A632.7.3.RB – Collaborative Decision Making
According to Levine (2009), decision-making can be viewed the same way a problem-solving. Decision-making is our way of getting down to the bottom line and the details of the issue. We find a resolution to conflict as best as we can. As Levine (2009) stated, conflict is healthy, but it has an emotional cost that is retained after the conflict is done. The value of resolution is that it resolves the conflict without lingering effects. Resolution is a much better resource than compromise since the cost of aftereffect is less. AuburnHungerStudies (2011) defined conflict as differences in clashes between the needs, perceptions, interest, and activities of individuals that are part of our social life. It is man-made and can be violent, non-violent intense or light. Conflict resolution, on the other hand, is a skill that we can learn by cultivating the habit of alternative practices (Levine, 2009).
During my employment at Bethune-Cookman University, I had the opportunity to participate in resolving behavioral and cultural conflicts between two men from the Physical Plant Department which almost resulted in physical violence. The University had employed the younger facility maintenance employee who is an African-American which we will call Andre for about seven years. The older employee who is a Caucasian male and we will call him John had worked at B-CU for almost one year when the event occurred. Three weeks before the occurrence of the event, John was promoted to Facility Maintenance Supervisor, meaning that Andre who had applied for the position was not selected.
One week before the conflict occurred, the Facility Maintenance Manager came to my office to give me a heads-up that there was a possibility that the two employees had a heated conversation. According to the female employee who witnessed the conversation, Andre was yelling at John regarding scheduling and a particular assignment location. John responded in a distinctively monotone voice was that he was just doing his job so “don’t shoot the messenger.” John further stated that it was nothing personal then left the scene. My recommendation to the Facility Maintenance Manager was to take the time to sit down with the two employees and let them know that he was aware of the occurrence and that any further altercation cannot be tolerated in the workplace.
On the next Monday after the meeting with the two employees, the Facility Maintenance Manager came to my office while radioing for the two employees to report to the Office of the Human Resources Assistant Director. I was not prepared for the meeting, but my mediator instinct took effect. When the two employees arrived and entered my office, it was very apparent that Andre was more agitated than John. I had Andre and John sit on both ends of my rectangle meeting table while the Manager and I sat on the other ends making sure that the two employees were out of reach from each other. Discreetly, I had asked my assistant earlier to have Security outside my office once the door closes just in case a physical altercation occurs.
I opened the meeting by stating the do’s and don’ts of the meeting. Do not raise the tone of your voice and interrupt the other person while talking. Do tell only the facts and nothing else. I reiterated that the objective of the meeting was to understand each others’ side and come up with an appropriate resolution that was acceptable for everyone concerned. Since Andre appeared to be more agitated, I had him tell his side of the story first. There were times that his tone of voice was getting forceful, so I reminded Andre to calm down and stick to facts. All this time, John was quiet and kept to the rule of no interruption. Then it was John’s turn to relay his side of the story. I found out that the main issue was that John had asked one of the Physical Plant employees if they knew the whereabouts of Andre and had told them that Andre had not responded to the radio for about thirty minutes. Andre took offense at John’s action, approached John and said to watch his back. John, in turn, reported the incident to the Manager and expressed his concern for his life.
After hearing both sides, I reminded both employees about the zero tolerance imposed by the University on Workplace Violence Policy. I asked my assistant to print two copies and asked Andre and John to sign each of them acknowledging of their understanding of the policy and gave them signed copies for their records. I informed them that the original signed copies would be placed in their personnel folder. Then I asked both employees to give me at least three action plans to correct the behavioral issue. Lastly, I scheduled a follow-up meeting with Andre, John, and the Facility Maintenance Manager to discuss any development or improvement. The meeting was concluded with Andre and John signing the verbal notification of their behavioral issue but also with notifying them that it will not be included in their personnel file. I asked Andre and John to shake hands. I felt their sincerity in apologizing to each other, and I felt pride in knowing that was an excellent conflict resolution meeting. We met thirty days again after as scheduled, and Andre, John, and the Facility Maintenance Manager were all in good spirits and were doing very well, emotionally and were performing their jobs with excellence. I did not hear of any re-occurring incidents between John and Andre before I eventually left the University.
By involving some stakeholders in making better decision making, stakeholders’ unique insight into certain issues, they can find appropriate resources that can assist at arriving at a decision that can resolve a problem. Stakeholders can also, help in building trust and transparency that will ultimately lead to better decision making. With the conflict stated above, if I have solicited the Director of Physical Plant as one of the stakeholders in my decision making, he could have become my champion in making sure that the good-working relationship of his two employees would succeed. His buy-in to what I was trying to achieve could have assisted me spreading the word to other directors and supervisors that my coaching, counseling and the mediating project was useful in conflict resolution.
Through this learning experience, I can build a better understanding of the values at stake by articulating and discussing them with my stakeholders to promote conflict resolution instead of procedural decision making. Regularly dealing with very diverse stakeholders, this learning experience enhances my knowledge and understanding in shared information that would lead to better decisions, building relationships, and trust with my workplace team and personal acquaintances so I can promptly adapt to any changing environments or climate. Lastly, with collaborative decision making, I can achieve joint gains with my collaborators rather than minimally satisfying decisions.
Reference:
AuburnHungerStudies (2011). What is Conflict? Retrieved from:
Levine, S. (2009). Getting to resolution: Turning conflict into resolutions. (2nd edition).
Williston, VT: Berrett-Koehler Publisher.
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