Conflict in the workplace and in our personal lives are
often resolved with the collaboration and communication of outside sources.
Levine outlines a step by step process which he titled the “Cycle of
Resolution.” During the Cycle of Resolution, the first step is for each
individual to tell their story, from beginning to end, without interruption.
Levine (2009, pg.122) states “getting everyone’s story out on the table defines
the problem space, validates everyone’s position, and reveals everyone’s
interests.” The art of active listening as a mediator requires remaining neutral
without having a predetermined vision of the outcome, as outcomes may change
during the process. As Levine (2009, pg.134) states, “try as you may, you will
have a vision.” Levine (2009, pg.137) developed nine questioned to test and discuss
preliminary visions among conflict participants.
Within the last year I was tasked by senior leadership to
initiate an investigation on two information technology personnel and the
program they managed. The
investigation was initiated to determine if someone was directly responsible
for the mismanagement of tens of thousands of dollars of equipment. If found
negligent, the program managers faced the possibility of significant punitive punishment
and financial liability. The process started by interviewing the members to receive
their story of how and why the equipment was not accounted for. Heathfield
(2016) describes how mediators should not interview persons involved in
conflict separately, instead they should each give their version of the story
during the same meeting. As a neutral participant, I had no vested interest
except to understand how the accountability process was broken. After a month
of detailed review, the individuals involved were found equally negligent in completing
initial inventories, however, their leadership was also identified as negligent
in identifying mismanagement. The chain a responsibility didn’t lie solely with
the two program managers but also with their command leadership.
After
discussion with command leadership, the decision was made to acknowledge poor
accountability practices over the course of a two-year period. The program
would receive specific attention from the commander, however it was determined
not to hold anyone financially responsible for the losses. As it turns out, the
loss of electronic equipment in a combat zone was not isolated to our unit.
Multiple units across the area of responsibility would come and go, unknowingly
taking items that didn’t belong to them. The objective of the instigation was
satisfied, leadership finally understood how it was possible to lose accountability
of thirty thousand dollars of equipment.
The
collaborative process used in this resolution scenario utilized myself as a
mediator, an outside subject matter expert, and the camp commander as the
visionary. When presented with all of the facts the commander guided the punitive
expectations, which were limited to verbal counseling. The senior enlisted
manager was useful in providing an example of how he experienced the same
scenario in a previous unit. He was more understanding of process and offered
sound advice how to prevent future inventory losses.
One lesson
I learned from this experience was to not let others opinion bias my investigative
process. As it turned out, most of the predictions about the missing items were
wrong. Another was to focus on exactly how and why the program was mismanaged,
from senior leadership down to the lowest ranking Airman. There were many more
responsible for inventory management than initially assumed. The third lesson
learned was to focus on resolving the problem instead of pointing fingers and
singling out individuals. The camp commander was much more interested in the
fix instead of punishment.
References:
Heathfield,
S.M. (2016). Workplace conflict resolution. The Balance. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/workplace-conflict-resolution-1918675
Levine, S. (2009). Getting
to resolution: Turning conflict into resolution. (2nd edition). Williston, VT: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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