Organizational Development

Conflict Resolution Training: Back of the Class

#100 Think Twice Before Bringing in Conflict Resolution Training

You may be surprised by the next sentence… If you would like your team or organization to be more competent in conflict, then you should think twice before bringing in conflict resolution training. It’s not that training isn’t needed. It is. But there’s more than the training itself to plan for.  Firstly, consider some of …

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Potent Alternatives to the Use of Authority

#81 Potent Alternatives to the Use of Authority

In the previous blog I outlined five practices that sustain the power of authority for positive and constructive uses. In this blog I explore in a more focused manner the relationship between authority and power, and suggest two ways that skilled authoritarians can best use their power. I have observed that highly competent leaders, managers, …

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Five Practices for Sustaining Positive Use of Authority

#79 Five Practices For Sustaining Positive Use Of Authority

A coach has authority over members of a team. If people report to you in the workplace then you have authority. In a family, parents usually have significant authority over their children until they no longer live together. By authority I mean a position in society, an organization, or a community that gives you the …

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#35 Peaceweaving in Organizations – What It Means to Me

The title of Canadian mediator Ben Hoffman‘s new book is Peaceweaving.  I find the word ‘peaceweaving’ descriptive of work I sometimes do inside large organizations. Destructive conflict creates a hole in the organizational fabric and mediation between the parties is not enough to repair the hole. Peaceweaving entails working more broadly in the organization, particularly within …

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#33 Use A Policy Of Joint Escalation To Shift Organizational Culture

  Regarding a joint escalation policy, there are two central aspects to what I mean. Firstly, conflict is generally held at the level where it originates in the organizational hierarchy. Secondly, if it is moved up the authority chain, it is done so in a collaborative manner. This blog further explains joint escalation using two …

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#30 Organizational Life Through Four Lenses

One of my favourite frameworks for understanding organizational life is supplied by Bolman and Deal (2003) in Reframing Organizations. They articulate four lenses through which to view and understand organizations. Boleman and Deal capture each lens with a metaphor: Factory Family Temple Jungle   Factory Through the factory metaphor we understand organizational productivity: there are …

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