Conflict Resolution
The department head was furious over an email sent by a department member disagreeing with an action that had been taken. A complaint had been drafted but not yet submitted, and the key parties in the conflict agreed to mediation to resolve the problem. The process took over seven months, and the resolution hinged on the definition of a single word. Once that word was clarified, the resolution was immediate.
Organizational conflict occurs when people disagree with an organization's policy or practice, as when management and staff disagree on a labor issue. A strike is an organizational conflict.
Most conflicts, though, are interpersonal differences that simply occur in the workplace, complaints about a promotion someone didn't get, or a disagreement over an assignment, or in the case cited above, a perceived insult to position and authority. These disagreements can escalate, destroying needed trust among staff members.
Whether you call it facilitating a conversation or bringing in a consultant or some other term that is acceptable to your group, the most effective solution is having a mediator, a neutral third party, work with both sides of an issue to foster an agreement.
I'm a trained mediator with lots of organizational experience and can bring these skills to your workplace disagreement either by providing supportive coaching on next steps to a team leader or department head, by working with staff members directly to sort out the issues, or by providing conflict resolution training.
Each situation is unique, so contact me to arrange a call if you'd like to find a solution with the support of a neutral professional with considerable leadership and coaching experience.