Collaborative Problem-Solving

By Carole Robinson Oliver

Photo: Bill Rankin

Compare these two approaches:

MANAGER TO EMPLOYEE

• “This report is unacceptable. It’s full of factual errors. You’ll have to rewrite it and have it in to me by this Friday, or else…” or
• “Can we talk about this report? I’d like to get a better understanding of your information sources and how you arrived at these conclusions.”

EMPLOYEE TO MANAGER

• “I’ve spent two months working on this report. It’s based on facts from our own department and I’m not changing a single word.” or
• “I’d like to go through the report with you and show you where I got the data and the interpretations. Could it be that my information is out of date?”

Since it is important to have respectful conversations in the workplace, this manager and employee need to come to an agreement on what to do about the report, without letting the situation escalate into a conflict that will poison their relationship.

“Most of us have developed pretty good conflict management skills,” says Steve Levecque, Director of Informal Conflict Management (ICM) in the Values and Ethics Branch. “But we don’t always remember to apply them.

“When we come into the workplace,” he adds, “nobody says we have to become best friends. But we do need to find ways to work together productively. In a large organization like the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), the only way you can achieve your goals and objectives is through other people. Being able to work effectively with others is a very important skill for all of us.”

Levecque brings to his job 29 years of military and public service experience. He has spent the last 12 years in the conflict management field and looks forward to following on the great work done by Wendy Parlow in the implementation of the ICMS for CSC.

Once it is up and running, the system will offer both conflict prevention and conflict management services. Prevention activities include training, awareness sessions, team-building and on-line information and tools. Conflict management services involve coaching and facilitation from a neutral third party, as well as mediation.

Steve Levecque explains the distinction between formal and informal conflict management: “The formal systems, such as staffing appeals or the grievance process, are all based on rights established through government policy or legislation or a collective agreement.”

“When we talk about informal conflict management, the big difference is that it’s interest-based. The focus here is: ‘Why were you upset? How did you feel when this happened?’ Sometimes you can misinterpret a person’s remarks and their intentions,” he adds, “and it just takes a good discussion to sort things out. At other times, it may take the assistance of a neutral third party.”

ICM practitioners are currently being hired throughout CSC and Levecque expects all jobs will be staffed by the end of the fiscal year, enabling each region to offer a full range of services. In the meantime, work is underway to develop procedures and the accountability framework for the system. A consultation workshop is being planned to finalize these, as well as the roles and relationships of stakeholders, such as the unions and human resources.

“It’s a voluntary program that respects the rights and obligations of collective agreements,” he emphasizes. “In no way does it preclude staff from filing a grievance or a harassment complaint. People can also switch between the ICM and a formal process at any time. What it does is give us a whole lot more options than we had before.”

The long-term goal is to be able to reach all staff and provide them with basic conflict management training and other tools, so they can resolve more issues among themselves.

“In the formal system, somebody else makes the decision,” says Steve Levecque. “With ICM, the power rests with the individual. You have control over the outcome.” ♦