Partnering
Partnering generally results in
- high quality outcomes achieved
- on time and
- within or under budget
Joint projects between business and government, business and business, different organizations, and departments within organizations are successful when partners join together to create a a collaborative team.
Partnering brings people together before a project starts to
- create understanding of the project and the partners,
- develop effective communication and conflict resolution systems.
A partnering facilitator helps groups:
- Understand the project
- Express needs, goals, concerns, hopes, and expectations
- Understand each others needs, goals, concerns, hopes, and expectations
- Determine systems of communication
- Establish methods of resolving issues that will arise
- Understand each other’s skills, talents, and methods
- Determine and understand each other’s roles
- Collaborate productively
Facilitation
A meeting is a purposeful gathering of people. A facilitator adds structure to a meeting, manages time efficiently, builds an environment for clear communication, and helps a group generate productive outcomes.
Decision-making and planning are effective with a structured process. A facilitator helps a team gather the wisdom, knowledge, and experience of all participants and focus those talents on productive outcomes.
A facilitator helps groups:
- Run efficient meetings
- Draw on the capacities of all participants
- Gain clarity in decision-making and problem-solving
- Create partnerships for joint projects between and within organizations
- Run focus groups
- Promote strategic thinking
- Organize and facilitate policy development
Training
Leaders, colleagues, and educators benefit from knowledge, skills, and methods for building, restoring, and maintaining positive and productive working relationships, managing conflict, leading meetings, and partnering with others.
Training services include:
- Communication
- Decision-making
- Conflict management and resolution
- Mediation skills and methods
- Facilitation skills and methods for meetings and planning
- Restorative thinking and practices
Workplace Conflict
Normal, Workplace, Costs, Conflict Management
Mediation services help with:
- Resolving issues within departments
- Resolving issues between departments
- Resolving issues in multi-business joint projects
- Employee – Employee conflict
- Employee – Supervisor conflict
Conflict is Normal
- Conflict is a normal part of the human experience, including the workplace.
- Conflict is an opportunity for understanding, learning, and positive change.
Workplace Conflict
- Employees spend three hours per week dealing with workplace conflict.
- Managers spend 20 to 40 % of their time dealing with workplace conflict.
- Conflict contributes 60% of voluntary and 90% of involuntary departures.
- 65% of performance problems are due to bad relationships, not bad employees.
Cost of Conflict
- Replacing employees costs 150% of their salaries.
- Conflict blocks collaboration.
- Other employees are affected.
- Conflict can negatively effect productivity, morale, attendance, and retention.
Conflict Management
Effective conflict management is an effective, untapped, financial resource.
Conflict management involves knowledge, skills, and methods to help
prevent conflict
- participate productively with conflict
- respond to conflict in productive ways
Mediation
Conflict is a normal part of human relationships, and people generally handle it well.
When communication is difficult or emotions are running high, conflict can be difficult to resolve, and may impede the work of the organization.
Conflict in the workplace can be an indicator of necessary change or an obstacle to productivity.
A mediator helps people in organizations:
- Communicate
- Work with strong emotions
- Identify issues that need to be addressed
- Create options and solutions
- Resolve issues as they arise
- Handle unresolved issues
- Build, maintain, and restore relationships
- Plan for managing future conflict
- Manage change productively