Search Mediators Near You:

Organizational Conflict Management Check Up

Are you concerned about the health of your organizations conflict management system?


This diagnostic questionnaire is easy to complete in less than 10 minutes and provides valuable insight into how your organization is dealing with conflict.

Record your responses below. Of particular importance are the yes/no questions that are used to generate a graphic representation of your organizations conflict management health.


After you have answered the yes/no questions, total your score for each of the six criteria. Transfer that score to the scoring legend. You can then plot the values on the grahpic that is provided.


The background questions can be used to modify the scores generated in the yes/no section.


Background Questions


Your Name: _____________________________________________


Organizations Name: _____________________________________________


Number of Employees: _____________________________________________


Union Status: _____________________________________________



Check which Conflict Resolution Procedures are available?


Arbitration _____


Coaching _____


Investigation _____


Internal Mediation _____


External Mediation _____


Peer Review _____


Grievance Procedure _____


Check which Polices have been documented?


Employee Handbook _____


Sexual Harassment Policy_____


General Anti-Discrimination Policy _____


ADR Program _____


Disciplinary Code and Procedure _____


Workplace Violence _____


Performance Review Policy _____


Check what Conflict Management measures are used?


Absenteeism _____


Turnover _____


Grievances Filed _____


Time Spent on Conflict _____


Cases Litigated _____


Legal Costs _____


Check which Conflict Management Resource Persons are on Staff?


Human Resources Manager _____


Training Manager _____


Ombuds _____


EEO Officer _____


EAP Facilitator _____


Mediator _____


Facilitator _____


Check which trainings your organization has offered in the last 3 years?


Communication _____


Listening _____


Conflict Resolution _____


Dealing with Difficult People _____


Dealing with Anger _____


Customer Service _____


Diversity _____


Negotiation _____


Managerial Mediation _____


Facilitation Skills _____


CULTURE


The way things are done around here. The attitudes, beliefs, norms, practices, and values of the organization


1. Is conflict valued? Yes/No


2. Is dissent encouraged? Yes/No


3. Is conflict seen as an opportunity for change? Yes/No


4. Are relationships important? Yes/No


5. Is feedback welcome? Yes/No


6. Is conflict surfaced? Yes/No

EXPECTATIONS


The Vision, Mission and Values of the organization


The roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.


1. Does your organization have a vision, mission and values statement that specifically deals with conflict management? Yes/No


2. Is the general vision, mission and values in alignment with the approach to conflict management? Yes/No


3. Are conflict management roles and responsibilities defined in job descriptions? Yes/No


4. Is desirable conflict management behavior described? Yes/No


5. Is there consensus on the conflict management vision, mission and values statement? Yes/No


6. Are the conflict management values known and shared? Yes/No


SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE


People in organizations need to be able to deal with conflict themselves. They also need to know how to access the system, to understand the options available to them.


Core competencies: Communication, negotiation, decision-making, mediation, problem-solving, teamwork.


1. Is conflict management a core competency in the organization? Yes/No


2. Do people know what procedures are available? Yes/No


3. Do people know how to use the procedures? Yes/No


4. Are people skilled at listening to each other, probing for interests and exploring creative options? Yes/No


5. Are people skilled at using interest-based options such as mediation? Yes/No


6. Are people skilled at using rights based options such as investigations and arbitration? Yes/No

SUPPORT STRUCTURES


Access points, resource persons, resources


1. Are people available to provide help to disputants e.g. to give advice, represent them, serve as mediators? Yes/No


2. Does your organization have the resources (time, money, people) to deal with conflict? Yes/No


3. Does your organization have a senior management champion? Yes/No


4. Do people have someone to talk to in confidence? Yes/No


5. Does your organization have an conflict management oversight team in place? Yes/No


6. Does your organization have an evaluation program in place? Yes/No


REWARDS AND CONSEQUENCES


Consequences, rewards, incentives, recognition.


Performance Review.


1. Can disputant air their grievances fully in their own terms without consequences? Yes/No


2. Do disputants participate in decision-making and shaping dispute resolution outcomes? Yes/No


3. Do people get feedback and information they need when they need it? Yes/No


4. Does the organization reward a collaborative approach? Yes/No


5. Do performance reviews consider conflict management and resolution skills? Yes/No


6. Are their consequences for conflict avoidance? Yes/No


PROCEDURES AND OPTIONS


The written and unwritten rules that determine how conflict is processed. Interest and rights based options. All problems are addressed.


1. Do procedures exist and are they followed consistently? Yes/No


2. Are procedures available to handle the full range of disputes that occur? Yes/No


3. Are interest-based options (e.g. Mediation) are available? Yes/No


4. Are rights-based options (e.g. Investigation, Arbitration) are available? Yes/No


5. Are processes well designed? Yes/No


6. Do people get feedback and information when they need it? Yes/No


Organizational Conflict Management Diagnosis


Scoring Legend

After you have answered the yes/no questions, total your score for each of the six criteria. Transfer that score to the scoring legend. You can then plot the values on the grahpic that is provided.


The background questions can be used to modify the scores generated in the yes/no section.



































































































Culture:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Unhealthy






Healthy


Expectations:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Confused






Clear


Skills & Knowledge:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Incompetent






Competent


Support Structures:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Blocking






Supportive


Rewards & Consequences:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Unmotivated






Motivated


Procedures & Options:


1


2


3


4


5


6


Inappropriate






Appropriate




CopyRight: John Ford, 2002.

                        author

John Ford

 John Ford is the author of Peace at Work and founder of the HR Mediation Academy. He mediates; trains; and consults to organizations that have accepted the inevitability of conflict and are seeking to approach it with greater clarity and confidence. He was the managing editor of Mediate.com from 2000… MORE >

Featured Mediators

ad
View all

Read these next

Category

The Reptilian Need for Closure

Civil trial lawyers have been testing new techniques to persuade since our constitution authorized the right to jury trials. In the past several years, trial consultants have encouraged use of...

By Jeffrey Krivis
Category

The Influence of Cultural Diversity in Mediating Complex Multi-Party and Catastrophic Loss Conflict

To Americans, “cultural diversity” means experiences derived from the differences in race, religion, gender, age, ethnicity and more recently, sexual orientation. Yet, this definition is a bit myopic; consider the...

By Joe Epstein, Robyn McDonald
Category

Mediation As An Alternative To Therapy

I was drawn to mediation because of what I saw as its unique ability to create greater happiness. After taking my first mediation training in 1995, I sensed that through...

By Diane Cohen

Find a Mediator