E-mail: info@cic-eap.co.uk
"The first challenge is addressing the participants' anxiety. But once they get in the room together and see that there is a real possibility of finding a way forward, people tend to respond very well."
CiC Mediation Consultant
- Mediation Brochure (.pdf)
Mediation
No matter how successful your organisation is, difficulties in communication are almost inevitable in any group of people working together. Differing beliefs, values, goals and life experiences all have the potential to contribute to misunderstandings. And although most problems can be resolved with relatively little intervention, it is all too easy for conflicting perspectives and expectations to spiral out of control.
The impact on both individuals and teams can be disastrous.
Recognising this, CiC offers a range of services aimed at helping organisations prevent and manage interpersonal difficulties in order to foster enhanced working relationships, build excellent teams and maximise organisational performance.
Where to start
Most workplace conflict arises in one of two ways. It manifests itself in tensions or disputes within or between groups that end up unable to function effectively or it breaks out between individuals who lose the capacity to relate to each other productively.
While there are distinct approaches for both scenarios, there are often elements of both in any given situation. At CiC, we believe the most important task is to get to the root of the problem, no matter how difficult, and identify and implement lasting solutions. To do this, we base our intervention on two core strategies.
Facilitated group sessions
No organisation can function well if a part of it is not working. Group sessions provide a safe space for a team that is experiencing difficulties to reflect on itself, in a contained setting, with an experienced and impartial group facilitator. The facilitator's task is to draw attention to styles of relating and differing assumptions and then to help the group think about solutions.
Group sessions offer a unique opportunity to observe a microcosm of the organisation in action. They can yield deeper common understandings as well as fresh and more productive ways of relating. Often the group will want to define how it will work in future and an agreed set of actions may be the chosen outcome. Sometimes it will be clear that conflicts between individuals need to be separately resolved and this can be organised.
Mediation
Mediation involves a more structured approach and tends to be most appropriate when communication has broken down between two individuals. When ways of moving forward seem limited, mediation is a valuable means of negotiating a compromise that is acceptable to both parties.
Successful mediation taps into people's own goodwill to find a workable solution. For this reason, no records are kept and reporting to the organisation is confined to what the parties agree should be there. The objective is always to find working solutions that respect both sides without the disruption and cost to everyone of resorting to legal processes.
Our skilled mediators act as neutral and impartial catalysts who are there to facilitate a safe and respectful negotiation process. They do not aim to solve the problem, but help individuals arrive at a positive and productive resolution that feels comfortable to both sides. Because of this, individuals and organisations often emerge stronger as a result of the process.
For further information, phone Timmy Kurtuldum on 020 7937 6224 or email info@cic-eap.co.uk.
