1. Dealing with Conflict and Maintaining Faculty Morale
Institute for Academic Leadership
June 6, 2018
Karen M. Bryan
University of South Florida

2. There is one certainty: There will be conflict.
Productive Conflict
Ideas, strategies, goals can be discussed and debated.
Not everyone will win, but everyone should be heard.
Non-Productive Conflict
When the productive conflict turns personal—it becomes more about personalities than a discussion of ideas
When colleagues end up at odds with one another for whatever reason, the entire unit suffers

3. Conflicts will arise between a number of different constituencies
Faculty members and student(s)
Faculty members and administrators (on whatever level)
Faculty members and other faculty members

4. Important point to remember:
It is important to address issues earlier rather than later
Don’t take it personally, even when it is meant to be
Don’t get angry
Know your unit and university governance documents thoroughly
Be willing to have the hard conversations
Hold your own counsel in the academic environment and elsewhere
Be willing to seek advice or help when needed
Find a confidant and sounding board

5. It is important to address the conflict earlier rather than later.
Consequences if you don’t:
The conflict will grow beneath the surface and will fester
Lack of trust will become prevalent
Complaints will increase
Faculty will start to avoid meetings where the other person or faction will be, or where there is a chance for the issue to erupt.
Sarcasm will increase
Productivity and general morale will decrease

6. Rely on process and policies to help you navigate through these issues.
Know your unit and university governance documents thoroughly
Departmental and College By-Laws
Departmental Faculty Handbook; University Faculty Handbook
Collective Bargaining Agreement
Be transparent, fair and consistent in your decisions, particularly when involves these policies or budgetary matters.

7. Don’t take the conflicts personally.
If you take the conflicts personally, the only person that will suffer is you.
Doing so will impact your judgment.
It will cloud your vision for the department.
It will lower your morale.
It will take a toll on you both physically and mentally.

8. Don’t get angry. Step back.
Delay or reschedule the meeting.
Do not respond to s immediately. Go through multiple drafts offline if necessary.
When all else fails, use Larry’s technique!

9. Be willing to have the hard conversations.
Employ active listening.
Try to see through the surface issues to those lying underneath.
Be as fair and unbiased as possible.
Be clear about your decisions and the results of the meetings.
Follow the meeting with a summation so that all parties are clear and the results are memorialized
Important points:
Be aware of the emotional climate
Stay focused on the problem
Do not allow name calling
Be willing to develop alternate solutions
Be clear about next steps
Don’t let them leave the meeting without a back-up plan

10. Hold your own counsel in the academic environment and elsewhere.

11. Be willing to seek advice or help with needed.
The Dean (sometimes)
Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (Affirmative Action)
Ombudsperson
University Legal

12. Find a confidant and sounding board.

13. Mutual Agreements for faculty meetings
Adapted from rules for civility by P.M. Forni in Choosing Civility
1. Be fully present and participate fully
2. Speak and listen honestly from the heart and head
3. All ideas are worthy, even if you do not agree with them.
4. Maintain a sense of humor.
5. Maintain moderation of language and tone.
6. No one dominates
7. Trust the process.
8. Embrace change and help others embrace change.
9. What is said here stays here; what is learned here leaves here.

14. Additional Resource
James R. Coffman: Work and Peace in Academe: leveraging time, money and intellectual energy through managing conflict. Bolton, MA, Anker Publishing Company, Inc., 2005.
Countless other resources for departmental leadership