[sudo-discuss] the value of having a conflict resolution process

[Romy Ilano]

This source is a little corporate-sounding at first but well-written. I
think they discuss a chamber of commerce non-profit in an unnamed city.

Does anyone find this useful? I relate to many of the topics.

http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/AMMagArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=557

As I indicated in Leaders Working Together, "The cornerstone assumption
remains: Collaboration does not mean we all have to agree, but we do have
to maintain mutual understanding." Having a process in place to deal with
inevitable conflict goes a long way in assisting a board in reaching that
mutual understanding and preventing destructive conflict. CPR is such a
process. And, while I've seen the process work effectively, one of the
first things a board must realize is that it takes time to move through the
steps and volunteer board members are often resistant to working through a
seemingly lengthy process that may resolve an issue or problem within the
board. In response to an interview question asked during my research, board
members from around the country revealed: "Resolving disputes is a priority
but dispute resolution is not." Hence, board members agreed that disputes
are a part of the decision-making process but, nevertheless, they do not
welcome a formal dispute-resolution process.

Therefore, when I introduce the notion of implementing a process to resolve
a dispute, I ask participants to weigh the alternatives. In other words,
how do they feel about carrying the weight of a chronic problem through
every decision-making exercise as compared to taking a little time away
from the regular agenda to resolve the issue thereby pulling that
particular weight from the board's shoulders? Generally, participants agree
that it makes sense to resolve the issue and they also discover that
collaborative problem resolution is designed as a simplified model with
volunteer boards in mind and is well worth the time it takes. Imagine how
far ahead the chamber would be in terms of time and money if they had taken
a few hours to step back and resolve the real problem at the root of its
conflict.
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