All organisations run into controversies about issues or changes under consideration. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the way it is handled can determine whether an organisation will emerge from the discussions bruised and divided, or healed, confident and united.
The following tips for managing controversies in meetings are drawn from Eli Mina Consulting.
Meet with the individuals before the meeting. Contact potentially disruptive individuals or factions before the meeting and try to resolve any legitimate concerns. Reassure them that the meeting will be run fairly and ask for their support.
Set a constructive tone for the meeting—don’t assign blame. Try opening the discussion by saying “The issues before us today are not easy. At the same time I am confident that we can work together, debate the issues and reach positive outcomes for our organisation and community”.
Remind people about guidelines for meetings. Introduce or remind people about the meeting guidelines at the beginning and have them approved/confirmed by the members. You might say “Let’s remember before we start the meeting today that we should speak when recognised by the chair, focus on the issues and not people, be respectful and behave properly”.
Try to modify contentious proposals. When the issue is being discussed, see if the contentious proposal can be modified (without compromising it) to take into account valid concerns. Integrate constructive suggestions.
Intervene if necessary. Intervene decisively if members are disruptive. Try saying “Please focus on the issues and not the personalities” or “Please give others the same respect that you want when you are speaking”.
Use positive language. Convert criticisms into options and interests. Instead of “You sound unhappy with our leadership” say “You seem to be suggesting that we could be more inclusive and better tuned to the needs of the members that we serve”.
Set up the room for consensus. This can be as simple as replacing parallel rows with round tables. See if you can break adversarial patterns by mixing the group’s various factions.
The Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution suggests these techniques to help manage issue-based conflicts.
Acknowledge the value of different views. Acknowledge the value and importance of divergent views in making decisions.
there is group ownership of problems and solutions.
Focus on issues rather than personalities.
Name the problem. Help the parties define the issue. State what you understand it to be and seek agreement between them on a clear definition of the issue.
Seek agreement on outcomes. Seek agreement from the parties on the objectives, outcomes or decisions sought, by placing this item on the board agenda.
Help parties identify why the issue is important. Seek consensus from the parties on why the issue matters, rather than encouraging more debate on who has the best solution or idea.
Conduct a role-play. Ask each to step into the other’s shoes and role-play the debate from the other’s perspective.
Summarise the discussion. Paraphrase or summarise the discussions several times until there is consensus on points of agreement and disagreement.
Seek compromise. Encourage the parties to suggest new insights or compromises. Seek agreement on a compromise.
Restate the solution. Restate the favoured solution. Check with parties to see if it is acceptable and if it will allow them to resolve the matter.
Document the decision. Table or document the item to be dealt with after a cooling-off period.
procedurally legitimate and fair. People have had the opportunity to participate, put forward their views and be listened to,and have confidence in the information, rules and processes.
emotionally satisfying and restorative of social cohesion. These are people’s personal and emotional reasons for the dispute or grievance—whether they feel those have been taken into account in the process, and how they feel about themselves and others after outcomes have been negotiated.
substantively ‘resolved’. This means addressing the actual issues or intangible things under dispute which people are actually seeking to have resolved.
access to external mediation or counsel if disputes are entrenched or focus on the top manager.
succession planning for the top manager’s position—no-one stays forever.
development of governance charters and manuals laying out agreed values, rules and commitments.
If you are an incorporated organisation registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth) you can also ask the registrar to intervene to resolve disputes.
You can use this check-up to see what you are doing well to manage disputes or grievances in your organisation or group and get ideas for other things you could do to improve your processes.
Governing body—disagreement and conflict within the governing body itself; poor chairing or bullying at meetings; poor conduct and dishonesty; interference by the governing body in the daily work of individual staff and managers; intimidation or unilateral direction of staff.
Management—poor conduct and dishonesty among management; tension and unresolved issues between the governing body and top manager; poor management communication and leadership; inconsistent decision making and application of policies; poor work performance; failure to communicate relevant information to governing body and staff.
Staff—poor conduct and dishonesty; harassment and tensions between management and staff; operating without delegation; poor work performance; confusion about roles and responsibilities; failure to report on actions and progress.
Have a written complaints and dispute resolution policy and procedure. Complaints are usually handled first by a designated officer, and if needed they can go to the top manager or the governing body as the ultimate decision maker.
Approach the person or people directly involved. This can clarify the issues and then, if needed, the grievance can be put in writing or documented through a translator.
Use a phased approach for resolution and keep a register or file. This can help people to see that the situation is being taken seriously and the process can be tracked through its different stages.
Use traditional mechanisms as relevant, such as referral to a council of elders, or invoking the positive influence of particular kinship, ceremonial or gender-based institutions of authority.
Use external mechanisms. If the dispute or grievance remains unresolved, external mechanisms—such as an agreed mediator, independent arbitrator, or referral to the services of representative bodies or non-government organisations with dispute resolution expertise—can help.
Maintain good communication with the parties involved, including communication about their issues, rights, interests and options.
Develop broader governance policy frameworks and charters that set out the codes of conduct, roles, responsibilities and rights of the governing body, management and staff in relation to members—and vice versa.