Leading Group Assessments and Intervention
Focus:
This week-long session is intended for experienced mediators/conflict management professionals interested in
enhancing their ability to effectively assess and intervene in complex
multi-party, multi-layered situations of conflict within the workplace.
Explore the unique dynamics of working with conflicted groups and learn
best practices for contracting with clients, interviewing parties,
screening and assessment, report writing, selecting intervention
processes, preparing parties for facilitations and implementing a
variety of group processes.
Facilitators:
Facilitated Solutions is one of Canada’s leading workplace conflict
management firms. The seven partners of Facilitated Solutions have a
combined history of over 150 years of mediation experience. Together
with their associates, Facilitated Solutions serves a wide range of
clientele and has extensive experience conducting group mediations
within government organizations, health care and educational
institutions, not-for-profit agencies and manufacturing industries.
Throughout the 5-days you will have opportunity to interact with
members of the FS team.
Format:
Facilitated Solutions’ workshops are carefully designed to maximize
the learning opportunity for all learning styles. Facilitators will
provide clear leadership in managing the flow of each session, ensuring
key concepts are taught and practiced and that space is provided for
participants to share their reflections, insights, best practice tips
and questions. A combination of exercises, lecture, stories,
discussion, case study and role-playing will be utilized. Each day will
include:
+ Reflections/exercises on the inner-work of the conflict resolution practitioner
+ Sharing hot tips/best practices ideas
+ Learning theory and dynamics of group conflict and group mediation
+ Review and discussion of Facilitated Solutions’ Standard Operating Procedures for group cases
+ Development of key skills for group processes
+ Application of theory, process and skills to a multi-phase case study that will unfold throughout the 5 days
Objectives:
Participants attending this workshop will:
+ Learn the steps that are required to deal with groups in conflict from the initial contact to concluding an intervention.
+ Write a report that identifies and describes the issues and makes process recommendations to address the issues.
+ Strategize how to best work alongside other leaders/resource people
in an organization to most effectively address the situation.
+ Learn a variety of group processes for responding to different issues.
+ Explore the factors that determine the order of a multi-stage intervention.
Material:
All
participants will receive a training manual that is based on
Facilitated Solutions’ Standard Operating Procedures. While the
manuals/handouts will remain the property of Facilitated Solutions, FS
values the principles of copyleft and encourages participants to adapt and incorporate materials into their own practice, while giving reference to the source.
Feedback from Practitioners on this course:
Excellent "participant's manual" with tons of interesting ideas. Thank you for sharing these with us; thanks for your generosity. Roleplays, talking to the "outed person", etc. I really enjoyed being challenged by the differences in your model and mine and adapted a lot of your ideas to my "reality". Also: closing memos, leadership statements, etc. were excellent ideas. Thank you. (Stats Canada participant)
I particularly appreciated the facilitators' style, knowledge,
dedication, professionalism, and high skill level. Also, the variety of
tools presented to understand the issues along with the generosity of
the facilitators in sharing their tips, stories, successes and
challenges. Thank you! (PSST participant)
I enjoyed this course immensely - so if I had a wish, it would be to spend another week sometime somewhere enjoying not only the material but but the quality of experience of all the facilitators - more of everything would be better! Thank you so very much!!! (RCMP participant)
I particularly appreciated experiencing the contrast between how we and Facilitated Solutions do Group Needs Assessments... Your approach is much more evaluative, directive and isn't reluctant to address leadership/management inefficiencies. We need to incorporate this. Well done all around. I enjoyed your collective fervour! (DND participant)
Good work!! Your enthusiasm and the benefit of the FS partnership's experience in the content and groups discussions was very beneficial and comforting for me and for the other insightful practitioners in the group. Keep up the good work - I will recommend your workshop every chance I get. Please let me know when you will be in Ottawa next!
(Health Canada participant)
Leading Group Assessments and Interventions - 5 Day Broad-Strokes Agenda
Concepts Covered:
Day 1
Introduce case study
Entering into the case
Making initial contact
Contracting with the client
Initial meeting with the staff
Conflict Assessment Tools
Day 2
Reflections for the intervenor
Drafting the report
Introduction
Naming and writing issues
Meeting with management
Meeting with “problematic” participants
Report back to staff
Day 3
Pillars of case development
Interpersonal mediations
Preparing parties for a mediation process
Coaching between sessions
A narrative mediation process
Dealing with the reluctant participant
Day 4
Further reflection: digging deeper with identity issues
Group processes (at the beginning and middle of an intervention)
Sharing information and clarifying misunderstandings
Decision making
Interest-based discussions
Circle processes
Day 5
Group process (at the end of an intervention)
Building a respectful workplace protocol
Closing memos
Selecting the recommendations (to include in report)
Criteria