Conflicts are rampant in the workplace, prompted by everything from limited resources and terms of employment to cultural differences, sexual harassment, team playing, office politics, unmet expectations, miscommunications and gossip. Inevitably, these disputes have the potential to destroy a business. So it's critical that you aim to understand the conflicts as they emerge and respond to them in a healthy and productive way.

Last month, in "Curbing Conflict," I offered tips on how to defuse workplace conflicts. This month, I'll focus on creating a policy for managing them.

You can design a conflict resolution system using in-house personnel. There are books available and information on the internet. However, bringing in an expert can streamline the process.

An effective conflict resolution system will:

• Include input from employees and other stakeholders
   
• Provide a process for making complaints and conducting investigations
   
• Be based on interests (the wants, needs and desires of those involved) rather than legal rights, hierarchy, position or power
   
• Be flexible enough to address workplace issues ranging from personality clashes to a potential discrimination or harassment lawsuit
   
• Bring employee grievances to light and defuse them at an early stage, long before anyone is tempted to call in lawyers
   
• Provide an opportunity to explore options through dialogue
   
• Keep all policies and procedures as simple as possible
   
• Provide training that prepares managers to effectively listen, understand motives and comprehend how their own actions may be perceived
   
• Include ongoing training to teach and reinforce the process
   
• Allow for revisions to the process as needs change
   
• Provide for access to rights-based processes, when all else fails.

Ultimately these programs pay off by providing results that are faster, user-friendly, less expensive and more private then traditional, adversarial methods.

The following are components that you can include in your organization's conflict resolution program:

1. Hotline. A confidential service staffed by a company "adviser" trained in conflict management, effective listening and ethics. An advisor can answer questions, act as a go-between, get the facts, help open doors and refer people to other resources.
    
2. Open-door policies. These grant employees permission to meet with supervisors as well as any other management personnel to discuss problems. For an-open door policy to work, there must be no retaliation against employees using the process.
    
3. Senior management review. Such review gives employees an opportunity to discuss unresolved problems or complaints with a board or committee of management personnel, which can include the president or CEO.
    
4. Peer review. Unresolved issues go to a review committee or board made up of other employees.
    
5. Ombudsperson. An individual is designated to investigate and provide advice and assistance to employees with concerns or complaints, act as a liaison between management and employees or coworkers, and help resolve various disputes. The ombudsperson may be in-house or from an independent office.
   
   
6. Conciliation. This is an informal process focused on channeling or conveying messages between parties who are unwilling to meet face-to-face, with the goal of identifying common interests and re-establishing direct communication.
    
7. Grievance procedures. A formal, multi-step process that brings complaints through channels to progressively higher levels of authority.
    
8. Mediation. An informal and confidential process whereby a neutral mediator who has no decision-making authority facilitates negotiations between disputing parties to bring about the dispute's resolution. The mediator establishes guidelines for negotiation, opens up the channels of communication, identifies the issues, helps the parties explore options and occasionally recommends solutions.
    
9. Arbitration. A formal process in which the parties present their evidence to an arbitrator who decides what the outcome should be. The decision may be binding or non-binding.
    
10. Combined processes. Mediation, arbitration, panels, forums and grievance procedures can be used in a variety of formats and sequences. Almost any process can be individually tailored to meet the parties' needs.
     
11. Appeals. An appeals component should be incorporated into a conflict-resolution plan to address one or both parties' dissatisfaction with the ultimate outcome.

Putting a conflict resolution program in place requires effort, and uncomfortable emotions may be triggered during the program design phase. Ultimately, however, having a program in place will provide you and your staff with economic benefits and the potential for harmony in the workplace.

Next month: Communication skills for heated discussions.