December 2007

Spotlight: The Conflict Friendly Organization

How can organizational leaders create healthy, "conflict-friendly" workplaces? Bernard Mayer, a Queen’s IRC faculty member and international expert in conflict resolution and mediation, shares insights for managers in the following Q & A ...more

This Issue:

• Honours for IRC Senior Fellow: David Weiss garners international accolades ...more
• Book Excerpt: Wisdom from Made in Canada Leadership ...more
• Web Article: Igniting change in your organization ...more
• Spotlight: Bernard Mayer on Embracing Conflict ...more

Upcoming Programs:

• Feb. 19-21, 2008 Toronto - Leadership Capacity
• Feb. 25-28, 2008, Kingston - OD Foundations
• April 6-11, 2008, Kingston - Negotiation Skills
• April 27-May 2, 2008, Kingston - Industrial Relations
• May 5-7, 2008, Kingston - Business Strategy

Queen's IRC Senior Fellow David Weiss Garners International Accolades

We want to salute IRCSenior Research Fellow David Weiss, honoured in two countries for hiswork in human resources management. This fall David was given the HRDistinction Award by the HR Association in Israel, which recognized hisrole in helping organizations in that country become more strategic. InFebruary, 2008, he will be awarded the prestigious "HR LeadershipAward" at the Asia-Pacific Human Resources Management conference inMumbai, India. David also will be a keynote speaker at the conferenceon the topic of "The HR Value Proposition".

David teaches on the IRC's Organizational Design program and is President and CEO of Weiss International Ltd.

Made in Canada Leadership: Wisdom from the Nation's Best and Brightest

This recently released book is co-authored by IRC Faculty Member and Fellow Françoise Morissette, who is a leadership development expert. In the following excerpt, we hear from various execs on attaining proficiency through practice - one of five elements identified for optimal leadership development programs.

Developing leaders need practice to assimilate new learning and make it stick. It is also the crucible through which they find their voice, style and identity. Leadership, like sports, requires extensive practice to achieve proficiency. Therefore, programs have been gradually enhancing experiential components both within and outside the classroom. “Students have to function as a team. They are presented with activities and challenges and as a team, they decide how to master them. The ability to communicate and work together is important.” (Theresa [Therri] Papp, Consultant, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Rotary International.)

Inside the classroom, this results in many interactive activities, such as simulations, case studies, role plays etc. “Our basic program comprises assessments, exercises, journaling, application, simulations during which participants are videotaped and can see themselves in a action. This is very revealing and complemented by facilitated group feedback and a one-to-one executive coaching session. We also ask them to select a goal to enhance their leadership practice after the program.” (Donna Porter, Lead Facilitator, Niagara Institute.)

Outside the classroom, the practice component, often called practicum, must be strategically chosen, extensively supported and analyzed to derive maximum benefit. “The model for the integration and application of leadership learning is customized by each learner, based on the personal leadership challenge faced. For example, in pre-residency online orientation, students discuss a current challenge they are facing: they then work on creating an action plan.” (Dr. Nancy Greer, Acting Director, Professor and Academic Lead, School of Leadership Studies, Royal Roads University.) We found a growing trend to this effect, particularly in organizational programs; however, market reality does not currently reflect this as a consistent best practice.

Practicum activities can include intra-organizational activities, such as assignments, affectations, job shadowing and problem solving. Because organizations want optimal ROI, practicum assignments are increasingly tied to real issues. They can also include external activities, such as community projects, field trips and exchanges. For instance, the range of practicum assignments is becoming more adventurous and global. “We have co-operative internships, one in Canada and one overseas.” (Dr. Pierre Zundel, Dean, Renaissance College, New Brunswick University.)

While on assignment, learners always stretch outside of their comfort zone, venture into unfamiliar territory and meet challenges head on. In other words, they broaden their capacity. Therefore, it is important to strategically select assignments to fit each participant’s current needs and goals. Richard Bégin, Director, Management Development Programs, said: “The Canada Revenue Agency ensures that candidates get a variety of assignment during their leadership and management development three-year program. For example, if a person has been working in a specialized area, a broad assignment is provided; if someone has had only head office experience, a regional posting will be arranged; if a person is not fluently bilingual, a move to a location where they can practise their second language will be offered.”

Assignments need to be as carefully analyzed as they are planned. “We work closely within the workplace to see how clients are adapting their knowledge to specific situations and what they need to do to close the gap. The assignments last between one to two years.” (Mervin Hillier, president, The Corporate L.I.F. E. Centre Inc.)

A popular model features classroom education followed by a practical assignment, both supported by virtual methodologies.

Action Canada Felllows attend three eight-day working conferences in different Canadian cities, including Vancouver and Ottawa, to improve their understanding of the major policy issues facing our country. In the first three years, Fellows have travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Nunavut. They also work in task force groups to determine how these policy issues might best be addressed. In addition to the three working conferences, each task force convenes two face-to-face meetings during the fellowship year and connects weekly by conference calls and emails. The task forces are supported by Action Canada Advisors who work with the Fellows throughout the year.” (Cathy Beehan, CEO, Action Canada Foundation.)

Practice makes perfect and enables apprentices to integrate leadership behaviours. Through practice, skills become ingrained and judgement is refined. Through practice, leaders connect with the role’s essence and learn to express it through their unique gifts. “All the world’s a stage,” said Shakespeare, and leaders grow on the many stages created by practice opportunities.

Web Reading: Energizing Change

Click here to read "Energizing Organizational Readiness," a new article on how to ignite change in your organization from IRC Faculty Member Brenda Barker.

Spotlight: Creating a 'Conflict Friendly' Workplace

A healthy organization welcomes conflict as being normal. And managers can make a big difference in improving the conflict-handling climate at work, says Queen’s IRC Faculty member Bernard Mayer.

What is a ‘conflict-friendly’ environment?

The key here is to acknowledge that organizations, communities and relationships need conflict. It is naïve to think there will be no conflict where there are different needs and values. These are not superficial things, and as a result, we will have conflict.

Whether an organization is healthy isn’t related to whether there is conflict, but to how it is handled. A healthy organization welcomes genuine conflict, makes it easy for people to raise issues, has an environment that encourages this, and promotes a constructive response.

So people can safely, powerfully, consistently and directly raise issues. Conflict is also not prematurely referred to an impersonal bureaucratic process; nor is anyone made a scapegoat for the problem.

In other words, a conflict-friendly organization accepts the importance of the conflict process.

What are the most common ways organizations avoid conflict?

Organizations are enormously creative, as are individuals, at avoiding conflict. But there are four general ways that are the most common.

One way is simply denial and minimalization. That’s whenever someone raises a conflict and you say, ‘It’s just few malcontents,’ or ‘It’s not that big a deal.’

The second way organizations deal with conflict is they misdirect. They don’t deal with it directly and openly: they bureaucratize, refer it to a subcommittee or person far from the real issue, they scapegoat, or they immediately relate to it as a legal issue rather than a problem to be solved.

The third major way is using escalation as a means of conflict avoidance. Sometimes people are threatened with punitive consequences, or a boss gets really angry. The purpose is not to raise the issue so it can be constructively dealt with; it is to inhibit people from raising issues.

Fourth is premature problem-solving, or solving the wrong issues.

Think about sexual harassment a moment. It is a common problem in many workplaces, subject to great deal of denial. We individualize it. People are intimidated about raising the issue and are often victimized if they do.

Also what often happens is that people throw procedures into place that are supposed to deal with it. But they ignore the underlying culture of the workplace and the gender politics of the workplace that create an environment allowing it to go on.

Maybe what’s needed is a process of employee training, raising consciousness, changing the culture. But the fact is that far too often we rush to resolve the problem rather than staying with it a while, trying to really understand what people are concerned about.

To read the full Spotlight article, go to:
http://www.industrialrelationscentre.com/hr-management/articles/creating-a-conflict-friendly-workplace.htm