Transforming the culture of conflict management? Lessons from in- house mediation. Dr Richard Saundry Institute for Research into Organisations, Work and Employment (iROWE) University of Central Lancashire

Background Direct benefits of mediation compared with rights based procedures are well rehearsed – Reduced costs – staff and absence – Allow early resolution – Maintain employment relationship Indirect effects offer greater organisational impact – The development of managerial skills – Positive impact on culture of conflict management

Transforming conflict management? Mediation has the potential to lead to a major and dramatic shift in the culture of employment relations (BIS, 2011:13).

iROWE/Acas Research Programme Accompaniment and Representation in Discipline and Grievance Conflict Management Case Studies – Workplace mediation – Resolution Officers and dispute resolution – Conflict management in private sector – Mediation and dispute resolution in private sector Over 100 interviews with managers, HR practitioners and employee representatives

Effectiveness of mediation All organisations claimed high success rates and positive user feedback Clear benefits when compared with conventional procedures Line managers and HR practitioners who had been subject to mediation were mainly enthusiastic Scope of mediation in some organisations limited to interpersonal disputes More flexible applications were successful: – Mediation co-ordinator used as a source of employee advice – Resolution of ET applications

Promoting mediation – key barriers and problems Conflict management not seen as a strategic issue Broader impact of mediation very difficult to quantify Resistance from line managers and some employee representatives Mediation often seen as a last resort Sustaining mediation difficult due to tension with commercial/operational priorities

Broader impact – changing the culture of conflict management? Clear evidence of changed attitudes and enhanced CM skills amongst mediators and managers subject to mediation Broader organisational impact less clear – some evidence of development of high-trust relationships Training process crucial to relationship building Key issues: – Size of organisation – Nature of HR function and relation to conflict management – Involvement of employee representatives and operational managers

Mediation can have a transformational impact on the attitudes and behaviours of those who experience mediation and those who are trained and work as mediators Where conflict management is controlled by a small number of key actors, mediation can have a fundamental impact on workplace relations This therefore depends on: – Adoption of a strategic approach to actively involve all stakeholders – Size of the organisation – concentration of mediation skills – Structure of conflict management - degree of devolution Possible need for greater emphasis on mediation skills as opposed to mediation structures Conclusion