate and vice versa. I am of course at my learning edge because my French is at only an intermediate level and I have few opportunities to practice. I find the best way for me is to listen with my heart rather than my head.....When I worry too much about translating my ego is very active and I think of my self and my next words. So, I am practicing presence with deep listening - which is good because for those of you who know me, I usually have a LOT to say when I am speaking English.....and my learning about self and others is deep.

The great news is that all of the participants took the WPPF course in October. While we are not teaching WPPF, some of the ahas and questions are allowing deeper exploration of WPPF principles and we are of course giving them another experience of WPPF that is not a mix of facilitating and then teaching about the method.

One of the explorations/discussions of this morning was about hopes and fears....that how when we invite the whole person by welcoming their fears, we can prevent conflict....and when the environment does not welcome the fears up front, that the conflict will emerge later or it supports conflict.
I love the learning that I have when I facilitate these workshops.....a great way to go deeper myself.

We did the Genuine Contact yoga this morning - the eagle, which causes me to think of all of you around the world.

Have a great day everyone.

Michelle

Why do we tend to avoid dealing with conflict?

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

Engaging in dialogue and negotiation around conflict is something we tend to approach with fear and hesitation, afraid that the conversation will go worse than the conflict has gone thus far. All too often, we talk ourselves out of potential dialogue:

"Why should I talk to her? She'll bite my head off and not listen to anything I have to say!"

OR

"I should talk to him about this problem, but maybe it will go away on its own. There's no sense stirring up something that makes us both uncomfortable."

OR

"If I go to him, I'm making myself vulnerable. No, that's his responsibility - he should come to me and ask me to talk!"

Our responses, as noted earlier, tend to include behaviors, feelings, thoughts and physical responses. If any of these responses indicates stress factors that make us reluctant to talk things out, we are more inclined to follow the pathway of avoidance. In addition, if we have history with the individuals involved in this conflict (i.e., we've tried to negotiate with them in the past, without success), it will "filter" our perceptions of this situation and make us reluctant to negotiate.

In addition, consider that our society tends to reward alternative responses to conflict, rather than negotiation: People who aggressively pursue their needs, competing rather than collaborating, are often satisfied by others who prefer to accommodate. Managers and leaders are often rewarded for their aggressive, controlling approaches to problems, rather than taking a more compassionate approach to issues that may seem less decisive to the public or their staffs. In other circumstances, those who raise issues and concerns, even respectfully, are quickly perceived to be "problem" clients or staff members… they tend to be avoided and minimized. In any of these approaches, negotiated solutions to conflicts are rarely modeled or held in high esteem.

Finally, we should keep in mind that negotiation requires profound courage on the part of all parties: It takes courage to honestly and clearly articulate your needs, and it takes courage to sit down and listen to your adversaries. It takes courage to look at your own role in the dispute, and it takes courage to approach others with a sense of empathy, openness and respect for their perspective. Collaborative approaches to conflict management require us to engage in the moment of dialogue in profound and meaningful ways, so it is understandable if we tend to avoid such situations until the balance of wisdom tips in favor of negotiation.

Source : Harry Webne-Behrman
Photo :http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

The Role of Perceptions in Conflict

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

As noted in our basic definition of conflict, we define conflict as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. One key element of this definition is the idea that each party may have a different perception of any given situation. We can anticipate having such differences due to a number of factors that create "perceptual filters" that influence our responses to the situation:
* Culture, race, and ethnicity: Our varying cultural backgrounds influence us to hold certain beliefs about the social structure of our world, as well as the role of conflict in that experience. We may have learned to value substantive, procedural and psychological needs differently as a result, thus influencing our willingness to engage in various modes of negotiation and efforts to manage the conflict
* Gender and sexuality: Men and women often perceive situations somewhat differently, based on both their experiences in the world (which relates to power and privilege, as do race and ethnicity) and socialization patterns that reinforce the importance of relationships vs. task, substance vs. process, immediacy vs. long-term outcomes. As a result, men and women will often approach conflictive situations with differing mindsets about the desired outcomes from the situation, as well as the set of possible solutions that may exist.
* Knowledge (general and situational): Parties respond to given conflicts on the basis of the knowledge they may have about the issue at hand. This includes situation-specific knowledge (i.e., "Do I understand what is going on here?") and general knowledge (i.e., "Have I experienced this type of situation before?" or "Have I studied about similar situations before?"). Such information can influence the person's willingness to engage in efforts to manage the conflict, either reinforcing confidence to deal with the dilemma or undermining one's willingness to flexibly consider alternatives.
* Impressions of the Messenger: If the person sharing the message - the messenger - is perceived to be a threat (powerful, scary, unknown, etc.), this can influence our responses to the overall situation being experienced. For example, if a big scary-looking guy is approaching me rapidly, yelling "Get out of the way!" I may respond differently than if a diminutive, calm person would express the same message to me. As well, if I knew either one of them previously, I might respond differently based upon that prior sense of their credibility: I am more inclined to listen with respect to someone I view as credible than if the message comes from someone who lacks credibility and integrity in my mind.
* Previous experiences: Some of us have had profound, significant life experiences that continue to influence our perceptions of current situations. These experiences may have left us fearful, lacking trust, and reluctant to take risks. On the other hand, previous experiences may have left us confident, willing to take chances and experience the unknown. Either way, we must acknowledge the role of previous experiences as elements of our perceptual filter in the current dilemma.
These factors (along with others) conspire to form the perceptual filters through which we experience conflict. As a result, our reactions to the threat and dilemma posed by conflict should be anticipated to include varying understandings of the situation. This also means that we can anticipate that in many conflicts there will be significant misunderstanding of each other's perceptions, needs and feelings. These challenges contribute to our emerging sense, during conflict, that the situation is overwhelming and unsolvable. As such, they become critical sources of potential understanding, insight and possibility

Source : Harry Webne-Behrman
Photo :http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

Practices of Conflict Resolution

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

Additional Information: info@mbureau.com

REGISTRATION

At this two-day highly experiential workshop, “Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution”, you will learn a simple and highly effective method for working with people in conflict situations who wish to resolve their problem. The workshop focuses on the readiness of the facilitator to work with situations of conflict, providing skills and frameworks for conflict resolution in groups based on universal cross-cultural practices for conflict resolution.

Today, all organizations and the people within them are experiencing more rapid change than ever before. Hand in hand with change comes the certainty of conflict. Conflict can be source of creativity and innovation when individuals and groups embrace diverse viewpoints and can reconcile differences. However, unresolved conflict diverts individual and organizational energy away from constructive and productive work, which ultimately negatively impacts service and the bottom line. People engaged in conflict are usually fixed in one perspective. They rarely ask each other genuine questions. They may lose contact with their whole selves. Individual responses may make it difficult for them to participate fully and effectively in efforts to resolve the conflict, resulting in the need for third party intervention.

What will I learn at this workshop?

You will leave the workshop equipped with practical and holistic process and frameworks that will enable you to:
· Make genuine contact with your understanding of conflict and conflict resolution;
· Prepare yourself to successfully facilitate conflict resolution;
· Determine if conflict resolution is appropriate or if other means need to be employed
· Work with individuals to prepare them for conflict resolution;
· Apply practices for conflict resolution with individuals and groups
The workshop is based on best practices of the Genuine Contact™ program and approach.

Each workshop includes a workbook and video and audio CD package to support ongoing learning. All participants have access to support and mentorship following the training through an international network of Genuine Contact™ professionals.

Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution is Session 3 of the Genuine Contact™ Program.

Our New Workshop Location

Nestled in the Laurentian Mountains 80 km north of Montreal is the beautiful town of Val David and Prema Shanti, a tranquil inn on the shores of Lac Doré. Prema Shanti is home to our workshops and provides an ideal retreat setting for a complete residential learning experience.

The inn offers beautifully appointed rooms, fine dining, and easy access to hiking trails, swimming and canoeing. Meals and accommodations are included in tuition and include accommodations for the nights of March 4 and 5, meals from breakfast on March 5 through lunch on March 6, non-alcoholic beverages and use of the facilities.

In-House Workshops

Contact us to arrange a private workshop for your organization or association to learn about the importance of Organizational Health and Balance or any of the other Genuine Contact™ Program Workshops.

Choosing to use Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution for Your Meeting

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

All organizations have within them situations of conflict. The energy used for the conflict is energy that is not available for getting the work of the organization done. There are many reasons for conflict. People engaged in conflict are usually fixed in one perspective. They rarely ask each other genuine questions, nor are they prepared to really listen to each other. They also tend to lose contact with their own whole self, rendering voiceless a part of themselves and they are thereby unable to participate fully and effectively in efforts to resolve the conflict.

Negotiation and most mediation provides a temporary solution but does not have the effect of SOLVING the conflict.

In our many years of experience of working with situations of conflict, we have also found that the group that is visibly engaged in conflict within an organization is often NOT the group that is the root cause of the problem. Often the conflict is present because of a bigger issue within the system.

The following two step approach is highly effective in resolving conflict achieving REAL resolution.

Step One: hold an Open Space Technology meeting or a Whole Person Process Facilitated meeting regarding an important business/organization challenge.

Step Two: hold a Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution meeting for the group that self identifies in Step One that there is a conflict and that there is the will to do something about it.

Prior to holding a conflict resolution meeting, we recommend that another approach be taken assist in conflict resolution including getting at the root cause of the conflict. The approach that we recommend is to engage a highly participatory meeting process, either an Open Space Technology meeting or a Whole Person Process Facilitated meeting to which the whole organization or representatives of the whole organization are invited. The topic of the meeting SHOULD NOT be the conflict. Instead, the topic should be a business issue or opportunity that there is real passion for.

What usually happens is that the organization has the benefit of achieving good solutions and action planning for a current business challenge AND inevitably, during the meeting, while the participants are working on something together, much of the conflict resolves without any direct intervention to do so. Any remaining conflict is not self-resolving is likely to be identified, conflict resolution is agreed upon as an action plan emerging from the meeting, and the will is developed to do something about the conflict. This is a critical point – the establishment of the will to do something about the conflict. No conflict resolves if the will to do so is not present.

A highly effective Cross Cultural Conflict meeting is possible once the people have self identified that there is conflict and that they want to do something about it. The meeting should be held with all involved in the conflict, as quickly after the Step One meeting as possible while the will to solve the conflict is high.

By Birgitt Williams, Senior Consultant of Dalar International Consultancy, Inc., internationally acclaimed specialist in organizational effectiveness in motion and successful organizational transformation.  Visit www.dalarinternational.com for more information.

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

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

As I sit with a leader, courageous enough to consider doing something about the conflicts that are erupting within their work units, courageous enough to want to create a healthy and balanced organization, I am learning to have more and more compassion or them and for the steps ahead. This is not easy work. This is a cross roads and choosing the road less traveled is the beginning of quite a journey. I sit and listen, create space for them to begin to look more deeply and begin to see more clearly the situation in which they are struggling, and consider the choices they can make. I share stories of what is possible and my belief in the human capacity to work through these situations and make choices for life.

Some leaders are ready. Some are not. Those who step in often do so because they see few other choices – nothing else has worked. They wonder if they can trust me or this program or processes I offer. I believe that in the space of these honest and powerful conversations they somehow touch the core of their own knowing that there is a better way. They move through their fear knowing there is only one choice they can make and start down that road less traveled. They are glad to have someone accompany them on the journey.

Scharmer describes this process I experience both with leaders and with groups in wonderful language. He talks about accessing different sources of intelligence as we move from downloading the story, to opening the mind, opening the heart and finally opening the will. “When operating on this level our work focuses on getting the self out of the way in order to open a space, a clearing….grace is the word that comes closest to the texture of this experience that refuses to be dragged onto the surface of words”5.

Using the Medicine Wheel Tool from the Genuine Contact™ Program as a framework for assessing and regenerating organizational health and balance and Whole Person Process Facilitation, I step into the chaos with a group in conflict. As my work with the group unfolds, I sit in the circle and hear the stories of pain and heartbreak expressed, see the anger move through people in waves and make way for the expressions of desires to be respected, heard, appreciated and cared for by their colleagues. Gradually ever so gradually, like the sky clearing after a storm, I watch as glimmers of sunshine, warmth and hope begin to shine through and the meaningful conversations about what they could do and how they could work and be together in new and more life nurturing relationships emerge. I sit in awe of the human capacity for healing and wholeness. In the words of a client “There were no more games, just simple truth, caring, the beginning of understanding and an acknowledgment that everybody wanted something better and, they were willing to work for it. That was almost two months ago and the changes started from the first day we returned to the office….. What I can’t begin to describe is the light that has come back into people’s eyes, the energy that has returned and the willingness to share and help that has developed….and the “real work” seems to be taking care of itself.”

What a privilege is mine to work with real human beings and watch the birthing of new futures right before my eyes. No the work is not done. There is more to do to sustain the unfolding of vibrant life in these teams and organizations, but it is a beginning and opening to give energy for the next steps to institutionalize new ways of working together. They have moved through the dark night of the organizational soul and have a vision for something better. Now they have some energy and a space to begin to develop their own capacity and practices to sustain life in their team.

We talked about the cost of conflict, but what is the return on investment if we decide to spend dollars on making changes to achieve organizational health? Returning to the small team example I used earlier, if the conservative estimate of $250,000 annual cost of this conflict for this small team was reduced even by 25% for one year, they would have received a return on investment for my services of about 700%. The experience to date of this team would suggest a far higher increase in productivity and returns. Imagine the return on investment of preventing conflicts in whole companies or departments? My business partner and I have always said that “it is not about” the money. There is a lot of money being wasted, and as Dr Dana’s work points out, these costs are often hidden.

We can use these sorts of calculations to support the investment in conflict resolution and organizational healing processes and even better yet in early conflict prevention and
organizational health. Our first investment however must be in creating space for these leaders to open not only their minds to this work, but to journey with them as they open their hearts and wills to a new future. In the words of my client “I saw another way and took it….all I did was point the way and invite some people along. It happened because there was a facilitator who understood, gave space, cared and took care. The group made it happen because they were finally honest, were truthful and they cared.” I say it happened because this leader dared to act from his deeper source – and it opened the possibilities for his team to do access their potential and a new future is emerging.

Our willingness to be authentic and genuine practitioners ourselves, willing to work from that inner place from which genuine and compassionate action originates is essential. Genuine contact begets genuine contact and opens the pathways for the will to change and a new reality to be created.

Source : Donna Clark : http://www.emergentfutures.ca/articles/Conflict.pdf

Thank you Donna.

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

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

I have been learning to know and trust the amazing capacity of human beings to make the choices that will work for them, trusting their wisdom to do what they are able to do to sustain life in themselves and their organizations. In conversations with leaders of today’s high pressure workplaces, I hear their struggles with these difficult choices. First, if they agree to move forward with a new approach, they are admitting that they couldn’t solve these problems themselves. They may also already see that they have contributed to this situation. These are both hard pills to swallow! They will undoubtedly have to let go of some well entrenched beliefs about people needing to be managed and controlled – beliefs that have been reinforced throughout much of their career and training – despite libraries of research and documentation that question the utility of authoritarian control practices and question the ability of old ways of thinking to create new results.

I remember reading a Harvard Business Review article on a plane one day about 13-14 years ago while I was working as a regional manager in a federal government department. As I read this article about new approaches to leadership and participative management I was thinking yes, yes, yes! Then I checked the references and was horrified to see that I had been reading a reprint of a Harvard classic published some 20 years before. What???? How could this be that I was still feeling like I was pushing water up hill to get ideas about participative processes accepted when this was old news?? How indeed! Sadly the integration of new ideas into our workplace systems seems to take a long time. This is not because leaders are ill intentioned.

How many leaders have the time to read what leading edge researchers are saying? And if they do, the step from reading to applying new ways of working in the midst of intense and high pressure work demands is daunting. I have much empathy for today’s leaders who want to see different results but just don’t know “how” to get there. And the “how” that we are offering invites them to be vulnerable, to let go of the old practices and somehow touch and work from their authentic humanness. This is an inner place we all have the capacity to work from and the source from which authentic and courageous leaders work, however leaders may not have a lot of practice in accessing and working from this level.

I love the work of MIT’s Otto Scharmer who calls this inner source the “blind spot of leadership”. Scharmer talks about noticing in his work with leadership teams “that leaders could not meet their existing challenges by operating only on the basis of past experiences.” He talks about a “deeper learning cycle based on one’s sensing of an emerging future, rather than one’s past experiences”. He calls learning or acting from this source as “presencing”. “It means to sense and bring into the present one’s highest future potential – the future that depends on us to bring it into being”4. I immediately recognize what he is talking about from my own journey and remember how lonely and scary it sometimes feels to be part of birthing of something new. And I also know with certainty that it must be done.

more tomorrow...

Source : Donna Clark : http://www.emergentfutures.ca/articles/Conflict.pdf
Photo :http://www.sxc.hu/photo/505709

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

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

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

The story is familiar. People in a work group complain about backstabbing, brutal conversations, threats and retaliations. They blame each other, personalize conflicts, and won’t talk with each other. People are not invited to contribute, if they are, they offer the absolute minimum. Little problems quickly escalate into a major crisis as tempers flare quickly. People don’t know what is going on so they fill in the blanks creating an active rumour mill. People report feeling angry, battered, and worn out. They may even say they hate some of the people on the team. Reprimands go on personnel files, grievances against managers are filed, unplanned absences and sick days increase dramatically, and individuals start to leave the team for other jobs. The team is stuck in the cycle of conflict and it can seem like a cancer that keeps on growing.

Miraculously, the group seems to get the job done. People keep trying to do their best because they like the type of work, they like their clients, and they want to do the best they can. This gets harder every day! Internal conflict starts to bleed into client relationships. Service suffers, mistakes get made, and clients may even be brought into the disputes. Opportunities for innovation and better service are only a dream.

The Genuine Contact™ Program offers methods and processes to achieve organizational health and balance and to create conditions in an organization for lowering conflict and the resulting personal and organizational costs. This holistic approach for business success is simple and works with the wisdom and intelligence of the individuals in the organization to create and sustain an effective and successful organization.

What does it take to engage leaders in organizations to do something about conflict before it escalates and hurts both staff and clients? If the personal and emotional costs of conflict are not enough to motivate changes in the system, then can financial costs sound the alarm?

Engaging the attention of leaders to invest in creating a healthy and balanced organization often requires some proof or some way of measuring the return on investment. Recently I discovered a tool that has the potential to draw their attention to the “bottom line” and estimate the financial cost of conflict. That tool is the “Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict”. It is available from the Mediation Training Institute International at http://www.mediationworks.com/dmi/toolbox.htm. They provide a PowerPoint presentation and an on-line calculator that can help you quantify the cost of conflict in your organization. The calculator includes the following cost factors:

1. wasted time/opportunity cost of wasted time
2. reduced decision quality
3. lost employees
4. restructuring
5. sabotage/theft/damage
6. lowered job motivation
7. lost work time
8. health costs

more tomorrow...

Source : Donna Clark : http://www.emergentfutures.ca/articles/Conflict.pdf
Photo :http://www.sxc.hu/photo/872361

Conflict is Normal: Anticipating Conflicts Likely to Arise in the Workplace

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

Consider your own work environment for a moment:

* What are some key sources of conflict in our workplace?
* When do they tend to occur?
* How do people respond to these conflicts as they arise?
* When we solve problems, do we do so for the moment, or do we put in place systems for addressing these types of concerns in the future?

In reflecting upon your answers to these questions, you may begin to understand what we mean by anticipating conflicts likely to arise in the workplace: Normal, healthy organizations will experience their share of conflict, and workplaces experiencing a certain amount of dysfunction will experience it in greater quantities. Anticipating conflicts is useful in either situation for transforming these situations into opportunities for growth and learning. Consider…

* Are there seasonal peaks in our workload that tend to occur annually?
-Chart the occurrence of such challenges, and consider whether they can be managed as a normal period of stress and transition. For example, a school had a large population of students who arrived after long bus rides without breakfast, who tended to arrive at school ready to fight. The school identified 10 minutes at the start of the day to give these students a healthy snack, and worked with teachers to pull out students who weren't yet ready for school before they became disruptive. After food and a little counseling, students entered their classrooms in a better frame of mind (and body) to participate.

* Do we have channels for expressing normal problems and concerns in a predictable, reliable manner?
-Staff meeting should be used as a tool for effective problem-solving in a range of situations, including anticipated conflicts. If such channels are perceived by staff as closed, unsafe, and non-productive, they will be replaced by gossip, 'end runs' and back-biting.

* Are there certain factors in the environment that make problems worse, especially at times of conflict?
-Take stock of your processes for managing during stressful times. Look at how phones are routed, noise is managed, client lines are queued, distractions are managed, etc. Often, our response during times of stress is to meet less frequently, because 'we have no time to meet.' And we continue to do things the way we've been doing them, because 'we have no time to create new procedures.' This approach dooms us to repeat the same errors, rather than to learn from the opportunities. Examine your systems for managing problems, including dispute resolution systems, and use times of "harmony" to identify process improvements that can be implemented in times of stress.

Source: Harry Webne-Behrman
Photo: www.sxc.hu/photo/968515

Definitions and Assumptions About Conflict

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

Conflict can be defined as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. Within this simple definition there are several important understandings that emerge:

Disagreement - Generally, we are aware there is some level of difference in the positions of the two (or more) parties involved in the conflict. But the true disagreement versus the perceived disagreement may be quite different from one another. In fact, conflict tends to be accompanied by significant levels of misunderstanding that exaggerate the perceived disagreement considerably. If we can understand the true areas of disagreement, this will help us solve the right problems and manage the true needs of the parties.

Parties involved - There are often disparities in our sense of who is involved in the conflict. Sometimes, people are surprised to learn they are a party to the conflict, while other times we are shocked to learn we are not included in the disagreement. On many occasions, people who are seen as part of the social system (e.g., work team, family, company) are influenced to participate in the dispute, whether they would personally define the situation in that way or not. In the above example, people very readily "take sides" based upon current perceptions of the issues, past issues and relationships, roles within the organization, and other factors. The parties involved can become an elusive concept to define.

Perceived threat - People respond to the perceived threat, rather than the true threat, facing them. Thus, while perception doesn't become reality per se, people's behaviors, feelings and ongoing responses become modified by that evolving sense of the threat they confront. If we can work to understand the true threat (issues) and develop strategies (solutions) that manage it (agreement), we are acting constructively to manage the conflict.

Needs, interests or concerns - There is a tendency to narrowly define "the problem" as one of substance, task, and near-term viability. However, workplace conflicts tend to be far more complex than that, for they involve ongoing relationships with complex, emotional components. Simply stated, there are always procedural needs and psychological needs to be addressed within the conflict, in addition to the substantive needs that are generally presented. And the durability of the interests and concerns of the parties transcends the immediate presenting situation. Any efforts to resolve conflicts effectively must take these points into account.

So, is it still a simple definition of conflict? We think so, but we must respect that within its elegant simplicity lies a complex set of issues to address. Therefore, it is not surprising that satisfactory resolution of most conflicts can prove so challenging and time consuming to address.

Conflicts occur when people (or other parties) perceive that, as a consequence of a disagreement, there is a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. Although conflict is a normal part of organization life, providing numerous opportunities for growth through improved understanding and insight, there is a tendency to view conflict as a negative experience caused by abnormally difficult circumstances. Disputants tend to perceive limited options and finite resources available in seeking solutions, rather than multiple possibilities that may exist 'outside the box' in which we are problem-solving.

A few points are worth reiterating before proceeding:

* A conflict is more than a mere disagreement - it is a situation in which people perceive a threat (physical, emotional, power, status, etc.) to their well-being. As such, it is a meaningful experience in people's lives, not to be shrugged off by a mere, "it will pass…"
* Participants in conflicts tend to respond on the basis of their perceptions of the situation, rather than an objective review of it. As such, people filter their perceptions (and reactions) through their values, culture, beliefs, information, experience, gender, and other variables. Conflict responses are both filled with ideas and feelings that can be very strong and powerful guides to our sense of possible solutions.
* As in any problem, conflicts contain substantive, procedural, and psychological dimensions to be negotiated. In order to best understand the threat perceived by those engaged in a conflict, we need to consider all of these dimensions.
* Conflicts are normal experiences within the work environment. They are also, to a large degree, predictable and expectable situations that naturally arise as we go about managing complex and stressful projects in which we are significantly invested. As such, if we develop procedures for identifying conflicts likely to arise, as well as systems through which we can constructively manage conflicts, we may be able to discover new opportunities to transform conflict into a productive learning experience.
* Creative problem-solving strategies are essential to positive approaches to conflict management. We need to transform the situation from one in which it is 'my way or the highway' into one in which we entertain new possibilities that have been otherwise elusive.

Source: Harry Webne-Behrman
Photo: www.sxc.hu/photo/479608

Why do we tend to avoid dealing with conflict?

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


Engaging in dialogue and negotiation around conflict is something we tend to approach with fear and hesitation, afraid that the conversation will go worse than the conflict has gone thus far. All too often, we talk ourselves out of potential dialogue:

"Why should I talk to her? She'll bite my head off and not listen to anything I have to say!"

OR

"I should talk to him about this problem, but maybe it will go away on its own. There's no sense stirring up something that makes us both uncomfortable."

OR

"If I go to him, I'm making myself vulnerable. No, that's his responsibility - he should come to me and ask me to talk!"

Our responses, as noted earlier, tend to include behaviors, feelings, thoughts and physical responses. If any of these responses indicates stress factors that make us reluctant to talk things out, we are more inclined to follow the pathway of avoidance. In addition, if we have history with the individuals involved in this conflict (i.e., we've tried to negotiate with them in the past, without success), it will "filter" our perceptions of this situation and make us reluctant to negotiate.

In addition, consider that our society tends to reward alternative responses to conflict, rather than negotiation: People who aggressively pursue their needs, competing rather than collaborating, are often satisfied by others who prefer to accommodate. Managers and leaders are often rewarded for their aggressive, controlling approaches to problems, rather than taking a more compassionate approach to issues that may seem less decisive to the public or their staffs. In other circumstances, those who raise issues and concerns, even respectfully, are quickly perceived to be "problem" clients or staff members… they tend to be avoided and minimized. In any of these approaches, negotiated solutions to conflicts are rarely modeled or held in high esteem.

Finally, we should keep in mind that negotiation requires profound courage on the part of all parties: It takes courage to honestly and clearly articulate your needs, and it takes courage to sit down and listen to your adversaries. It takes courage to look at your own role in the dispute, and it takes courage to approach others with a sense of empathy, openness and respect for their perspective. Collaborative approaches to conflict management require us to engage in the moment of dialogue in profound and meaningful ways, so it is understandable if we tend to avoid such situations until the balance of wisdom tips in favor of negotiation.

Source: Harry Webne-Behrman
Photo:www.sxc.hu/photo/1028813

Next Workshop in Val-David, QC, Canada - March 5-6, 2009

Session 3 of the Genuine Contact Program:
Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution

The one constant in life is change. Today, all organizations and the people within them are experiencing more rapid change than ever before. And hand in hand with change is the certainty of conflict. Conflict uses up individual and organizational energy, taking this energy away from constructive and productive work.

We invite you to a workshop to learn simple and highly effective methods for working with people in situations of conflict. The workshop focuses on the readiness of the facilitator to work with situations of conflict with groups. The personal preparation of the facilitator is essential. The workshop provides guidance in personal preparation as well as providing the facilitator with skills and a framework for conflict resolution. This framework for conflict resolution in groups is based on universal cross cultural practices for conflict resolution.

People engaged in conflict are usually fixed in one perspective. They rarely ask each other genuine questions. They also tend to lose contact with whole selves, rendering voiceless a part of themselves and they are unable to participate fully and effectively in efforts to resolve the conflict.

This workshop is based on the work of anthropologist Angeles Arrien, author Harrison Owen, and knowledge of the I CHING (the Chinese book of change). The program covers the three energies (dynamic, magnetic, integrated), the four principles of Open Space Technology, the art of detachment, and the six stages of problem solving.

You will leave this experiential, interactive workshop equipped with:
• A practical, holistic process through which you will lead meetings for conflict resolution
• A practical, holistic way of preparing the individuals to be involved with the conflict resolution meeting
• A practical, holistic way of preparing yourself to facilitate successful meetings
• The skills and knowledge to recognize when conflict resolution won't work and other means need to be employed

If your particular concern is conflict resolution, we recommend learning to use Open Space Technology, Whole Person Process Facilitation, and the Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution meeting methodology and skills. All three are exceptionally successful in resolving conflict and finding solutions including agreement to implement the solutions. These three skill sets will provide you with a “toolbox” for working with any situations of conflict.

Length: 2 days
Pre-requisites: None
(Note: While there are no pre-requisites, we find that combining this workshop with the Open Space Technology & Whole Person Process Facilitation trainings provides you with a exceptionally effective “toolbox” for working with any situations of conflict).

For more information or if you wish to register, please contact Marquis Bureau: info@mbureau.com