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The "5 PS" of Conflict Resolution: Designing Systems To Manage Workplace Disputes
The "5 PS" of Conflict Resolution: Designing Systems To Manage Workplace Disputes
First Presented at
North Carolina Employee Assistance Program
Annual Spring Training
May 14, 2009
Hayes, S. (2009) 1
“It isn't that they can't see the solution. It's
that they can't see the problem.” -- G.K.
Chesterton
Hayes, S. (2009) 2
Assumptions about conflict
• The existence of conflict is a necessary
catalyst that allows an organization to
survive, evolve, and progress in changing
times.
• Conflict becomes negative when
differences are handled poorly
Hayes, S. (2009) 3
Conflict (negative)
• Differences that create tensions, overt conflicts,
or power struggles at any level in an organization
• Can involve and combination of clients,
volunteers, staff, management, organization, or
broader contextual issues
• Up to 80% of patient errors in health care and
social service result from negative conflict and
poor communication
Hayes, S. (2009) 4
Negative conflict
• Negative organizational conflict is usually
evident when one sees
– Patterns of disputes
– Competition
– Sabotage
– Low morale
– Withholding of information
– Marked inefficiency
Hayes, S. (2009) 5
How most organizations handle negative
conflict
• The majority of organizations deal with
conflicts as situational (e.g. discrete
events)
• Some corporate structures have in place a
basic process regarding employee
complaints or grievances, often they
cannot address all of these types of
conflicts
Hayes, S. (2009) 6
How not to handle conflicts
• Watch “Conflict Resolution” episode of “The
Office” and answer the following
1. What were the issues/conflicts in the episode?
• Immediate issues
• Longer-term issues
2. What did Michael “miss” in the application of
his techniques? (i.e. why didn’t they work?)
Hayes, S. (2009) 7
Conflict or Dispute Resolution
• Any number of interventions that focus on
addressing both immediate and longer-
term impact of conflicts
• Emphasis placed on
– need to maintain good working relationships
– effective processes
– open and effective communication
– good faith
Hayes, S. (2009) 8
Addressing conflict
• 5 Ps approach multifaceted approach that
includes
– Galtung’s TRANSCEND method
– Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-ecological theory
– Ury’s Dispute System Design & “Third
Side”
Hayes, S. (2009) 9
Framework for intervention
• Treat conflict the same way a physician
would treat an illness
1. Diagnosis
2. Interpretation
3. Intervention
• 5 Ps can be used as diagnostic tool,
interpretive instrument, and framework
for intervention
Hayes, S. (2009) 10
5Ps of conflict model
Perceptions
People
Practices
Policies
Persistence
Hayes, S. (2009) 11
Perceptions
• Individual’s beliefs, values, and expectations
about the organization and the individuals
• Individual perceptions influenced by what
happens in and out of the workplace
• Perceptions primarily changed through
– Education
– Experience
– Interventions resulting in reflective processes
Hayes, S. (2009) 12
People
• Characteristics of the people
– Age
– Gender
– Race/Ethnicity
– Social class/educational background
– Experience in their position and others in
organization
• Organization of people in relation to others
Hayes, S. (2009) 13
Practices
• Practices are “what actually happens”
– Interpretation of policies based primarily in perception
and person characteristics
– influenced by education and prior
knowledge/experience with similar policies or
practices
• Most organizational conflicts are at the level of
“practices”
• Behaviors can altered without altering
perceptions or personal characteristics
Hayes, S. (2009) 14
Policies
Policies are a broad range of written and
unwritten rules
• Organizational culture • Policy manual
– Work demands – Work schedules
– Appropriate demeanor – Productivity
– Process of promotion expectations
– Whose involved in – Rules for promotion
grievance and – Grievance &
termination Termination
Hayes, S. (2009) 15
Persistence
• Persistence is the element of “time” in the
model, change takes place over time
• An intervention’s ability to be successful is
dependent on addressing “persistence”
– Individual time ≤ Organizational time
– Interventions are time limited
– Individuals must take “long view”,
organizations see “shorter term” interests of
individuals
Hayes, S. (2009) 16
Nature of organizational conflicts using
5Ps model
• “Personality” conflicts generally aren’t
about the people
• What they are
– really practice conflicts in disguise
– mismatch between individuals expectations
and policy interpretation
– mismatch between the stated policies and the
actual practices
Hayes, S. (2009) 17
Diagnostic process
Fieldwork
(informal,
Document
ecomap,
analysis
observation,
interviews)
Fieldwork Standardize
(especially d or
facilitated quantitative
sessions) instruments
Hayes, S. (2009) 18
Interpretation using 5 Ps
• Knowing what the diagnosis means
depends on understanding of the stages in
the development of conflicts
1. Identify where organization is currently.
2. Ask organization “Where would you like
to be?”
Hayes, S. (2009) 19
Interpretation: The escalation of
conflict
Power Struggle
Overt Conflict
Latent Tensions
Hayes, S. (2009) 20
Adapted from Ury “The Third Side” (2000)
Levels of conflict intervention
Power
Struggle Contain
Overt
Conflict Resolve
Latent
Tensions Prevent
Hayes, S. (2009) 21
Adapted from Ury “The Third Side” (2000)
“Appropriate” dispute resolution
Level of Prognosis “Therapy” options
conflict
Latent Prevention Training/ Education
tensions Team and skills building
Coaching
Overt conflict Resolution Negotiation
Ombuds
Facilitation
Mediation
Restorative conferencing
Arbitration
Power Containment Advocacy
Struggle Referrals
22
Preventing conflicts
• Education and training allows for
– Reflection on perceptions
– Modification of expectations
– Skills building
• Providing skills in a (semi) structured
environment that allows participants to
relate prior experience with new material
Hayes, S. (2009) 23
Using standardized instruments
• Several “conflict styles” inventories
– Thomas-Killman
– Kraybill conflict style
– Intercultural conflict style (Hammer)
• Kraybill conflict styles Inventory
– Not a “test” set of scores to give you a picture
of your responses to conflict.
– Point is to give you a tool to start thinking
about yourself.
Hayes, S. (2009) 24
25
p. 9-12
Reflecting on your scores
• Take a few minutes and come up with
some personal examples of times when
your style reflects “calm” and “storm”
• What are the triggers?
• Do you know when you are moving from
one to the other?
• Remember that these are “tendencies”
NOT diagnoses
Hayes, S. (2009) 26
Using this tool
• How can you use this tool in education,
training, and facilitated sessions with
groups in order to “prevent” conflicts?
• What others tools could be helpful?
Hayes, S. (2009) 27
Resolving Conflicts
• Negotiation
• Facilitation
• Mediation
• Restorative justice/conferencing
• Arbitration
Hayes, S. (2009) 28
Negotiation
• Negotiation is a direct, face-to-face, two- party discussion
that leads to a mutually agreeable, voluntary resolution.
• Interest based negotiations*
– Separate the people from the problem
– Focus on interests
– Generate options for mutual gain
– Use objective criteria
– Level the playing field
– Negotiate in good faith
– Don’t use dirty tricks or sneaky tactics
Hayes, S. (2009) 29
Facilitation
• A facilitator helps guide or manage the
process of conversation but does not direct
the conversation or change the content of
the discussion.
• Many EA use facilitation skills in trainings
or when working with groups of
employees (e.g. critical incident stress
debriefings)
Hayes, S. (2009) 30
Mediation
• An impartial third party facilitates a discussion
between conflicting parties to help them
– reach a mutually agreeable, voluntary resolution.
– help participants reconstruct their relationship
• Can take place formally by trained professionals
or more casually by naturally skilled employees.
Hayes, S. (2009) 31
Restorative conferencing*
• Restorative justice is a theory of justice
that emphasizes repairing the harm caused
or revealed by criminal behavior.
• It is best accomplished through
cooperative processes that include all
stakeholders.
*http://www.restorativejustice.org
Hayes, S. (2009) 32
Restorative conferencing
• Conferencing programs are similar to
victim-offender reconciliation/ mediation
programs
– involve the “victim” and “offender” in an
extended conversation about the
incident/crime and its consequences
– conferencing programs also include the
participation of other individuals affected by
the incident or crime
Hayes, S. (2009) 33
Arbitration
• Arbitration is a quasi-judicial process
• Often included in organizational policies
with little understanding of what it is or
how it works
• Potential revisions to Federal Arbitration
Act (keep watching)
Hayes, S. (2009) 34
Containing conflicts
• These issues are those that have no “voice”
or have not found a kind “ear” in the
organization
• These interventions are a “last resort” to
allow the organization a chance to work
collaboratively on conflict issues before
they “get out of hand”
Hayes, S. (2009) 35
Containing
• Advocacy
– Serious structural situations that require direct
discussions with organizational management/owners
about practices or policies issues affecting people
• Referrals
– Serious individual situations that require interventions
from mental health, legal, or outside governing bodies
(state agencies, EEOC)
Hayes, S. (2009) 36
How do you already use these
interventions?
• Think about ways these interventions
are already part of what you do.
• How can knowing more about the
situation from 5Ps help you make
better choices?
• Now an exercise…
Hayes, S. (2009) 37
Apply this model to a real conflict
Perceptions
People
Practices
Policies
Persistence
Hayes, S. (2009) 38
What is your diagnosis &
forecast?
• Perceptions
• People
• Practices
• Policies
• Persistence
Hayes, S. (2009) 39
What are your interventions?
• Perceptions
• People
• Practices
• Policies
• Patience
Hayes, S. (2009) 40
What are your questions?
Contact me at:
Email: shayes32@kennesaw.edu
Phone: (678) 206-8897
Hayes, S. (2009) 41