Group Processes

Every workplace will, at times, find its people in conflict. An unhelpful response can weaken already fragile relationships. At ProActive ReSolutions, we provide structured processes to help all the parties affected by conflict in their workplace, learn from what has happened, strengthen the system of relationships, and transform the conflict into plans for cooperation and collaboration.

1. Post Investigation Management

It’s always difficult to return to full productivity following a workplace hearing or formal investigation, which is one of the reasons ProActive strongly argues against launching into a formal workplace investigation without first offering people the opportunity to participate in ProActive’s Restorative Conference. In circumstances where a decision to undertake a workplace investigation has been taken, the incidents and relationships leading up to and resulting from these complaint processes are likely to recur, continue, or even escalate without everyone having a clear understanding of your organization’s expectations, the responsibilities each person has agreed to comply with, and the support systems available to ensure everyone behaves appropriately.

OUR APPROACH. ProActive ReSolutions’ Post Investigation Management Services (PIMS)ensure everyone understands their responsibilities and what’s expected of them once an investigation has concluded. It’s future focused. The investigation’s conclusion is used as a springboard to reiterate the roles and responsibilities of every workgroup member while providing each individual with the tools, skills and strategies to address problematic behaviours as they arise. Both a specific intervention and a workgroup cultural reset, our PIMS supports individuals while establishing an integrated accountability framework for meeting the organization’s requirement to maintain a healthy, psychologically safe, harassment-free workplace.

OUR METHODOLOGY. PIMS follows a structured approach to understanding and addressing the perceptions, issues and dynamics of the individual, the team and the managers involved.

1. Researching the Problem. The first step in PIMS is understanding the perceptions, attitudes and underlying issues held by those involved. This is done by interviewing the complainants, respondents and managers in a series of one-on-one meetings.
2. Analyzing and Addressing the Problem. With a clear understanding of the perceptions, attitudes and underlying issues, our consultants then begin developing a coaching plan to help address these issues and perceptions. Part of this plan includes coaching key individuals to join a Respectful Workplace Training session with the rest of their workgroup as a productive participant.
3. Presenting the Findings. ProActive ReSolutions will deliver a report confirming people’s understanding of the problem, any actions taken and any relevant recommendations.

Note that ProActive ReSolutions won’t disclose specifics of the scenarios raised by individuals and will maintain confidentiality with respect to the concerns and disclosures of participants.

Additional ongoing coaching support is available as part of our annual support package.

2. Conflict Management

Conflict occurs every day in the workplace and takes many forms. While many issues are resolved, those that are not tend to escalate into more heated conflict or can result in negative behaviours such as bullying, harassment, toxic workplace behaviour or in more extreme situations, workplace violence.

TRANSFORMING CONFLICT INTO COOPERATION. At ProActive we understand the difference between a dispute and a conflict. The term dispute derives from Latin. The combination of dis and putare literally means to clean up the mess or clear up the misunderstanding. Conflict on the other hand derives from the Latin conflictus, meaning to strike together, as in a clash of swords. Disputes and conflicts are qualitatively different experiences for us as humans and thus require different responses.

It is from this understanding that we designed the form of Restorative Conferencing that has become so widely recognized and used. Our Restorative Conference product has been validated by numerous international studies including the UK’s largest Randomized Controlled Trial in the social sciences. Our conflict engagement process is one of the few professional services shown to achieve a Return on Investment of 9:1.

Our approach has been adopted in workplaces, criminal justice systems and communities in countries globally.

OUR APPROACH. The ProActive ReSolutions’ Conference is designed to allow those engulfed by conflict to gain clarity on how the conflict developed, the effect it has had on people’s willingness to cooperate and work together, and then to collectively determine what can be done to repair any hurt and harm and identify lessons learned to prevent future conflict.

OUR METHODOLOGY. We begin by ensuring all those affected by what has happened are given an opportunity to be involved in the ProActive ReSolutions Conference. In listening to each individual, we look for incidents, issues and patterns of behaviour that illustrate the difficulty people now have in engaging with each other. By the time we bring together those affected by the conflict in the Conference, people have agreed to talk, listen, and engage with each other.

Through a facilitator-led group conversation, participants clarify how the conflict developed, identify the impacts of the conflict on themselves and each other, and determine what they can do to cooperate from here on in.

Our Conference typically reaches a written agreement that stipulates what is to be done regarding people’s behaviour towards each other, how this will be monitored and supported, and what will happen if one of the participants breaches the Agreement. ProActive stays in weekly contact for between 6 – 8 weeks to monitor the Agreement. The group then reconvenes to report back to each other on progress and suggest additional ways of ensuring the Agreement is sustained.

FEEDBACK. ProActive can provide a written Report back to our client identifying additional ways in which the organization can support the group to sustain and build on their success.

3. Reintegration Support Services

Awkward. Hostile. Difficult. Uncomfortable. These are terms often used by individuals, team members and management when individuals return to the workplace after an investigation is completed due to an incident. Often, all parties involved find it difficult to return to being productive because they are not sure how to behave, what to say or even how to act.

Our Reintegration Support Services facilitate the reintroduction of an individual back to the workplace environment after an incident by helping to establish communication structures and behavioural expectations – all within a safe and non-threatening environment.

OUR APPROACH. Our Reintegration Support Services (RSS) is not designed as a fact-finding exercise, or as a mechanism for apportioning blame for behaviours and incidents that have left people feeling distressed, upset, angry or generally unhappy. Rather, we focus on assessing the critical perceptions and attitudes that are currently held by the team or managers following an incident. We determine how to best address those perceptions and attitudes in a way that will support the individual’s reintegration back into the workplace.

OUR METHODOLOGY. RSS follows a structured approach to understanding and capturing the perceptions, issues, and dynamics of the individual, the team, and the managers involved.
The first step in RSS is understanding the perceptions, attitudes and underlying issues held by those involved. This is done by conducting interviews with the Complainant(s), Respondent(s) and Manager(s) in a series of one-to-one meetings.

ANALYZING AND ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM. With a clear understanding of the perceptions, attitudes, and underlying issues, our consultants are in the position to begin developing a coaching plan to help address these issues and perceptions.

PRESENTING THE FINDINGS. We will deliver a report confirming people’s understanding of the problem, any actions taken, and any relevant recommendations.

We maintain confidentiality with respect to the concerns and disclosures of participants and do NOT disclose specifics of the scenarios raised during the interview stage.

Additional ongoing coaching support is available as part of our annual support package.

4. Dialogue for Solutions

Sometimes making decisions is not an easy process. There are strongly held opinions, different understandings and insufficient time available to reach a well thought through, inclusive and appropriate solutions. ProActive ReSolutions’ Dialogue for Solutions provides a 4-step framework to overcome these limitations.

OUR APPROACH. Our facilitator involves all group members and makes sure that all contributions are heard. The discussion is clearly focused around understanding an issue and gaining participants’ commitment to execute a clearly defined action plan.

OUR METHODOLOGY. Our Dialogue for Solutions methodology pools the wisdom of the group, separates identified problems from identified strengths, and prioritizes the problems. We develop an action plan designed to solve these problems, while holding the group accountable to implement the plan.

Step 1: Gathering Information
We facilitate a group meeting using Dialogue for Solutions providing each participant an opportunity to contribute with what they know about the issue. The findings are recorded along with every contribution made by each participant.

Step 2: Identifying Problems underlying the issue
Once Step 1 has been completed (and it can take a number of rounds), participants identify which of the items listed are problems. Using a simple scoring system these problems are rated individually and confidentially by participants according to specific criteria. The list of problems is then examined in priority order, beginning with the Primary Problem.

Step 3: Identifying Solutions to the Problems
Through a facilitator-led discussion, participants suggest as many solutions as possible to the Primary Problem. Once all solutions are exhausted, they are weighted and evaluated on costs and benefits. Solutions are individually rated individually and confidentially using a scoring system and specific criteria to identify the Primary Solution.

Step 4: Developing an Action Plan
Participants then focus on the Primary Solution (and if time permits, on the next two prioritized solutions) and develop an Action Plan whereby the participants agree to be held accountable to implement the plan. A report on all aspects of the dialogue and lessons from the exercise is provided.