Steps to Dispute Resolution Process and Strategies

Dispute resolution process allow organization to maintain a pleasant environment in workplace. Disputes often occur due to differences of opinions and thoughts about a certain aspect of business between different individuals or parties, which if not handled properly and timely can lead to huge mistrust and personal animosities even between best partners. These are just like a part of everyday normal life but are totally inevitable. There fore learning the step by step method and the strategies used for the purpose of dispute resolution is extremely necessary.

Steps to Dispute Resolution Process

The process of resolving a dispute or conflict expects you to follow a five steps methodology to help you re-achieve that atmosphere of peace which existed before the dispute came to the surface.

1. Conflict Source Identification

It is true that half of your problems will automatically get solved if you focus highly on the accurate identification of the causes which gave rise to the conflicts. For the purpose, ask both of the parties share their side of what they experienced and what made them unhappy and listen to both of them with extreme care.

Breaking down the incident into smaller questions, like when did it happen or what part of the incident hurt you most, and encouraging the response from both parties can surely help a lot in determining a solution to the disturbance.

2. Looking under the Surface

Most of the times, just scratching the surface is not going to be enough and you will have to dig a little deeper to locate the original cause of the controversies and cut them down by roots. This step is important since it might also be a possibility that the feud is not a recent product, instead, it might be there for a long time but in its dormant state but it has grown big enough to initiate quarrels either verbally or physically. As a mediator, it is your responsibility to look beyond the incident and for this, you can ask both of the parties that if they remember anything which resulted in all the mess.

3. Requesting Solutions

Requesting suggestions from the arguing parties is a well-understood step for putting forward a permanent and effective solution to the disturbances. After you get the point of view of the conflicts, you can ask the parties that what they think can make the situations better than they are now. Be an active listener and pay full attention to the body languages since you want them not to repeat the words that can hurt the other, and you are there to make the disputants start cooperating with you and not fighting again.

4. Identifying the ideal Solution

Once you gather up the ideas from both sides, then focus on thinking about merits and demerits that each of these suggestions can have. Then, if possible, combine two or more ideas to give rise to that ideal solution that is not only beneficial to the arguing parties but also to the brand.

5. Agreement on the Solution

Being a mediator, your job is not over yet because there’s still one thing left to do and that’s making the parties agree on the solution devised. For the purpose, write a contract which binds up the groups to a particular set of time frames from keeping back from actions that can again lead to conflicts in the future.

Dispute Resolution Strategies

1. Discussion

Most of the time, face to face discussion of the conflictual groups is the best way to end up the conflicts. Since disputes are a product of misunderstandings that are fueled up with the animosity and non-peaceful atmosphere as resulted by the persistence of groups for not talking to each other for finding the answer to dispute or talking like if they are personal enemies of each other. That’s where you come in as a third party that encourages a thorough talk through among the opponents if you think that they haven’t yet communicated to each other to end up this quarrel

2. Mediation

Well! In the discussion, your role as a third party is not so obvious but here, either you or a staff member who’s trained for the purpose of dispute resolution sits among the individuals. Since the issue, if not addressed properly, can grow up big enough to be a great danger to the whole business itself. So, this third party is responsible for providing that necessary help which could make the feuding individuals cap up that escalated conflict which caused the need for intervention from outside.

3. Voting

Tired of listening to altercations all the time? Then, put the situation at rest by voting. It is a simple strategy of asking the other members of your staff what they think about a certain aspect of the conflict. Let’s say the feuding individuals are fighting over the selection of a particular marketing strategy, the dispute can be resolved by getting an opinion of other workers.

4. Establishing Written Communications

Sometimes, it’s a lot better to approach the dispute resolution through written communications. This strategy can prove itself useful in the times when the temper of one of the individuals or parties grows out enough such that the access to dispute resolution environment is not possible through face to face discussions. Ask the groups to connect to each other using letters. Since it provides enough time to both sides for making a careful selection of the words which are difficult to think of when one is angry. This also ensures that there is no opportunity for the revival of the conditions in which the groups start yelling at each other again.

5. Compromising

Selecting and prioritizing one group’s interest is not a wise move since it will just increase the tension among the both. Well! Instead of comprising over the opinions can prove to be the best dispute resolution strategy here because both of the parties will have to gain something along with a little loss. Present the conflicting parties with what you have to offer to them and ask them to accept it. In this way, the possibility of the itchy feel decreases that can occur due to an irresponsive solution to the conflict.