United States Fire Administration Chief Officer Training Curriculum Human Resource Development Module 5: Managing Workforce Conflict

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-2 Objectives  Articulate sources of interpersonal conflict within the workplace  Compare and contrast interest-based and position-based negotiation  Apply basic mediation skills that result in a “win-win” solution

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-3 Objectives (continued)  Identify sources of conflict in labor/management relationships  Analyze and resolve conflict-based scenarios

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-4 Change in Perspective You now look at everyday tasks, activities, and issues from a different perspective.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-5 Relationship Requirements  Commitment  A relationship based on trust  A work environment that is collaborative and absent of power-sharing concerns

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-6 Relationship Requirements (continued)  Labor and management to work together to build organizational policies and training requirements  Frequent, substantial, thorough, and multidirectional communication

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-7 Relationship Maintenance Tips  Do not let relationships deteriorate  Do not let relationships deteriorate  Anticipate and prepare for conflict  Anticipate and prepare for conflict  Consider possible outcomes of decisions before implementation  Eliminate the perception of secrecy

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-8 Relationship Erosion  Erosion in labor/management relationships does not happen overnight  Once eroded, it takes a long period of time to rebuild

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-9 Arbitration and Litigation  Both can be expensive  Decisions are final  Time consuming  Creates a volatile work atmosphere  Produces resolutions that might be unsatisfactory to one or both parties  Can substantially injure the labor/management relationship even further

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-10 Activity 5.1: Labor and Management Issues Time:  Total time – 25 minutes  Discussion time – 15 minutes Purpose: To help students identify sources of conflict in labor/management relationships.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-11 Activity 5.2: Personnel Problems Sources of Conflict Time:  Total time – 30 minutes  Discussion time – 20 minutes Purpose: To identify sources and solutions of interpersonal conflict within the workplace.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-12 Interest- versus Position-Based Negotiations Position-based negotiation is based on WHAT people want; interest-based negotiation deals with WHY they want it.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-13 Position-Based Negotiations Position-based negotiation can work well for bargaining over something that is easily divided, like money.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-14 Position-Based Negotiation (continued) Is not the preferred method for personnel conflicts.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-15 Interest-Based Negotiation Focuses on the parties’ interests instead of positions and can result in mutual gain.

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-16 Activity 5.3: Position- and Interest- Based Negotiation Time:  Total time – 50 minutes  Discussion time – 10 minutes Purpose:  To compare and contrast position and interest-based negotiation methods  Practice negotiation techniques

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-17 Mediation  Use mediation for conflicts involving two or more individuals who have lost the ability to communicate or reach an agreement  Do not use mediation for low-level disputes, victimization, or violation of department policies

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-18 Mediation Model Steps 1: State purpose and ground rules 2: Tell story in turn 3: List the issues 4: Sort issues 5: Generate solutions 6: Prioritize solutions 7: Select solution 8: Close and follow through

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-19 Activity 5.4: Mediation Role Play Time:  Total time – 30 minutes  Discussion time – 10 minutes Purpose:  To gain experience in negotiation and mediation  To apply basic mediation skills that result in a “win-win” solution

United States Fire Administration HRD 5-20 Summary We learned  Conflict resolution skills  Conflict resolution skills  A chief officer has a different perspective than the labor force and issues sometimes result  To identify and resolve interpersonal conflict within the workplace  When to use position and interest-based negotiations  How and when to use the mediation model to resolve conflict with winning solutions