“Conflict Charters” aren’t even used in the workplace that much...yet (wink!) But this progressive concept can be used by families in our current virus isolation, not just teams within organizations. Whether you utilize it for business or personal, sports or other groups, the impact is astounding. Fundamental: Conflict Charters are created by all people on the team.
Creating a living document that lets everyone know (because they created it together) how conflicts are to be handled on the team (or in a family) is vital. Starter questions (less formal for family use) include: What defines a conflict? What types of conflicts might we encounter? What is the progression when a certain type of conflict happens? Who do we talk to about it? How do we escalate it if needed? When do we get supervisors (parents) involved? When is HR contacted? What are the expectations we have about how we want conflict to be resolved so we can all Move Forward Together...and then put it into a “how to” type of document that everyone signs.
This doesn’t work by having the leader drop down a list of things “everyone is gonna do.” It works because everyone takes the time out of their life to prepare for the inevitable, conflict.
This is a collaborative document that all people create together in good faith. Later, when any type of conflict happens, individuals know how to move the process of reconciliation forward...the Conflict Charter remains the anchor for how it will get resolved and everyone knows it. If people are behaving in ways that are outside of the charter, it makes it easier to help identify, share and better ensure it gets corrected. People who are responsible for breaking the rules quickly remember (or it gets pointed out ever so gently) signing the document and are quicker to look for solutions/change behavior.
This is not something that has to be created in one sitting...in fact, it does not have to be and probably won’t. Contact me on how to get this started, virtually, to prepare for the short and long term growth of your organizational (or family) teams. Managing expectations is a huge part of leading, this is one way to create a (modified as needed over time) structural tool that has a shelf life of, forever. Work smarter on conflicts than harder, create and use a “Conflict Charter!”
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