The organizational ombudsman model has been widely embraced for many years by colleges, universities, and progressive corporations as an important resource to ensure that students and employees have a neutral, confidential, informal resource available to assist when issues or conflict arise. In these times of crisis and change, the ombuds resource becomes an even more…
Thoughts on the Tao of Communication Events in my daily life often inspire the focus of my blog posts. I apologize to those of you readers who like a linear structure to the topics. Sometimes I wander afield for a post or two, based on something that inspires a slightly different focus. So, breaking from…
Tip Nine – Continued – Managing Tactics When Necessary In our last several posts, we’ve been discussing tactics. In my first post on the subject, I explained that, even though tactics can pose a challenge to your progress towards your objective, they also provide you with important information about the concerns of those who are…
Ten Axioms of Change Management In my work, it seems that organizations are encountering major change issues more and more frequently. In my work with organizations facing change issues, it seems that I am asked to work with change situations in two very different circumstances. Some organizations that are planning change such as those that…
C3 – Conflict Conscious Communication For some time now, many of my blog posts have focused the features of effective communication. I’ve been systematically sharing “tips on improving your communication” when it involves an important issue or someone important to you, such as a boss or someone that you need to connect with positively. This…
Failure and Gridlock in Washington
Failure and Gridlock in Washington – Lessons in Negotiation We Can Learn From the Current Situation As anyone who views our website’s home page will discover, our organization’s dedicated focus is on helping individuals and organizations thrive by helping to empower them to be more effective in communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution. The country is…
Beyond Conscious Metaphor For the last several months we have been discussing tips for improving your effectiveness for important communications. My March 18, 2013 post reviewed the first six of my twelve “tips” for effective communication. Since that time, among other posts, I have posted three additional tips on my seventh, and perhaps most comprehensive…
Cost-Benefit of Alternative Dispute Resolution Processes for Employers: A study in metrics and program design. Organizations that are considering implementing new programs to address disputes in the workplace frequently wonder whether the cost of administering internal conflict resolution processes will justify the benefits of having them. Of course, many factors beyond cost are typically weighed…
(Author’s Note: This is a long blog posting. If you prefer, you can click here to read the same article in our Articles section.) Tips for working with people in conflict: Trees; A Mediation Lesson-Learned. This is a new line of discussion for our blog. In the past we have focused on leadership, communication skills,…