Tales From the Bar Stool™ - The Role of Stories in Escalating Conflict

How often do we hear someone who is typically upset with someone else expressing sentiments like “It’s all their fault….” or “I didn’t do anything wrong…” or “It’s not fair….” or “S/he only did that to make me mad…”.   When we are upset with someone else, it is easy to slip into the mindset that the other person is the author of all our woes, and if only they would realize that and CHANGE or fix things – then everything would be all right.

And there are certainly times when other people’s actions and behaviour can cause us problems. There is no denying that…. But how often if we were to ask the other person for their perspective on the situation, would they tell a very different tale?

When a conflict erupts between 2 people or a group of people, each person in that group will tell themselves a story about what is going on. I have my story, you have yours and so does everyone else involved. Initially our stories may be somewhat tentative – particularly if we are not sure about what is happening but as time goes on and particularly if the situation does not get resolved easily, the stories become more defined, more specific and more detailed. And the more frequently we tell the story – either to ourselves or to others the more the details, theories and hypothesis’ get embellished and amplified pulling in anything and everything that even remotely supports our theory of what is going on.

The challenge here is that when people get caught in the stories they tell themselves and start to see those stories as being the “True” representation of what is happening, there is the potential for problems. Because in a conflict situation, everyone has a story. And typically, everyone is firmly convinced that THEIR story is the right one… and that any other story (like yours) is WRONG… And the more we try to convince the other person of the validity of our own story… and the more they try to convince us of the validity of their story, the more entrenched we can become in our positions and the harder it becomes to resolve the problem.

So when conflict erupts in a workplace, managers and HR professionals are often left struggling to figure out who started it, where the responsibility lies and how to get things resolved to the point where people will get back to work. This can create major challenges for the manager or HR professional who may be trying to deal with what has become a battleground rather than a workplace. Typically in this type of situation, things have been brewing over a period of time and then something triggers an escalation of the situation that takes the conflict to another whole level. In some of the interventions in which we have been involved, there have been verbal and physical threats made against co-workers or the manager, people are taking sides and everyone is recruiting support wherever they can find it. There is usually another group of people who would prefer to stay out of it and just do their job – but often this becomes virtually impossible as the tension escalates. And unwittingly, many of these people are also contributing to the problem.

As the person who is trying to address the situation we have some choices in terms of how to help people address the ‘stories’ that are framing their perspectives.

While the story-telling that we do as individuals is unlikely to stop – we can choose how much power we choose to give our story simply by being aware of the times when it’s happening.

Strategies to try:

• Try being the detached observer who listens to the story and just notices how easy it is to see the ‘other’ as the villain… and then make your choice whether you want to change your story or not.
• Ask what other possibilities are there that could explain the situation? Perhaps even though they may not have succeeded well, the other person’s intention was to try and help you!! Despite the best of intentions the results are not always positive for the other person. Everyone (including you) is someone’s difficult person at some point in time.
• Question the assumptions. We often elevate assumptions to ‘Facts’. While it is unlikely we will ever stop making assumptions we can become more skilled at recognizing assumptions and more willing to question them – both when we are the one doing it but also when others may be making assumptions about us (or others). Simply posing the question in a conversation or meeting “What led you to make that decision?” or “What assumptions is that based on?” or “What leads you to believe (or say) that?” can put the assumptions on the table constructively for verification or clarification. The results from these simple questions can be astounding!

Ultimately, the best conflict management tool is constructive openness and honesty and a genuine desire to understand. This means a willingness to engage in sometimes tough discussions where we put our real issues and concerns on the table and invite others to do the same. This means that we will find ourselves in the position of needing to clarify what is causing problems for us that may be difficult for others to hear. And then we have to be prepared to listen when others may tell us things we don’t want to hear. Can we step back from getting defensive and listen for the useful messages that may help us to do things better? That takes practice and self-awareness!

Ultimately, we each have a choice as to how we want to react in any situation in which we find ourselves and while it is tempting to want to give the credit for how badly we are feeling to someone else, there is ultimate power in realizing that we are the authors of our own destiny and whether we feel good or bad is entirely up to us!

The Conflict Resolution Workout!™

The next time you become aware of a conflict (yours or someone else's), observe and listen to the story telling that happens. 

In a conflict that is personal for you: 

1. Be aware of how it is impacting on you personally - physically, emotionally, mentally. 
2. How objective is the story you are telling yourself? 
3. Are there other possible explanations for what happened?
4. What impact could your story have on the situation if it is not complete or accurate?

If the conflict is between other people:

1. Have you heard everyone's story (or just one person's)?
2. How similar / different are the stories?
3. Are assumptions being elevated to the level of fact? - If yes, to what degree could those assumptions escalate the conflict?
4. How much influence could those stories have on how this conflict evolves?
5. How could you help people to understand the power of the stories they are telling? (suggestion: see the strategies

Working as a mediator, trainer and speaker since 1992, Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of Alternative Dispute Resolution. She has been called a talented mediator, a high content speaker, an amazing trainer, a ‘tell-it-like-it-is realist, a stand up comedian with a message and a few others things as well… But no matter what you call her, know that her objective in life is to help people learn to manage the tough situations they create – and live to tell about it!

For more information, check out www.canmediate.com.

What’s your default Conflict Blueprint™? CMI’s RUTH SIRMAN on ROGERS DAYTIME OTTAWA

Workplace conflict expert to speak about personal responses to conflict on Roger’s Daytime-Ottawa

Ruth Sirman, Mediator and Workplace Conflict Expert, will be appearing on Rogers Daytime Ottawa on Wednesday November 17, 2010 at 11:10 am to discuss our individual responses to conflict when it arises and how that response can escalate conflicts – in the workplace and in other areas of life.

What do you bring to the table in a conflict situation? Does it help or hinder resolving it?

Every human being has a default pattern that defines our instinctive reactions in conflict situations. Most of us are unaware what that pattern is, where it came from and whether it is supporting our success or impeding it. However, our own personal Conflict Blueprint is a key factor in defining our reactions, our personal leadership style, and our choices particularly in those times when our response is most important – in situations of crisis and conflict.

While there are many factors that influence what goes on in an organization, few things have the potential to derail the group’s capacity to function normally like a good conflict. And unresolved or poorly resolved conflict can rapidly escalate a minor problem into a negative dynamic that can create unparalleled levels of dysfunctionality, stress, tension and disruption. Everyone has a default Conflict Blueprint that influences their own personal reactions. In a workplace the combination of personal styles plus the organizational culture and the level and style of leadership in the organization can heavily influence the success (or failure) of the organization to achieve the results it requires for success.

“As mediators who specialize in working with large complex conflicts in dysfunctional situations, we recognize the challenges in creating work teams with positive dynamics and the capacity to deal effectively with the day to day conflicts and stressors that happen. Understanding the role that these default conflict drivers we all have, can help us to determine if our default style of addressing conflict is supporting our success or getting in our way” Sirman explains.

The increasing focus on creating healthy working environments puts an added amount of attention on conflict in the workplace. As employers, managers and employees work to create positive and healthy working environments, greater understanding and knowledge of what causes conflicts to escalate can make the difference between a dysfunctional working environment that risks complaints, grievances and investigations and a healthy working environment that contributes to a successful and productive organization.

The Conflict Resolution Workout!!
Take a few moments and think about:
1. How do you react when someone upsets you at work? at home? (are the reactions similar or different?)
2. How is your style of reacting similar or different from the styles of others in your family (mother, father, siblings, grandparents, others...)?
3. What about your reaction style works to resolve the conflict?
4. What does not work? (ie makes things worse)
5. What could you do differently that would increase your ability to resolve conflicts effectively?

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organziational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com

This past week was the Systems In Action conference put on by Pegasus Communications in Boston USA- good sessions, great keynotes and lots of thought provoking discussions on the issues facing us in organizations, communities and globally. The following was running through my head at 5am on the final day... enjoy...

Systems Thinking Song - Pegasus Systems Conference
Written by Ruth Sirman
Tune: She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain When They Come

We’ll be looping on the mountain when they come
Cause Pegasus has brought us here to have some fun
We’ve brought fears and dreams and stories
We’ve brought history and choices
And we’ll never stop until the sun’s long gone.

There’ll be mindfulness and artistry galore
As we strive to help the world discover more
Of the ways that we’re connected
As the old ways are rejected
And th’politicians will not even know the score…

And when Daniel got up on the stage to speak
About generations 1 and 2 and 3
We learned what it takes to move through
All the stages that we need to
So our leaders can ensure we’re at our peak

And then Per got out his Lego and his toys
And we built the world’s worst boss with glee and joy
And we found that when our hands worked
It helped to make our brains work
And the metaphors became part of our voice.

And then climate change took over for the night
As the leaders told us of the world’s plight
And the A’s and B’s got worried
Cause they’ll likely need to scurry
When the water levels rise to certain heights

Cause the bathtub’s getting fuller by the day
And the drain’s too small to take it all away
And we need to wake up quickly
Cause the problem’s getting sticky
And_ changing what we do’s the only way

So better not to buy a house along the shore
Unless the world_ quickly figures out the score
Cause the ice caps are a-melting
And the rain forest is getting
Cut down so we can eat Kit Kats from the store

And when in our labs we tend to go insane
Making compounds that support material gains
But our systems do not mimic
Nature’s strategy and gimmicks
And the laws of thermodynamics will still reign

But global nature has the answers to our prayers
If we just can figure out the wisdom there
Water, hydrogen and carbon
Are the elements of stardom
And there’s no polluting water land or air

So it’s time for all who live in worlds of ease
To wake up _ to the call of others pleas
Paper cups and bottled water
Plastics, chemicals and paper
Nature’s warning us there’s no impunity

Then-Andy showed us systems that have found the way
To address the in-equities of time and place
Against overwhelming o_dds
They’re results have changed their worlds
And the 15 F words really led the way.

And then Frances came and shared the world is small
And that if we want to make it work for all
We face challenges tremendous
Though the-possibilities are endless
But YBG and-IBG won’t help at all

And the tough world of the Middles came to light
When Barry talked about their challenges and plight
O_f Middles feeling torn
Being lost and forlorn_
As without integration they’ve no might

Then Peter talked to us about the world today
And the power of the questions that we state
They needs heart and soul and meaning
They needs relevance and planning
And the power point can then be put away…

And the kids have figured out how to resolve
Playground conflicts and fights that hurt us all
When they have the tools required
Then the adults can get fired
From the need to try to fix what they’ve evolved

And as adults we could learn a lot from them
Cause our mental models cause us great problems
Finger pointing, hurt and blame
Cause vicious cycles that can maim
Our capacity to understand the game.

And the World Café provided time to talk
A bout what it means to be here in this spot
And we worked and we challenged
Our intentions and our actions
And we doodled it right there upon the cloth.

And then David asked us what we all had learned
About possibilities and things designed to warn
Of the impact of our choices
As we listened to the voices
Asking what if all we said could now be born?

And we need to have a truly World Café
Where we link the people who have come to say
What they’re thinking and their dreaming
What they’re fearing and their scheming
That will deal with the messes that we’ve made..

And it’s all recorded up there on the wall
Cause our Kelvey worked to capture one and all
With her markers and her whimsy
With her artistry and wisdom
She has added depth and insight to it all

So then as we start to move out from this space
Spreading our infectious energy with grace
Help us take our great ambitions
and apply them with commitment
so that the entire world will run this race!

And the grassroots will be rising at the time
With their hopes and dreams and energy sublime
They’ll be changing up the old ways
for the new ones that will help to
Save the world that we’ll inhabit for all time.

©2010 Ruth Sirman

Conflict Resolution Workout!!
We live in many different systems within the context of our lives - workplaces, families, communities and the global system of which we are all members. Take a few minutes to reflect on the qualities of your key systems:
1. How would you describe the health of the systems where you spend your time? - great, good, not so good, toxic?
2. What is one small change that you could make that would make a positive difference in the system?

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organziational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com

Toxic Workplaces

Ask any employees or manager on their way to work if, given their choice, they would choose a toxic, nasty working environment over an enjoyable, supportive one and the response will be overwhelmingly ‘NO’. Yet according to statistics quoted by Dr. Steven Stein at the “Staying on Top of Your Game™” session put on by The Psychology Foundation of Canada in Ottawa this morning, more than 20% of people surveyed in 2009 indicated that they work in a ‘Negative work climate’, that ‘Work overload’ is a problem for 27% of people and 22% feel there is a ‘Lack of recognition’ in their workplace. He also shared that 41% of working Canadians indicated that they experience significant stress at work and 50% of people indicated they are less productive as a result of that stress.

Even without a rigorous statistical analysis framework, these numbers are attention grabbing and bear closer examination as they speak to the impact stress, negative working environments and overload can have on a society. If 1 in 5 employees works in a negative or toxic work environment and fully 4/10 people are under enough stress to affect their productivity at work – what is the $$ cost of this to the Canadian economy?

Toxic working environments are not fun – and they are not productive either. While some employees may be less personally affected, the impact is still there. A mindset that recognizes – ‘if it can happen to them, it could happen to me’ will be resonating in the background. For those who are directly impacted the stress can show up as headaches, ulcers, depression, irritability, inability to concentrate, burnout… the list goes on and on.

When people are caught up in the negativity created by conflict, bullying, intimidation and nastiness, the reaction is not to focus more effectively on the work that needs to be done; it is to focus on personal safety and survival on both a personal and professional level as the risk / benefit analysis we conduct continually leads us into self-protection. As human beings we have choices about how we react.

Some fight back in an attempt to draw a line in the sand and stop the abuse. Others try to become invisible – slipping in and out as unobtrusively as possible to avoid triggering an attack. Or people may withdraw into themselves and spend vast quantities of time mulling over the situation and trying to figure out “Why ME?” Alternatively people may quietly dust off their c.v. and exercise their right to vote with their feet and move on to another job where, hopefully, things will be better. Collectively though these reactions all spell one major problem – the focus is NOT on getting the work done and the impact on the bottom line of any organization will suffer. Productivity drops, social interactions diminish and input and creativity are stifled as risk management takes over.

Ultimately, toxicity costs $$ in terms of both the financial picture and the human toll it takes.

What can you do if you are caught up in this vicious cycle of toxicity? If you are an employee, the following suggestions may help:
1.    The first thing to do is recognize what is happening and the impact it is having on you and your family.
2.    Put some ‘self-care’ strategies into place to help manage the stress – spend time doing things you enjoy away from work (sports, exercise, friends, hobbies, entertainment). Please note – neither booze nor drugs show up on that list!
3.    Document the specific situations that have happened as accurately and objectively as you can – a brief explanation of dates, times, locations, who was present, what was said… keep it short and keep it accurate!
4.    Get some help and support -Have a confidential conversation with someone you trust who is familiar with your workplace (Ombuds office, union, your manager or another manager, HR, Labour Relations, mediator, informal conflict management program coordinator, counselor or psychologist, Employee Assistance Program, colleague, security etc.) about your concerns. Ask them for some objective feedback and suggestions in terms of what you can do. Is there any chance that you are over-reacting? Are there any other factors that may be contributing to the situation? Are others having the same experience? What has been done to try to change this in the past? How are others being affected? (Note: This is not an effort to minimize what you are experiencing, just a check to be sure your seeing the picture as clearly as possible).
5.    Find the ‘people of influence’ (the go-to people who have credibility with the group preferably at all levels) in your organization and start working with them to constructively engage them in helping to create the change that is needed.
6.    Become a leader in terms of modeling the type of behaviour you would like to see in your organization. Recognize and be accountable for anything you have done that has contributed to the situation.
7.    Look for ways to constructively make your concerns known either to the individuals who are catalysts for the problems or the group if it is a group issue. You may need outside help to do this effectively.
8.    Name it for what it is. But recognize that others may not be able or ready to acknowledge your concerns.
9.    Find ways to help others succeed – how can creating the kind of workplace you (and others) want help those who are not on board yet, achieve their goals? Make a business case to them for change because as long as what they are doing is being rewarded, why would they change? And as human beings, we can only change ourselves so why would they try to change if they don’t see a good reason to do it? This is the WIIFM principle (What’s in it for me?) at work.
10.    Keep smiling – Nobody can ruin your day without your permission. Rome wasn’t built in a day but it wasn’t built by doing nothing either!

If you are the manager or employer in a situation where there is toxicity, then in addition to the suggestions above, you could:
11.    Call a staff meeting and engage people in discussing what type of workplace they want. (we can give you some simple but effective tools to facilitate that conversation - give us a call).
12.    Model the type of behaviour you want to see. If you aren’t sure how to do it, take a course, get a mentor, ask for support… but recognize that you are the DJ of the dance in your team.
13.    Consult with HR on how to counsel those whose behaviour does not meet your standards on their choices and support them to make changes by holding them accountable and if necessary imposing reasonable consequences.
14.    Find ways of framing what you want to see happen in terms of helping them be more successful – if they are engaged in seeing the change as beneficial to them, it is more likely to happen (and to stick!).
15.    Recognize those who are constructive contributors to a healthy workplace and stop rewarding in any way, the toxic behaviour.
16.    Measure and monitor the change and when you have reached your goals – celebrate!

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organziational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com.

Election Campaigns: Professionalism and Integrity or Pot-shots and Personal Attacks

It’s election time again and as usual we are being treated to an ongoing level of drama and theatrics that is on par with a good Broadway play. However, the ongoing acrimony between some of the mayoralty candidates in the race for Ottawa mayor is a distraction from the serious issues facing Ottawa citizens and the city. And it’s frustrating for citizens who are looking for solid and credible leadership and clarity on what is planned by each candidate.

But isn’t this just what citizens should expect when there is a volatile political race underway? After all – politics is all about making points where you can and minimizing the hits someone else can take against you… isn’t it?

It may be the historical tradition but is it an effective strategy during an election campaign? Is it an acceptable strategy for politicians in general? And what is the cost??

What is voter reaction to this as a strategy?

When politicians and candidates are busy taking pot-shots at each other, it sets a tone of unprofessionalism and nastiness that quite frankly does not endear them to voters and does little to build confidence and trust in our leaders. I assume that the idea is based on the misguided premise that voters are OK with it. Many years ago as a child l learned from my grandmother that “we don’t make ourselves look bigger by making someone else look smaller”. It would appear to be a lesson lost on many politicians and candidates.

In my experience, much of the cynicism and skepticism that pervades our society with respect to our political system is linked to a lack of credibility and trust in our politicians. It would seem to me that if politicians are serious about wanting to increase the number of people who take our democratic political system seriously enough to show up on Election Day and cast their vote, there is a need for this credibility issue to be tackled head on.

If we look at the great leaders of history, they are characterized by a level of personal integrity and professionalism that precludes succumbing to the temptation to slip into personal attacks, partial truths, unsubstantiated accusations and misinformation. It is hard to imagine Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr, Ed Broadbent, Winston Churchill or JF Kennedy stooping to personal attacks, unsubstantiated attacks and innuendo to make their point.

What are the long term implications?

There is an old African proverb that says “When 2 elephants fight it’s the grass that suffers the most”. The greatest casualty of a dirty political campaign is serious discussion of serious issues requiring serious solutions. There is a need for frank and candid discussions regarding the major decisions required to take the city and the country forward into the next decades. When those discussions get mired in nastiness and the focus of the discussions is lost, we all lose.

When we elect politicians to make decisions on our behalf, we are entrusting them with the future of this country, its citizens and our contribution to the solution of global problems. We have no shortage of major problems requiring serious and credible solutions. Canadians have a right to expect leadership, integrity and credibility from their politicians – it is what we elect them to provide as they make critical decisions. Where is the professionalism in personal attacks and mud-slinging?

So as voters choose which candidate they will support in this or any election, that choice is dictated at least in part by how candidates conduct themselves during the election campaign but also between elections. After all, how you do anything is how you do everything. And s/he who slings dirt, loses ground – at least for many voters!

The Conflict Resolution Workout!!

Give some thought to times when you have been in a 'competition' with someone else with whom you disagreed.

1. What were you thinking at the time?

2. What did you you tell yourself about them?

3. How did you react? How did they react?

4. What could you have done that would have been more constructive?

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organizational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com

What Is the Level of Toxicity In Your Organization or Workplace?

Where Are You On The Conflict Curve?

If you have a pond and on Day 1 in the pond there is 1 lily pad in the pond.
Every day the number of lily pads in the pond doubles.
On Day 30 the pond is completely full of lily pads.
When is the pond half full?

When it comes to conflict, workplaces, groups and organizations react much like ponds and lily pads. In the early stages it seems that everything is going well and things are fine. The impact of conflicts rarely shows up as a linear progression  - it more closely approximates an exponential Time Delay curve. The impact of this is that in the early stages it is difficult to see what is happening as the changes will be subtle and imperceptible. By the time things deteriorate to where the problems become visible, the organization is often on the brink of crisis and the working environment has become toxic. High turnover rates, complaints, grievances, disgruntled employees and reduced productivity are typical. At this point remediation of the situation is often difficult, costly (in both human and $$ terms) and time consuming. It can be tough to get employees engaged in making changes as fear of repercussions, cynicism and skepticism are normal. 

In answer to the question above -Because the number of lily pads in the pond doubles every day, the pond is half full on Day 29… Recognition and acknowledgment of the severity problems often happens between Day 25 and Day 29 as it gets harder to deny and avoid the problems at this stage. However, by this point the organization is in serious crisis. So it is important to know where your organization is at on the curve.The earlier the problems are recognized the easier (and cheaper) it is to deal with them.

Timing is as important as strategy in addressing conflict situations. It is critical to choose the strategy that will best fit the situation at this point in time. A good strategy used at the wrong time can actually make the situation worse.

So ultimately, the ideal is to employ strategies that will help an organization get to and maintain a position on the Time Curve somewhere between Days 1-15 over the long term. But it is not enough to just get to that stage; the critical factor here is the willingness to recognize that conflict is not bad and should not be ignored – after all nothing ever changes without conflict in some form and the willingness to invest in resolutions that have the capacity to address things thoroughly. Ultimately an organization that is willing to invest in achieving this goal and is able to maintain that position will be in good shape to weather the storms of conflict when they hit and will have the flexibility and robustness to survive in the world of business


The Conflict Resolution Workout!!
Think of an organization or group to which you belong and objectively assess the situation (or at least as objectively as you can) by asking yourself:

1. Where ‘Day’ are we on the Time Delay Curve?
2. If I asked others in the organization what ‘Day’ they see us at – what would they say?
3. What factors are contributing to the discrepancy (if there is one) between where I believe we are at and where they believe we are at?
4. What strategies have we used to address the situation so far?
5. How did it work?
6. Do we need help?

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organizational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com

Organizational Conflict Knows No Boundaries - CMI's Ruth Sirman at OD World Summit in Budapest, Hungary

CanMediate International president Ruth Sirman will be presenting at the Organization Development World Summit (ODWS), a forum that brings together OD practitioners from around the world, August 22-26, 2010 in Budapest, Hungary.

Sirman will be conducting a workshop for participants on Surviving Resolution Resistant Super-Conflicts in Organizations, August 24, 2010 at the ODWS. “The goal of this session is to provide a forum where participants at the conference can discuss the realities of tough conflicts that exist in organizations from their experience and where we can share our knowledge and experience in working within this field,” Sirman explains.

As organizations develop and grow, conflict is an inevitable factor that has the potential to be a positive inspiration for dialogue and constructive change or the negative force that tears the organization apart. Most organizations find themselves somewhere in between these two extremes. Whether the organization relies on paid employees, volunteer labour or members to get the job done and make it successful, internal conflict can create major negative impacts on people’s lives irrespective of where it occurs.

The atmosphere and culture within an organization is a powerful force that contributes to the experience of all who encounter it. It also impacts on recruitment, retention, productivity, morale, burnout and stress levels. Consequently, there is both a financial cost to conflict as well as the toll it takes on the people involved. How an organization deals with conflict is part of that culture and an integral part of individuals and groups experience of the organization.

Learning to recognize the warning signs, understand what is going on behind the scenes and having strategies available to help resolve the conflicts effectively can make the difference between a successful and powerful organization and one whose focus is on the internal drama within the organization rather than meeting the mandate and getting the job done. Organizational Development practitioners are uniquely positioned to support organizations to find the right expertise and take the necessary steps to get their conflicts resolved effectively and get everyone back to work.

The Conflict Resolution Workout!!
Give some thought to the reality of the organizations you belong to:
1. How much time is diverted from getting the job done to dealing with conflicts?
2. What triggers these conflicts and causes them to escalate?
3. To what degree have they been addressed?
4. What level of residual tension is still there?
5. How is the situation impacting on you? on clients? on the bottom line?

Ruth Sirman is a veteran in the world of workplace mediation specializing in assisting groups to find practical and workable solutions to seemingly intractable conflicts. Her professional practice takes her across North America working with federal, provincial and territorial governments, corporations, NGO’s, churches, communities and the courts. She designed and teaches the acclaimed Power to Resolve Program including modules on Discovering Your Resolution Quotient, I’m OK – It’s Everyone Else Who Needs Help!!, Mastering Difficult Situations and People You Find Challenging, From Discord to Dialogue, Organizational Conflict 911. Her website is www.canmediate.com.