Conflict Resolution

Introduction

Welcoming conflict as an opportunity.

Overview

This section explains ways to prevent conflict, and work through conflicts and grievances through mediation.

Page Index

  • Key Issues
  • Common Problems and Solutions
  • Successful Strategies
  • Annotated Web Resources
  • Topic Library
  • Sub-Topics and Vendors


    • Key Issues Related to this Topic

  • Healthy neighborhood groups create spaces to find common ground among diverse views. The unique service provided by neighborhood associations is bringing together residents, business owners and property owners of all ages, incomes and races to discuss the common good and create shared solutions. Through experience, training and awareness neighborhood staff and volunteers can learn how to create opportunities for all sides to be heard and for common solutions to emerge.

  • Support residents to work things out face to face. Conflict resolution/mediation services can be of benefit for residents and your organization. Tensions and conflicts inevitably arise on urban blocks and within neighborhood groups. Mediation programs provide free, confidential trained mediators, who help parties on both sides to tell their story, brainstorm solutions, and choose workable solutions, without resorting to the use of the legal system.

  • Prevent problems before they occur. Clear and established meeting norms, decision-making methods, grievance procedures and other policies will create open lines of communication within your group that can prevent and/or more quickly resolve problems and conflicts.

  • Welcoming conflict as an opportunity. Conflicts between neighborhood residents, stakeholders, volunteers and staff are normal and are to be expected. Conflicts can be a great opportunity for developing clarity on personal values and more effective management systems. Organizations are wise to look beyond the individual personalities involved in a conflict to see the underlying issues around the mission, values and structure and results of an organization

  • Creating healthy channels to hear grievances. The Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul require neighborhood groups to have published grievance procedures for hearing and responding to grievances from residents, volunteers and staff. Normally the lead staff and/or board chair of the organization will follow up on grievances, often with the help of a grievance committee, unless they are personally involved in the grievance. Mediation services can also be helpful in working through grievances. Your neighborhoods grievance procedures should be used to resolve conflicts that arise about how your group is operated, not for disputes between neighbors.

  • Free and paid professional help is available for your organization to review its bylaws, organizational chart, meeting norms, grievance procedures, personnel policies, conflict of interest policies and other basic systems. Getting an outside review of these important documents can provide valuable feedback, from which your board and staff can have fruitful discussions to revise and update these documents.

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    Common Problems and Solutions

  • Working with “difficult people.” Many neighborhood associations struggle with one or two “difficult people” who disrupt meetings and bring down the morale of others. Implementing good facilitation methods in your meetings can prevent residents from turning into “difficult people” and/or help a group strengthen the good will and wisdom of the whole, even when a “difficult person” is present. It is also OK to enforce consequences for people who consistently violate group meeting norms. When a disruptive individual threatens the overall health and functioning of your group, the group can send them away.

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    Successful Strategies

  • In working through conflicts start with the most collaborative methods first- management consultants and executive coaches can help members of your group see conflicts from a bigger systems view, remove the “personalities” involved in a conflict, and develop new policies and systems to resolve the issue over the long term. Mediation programs provide free, confidential trained mediators that have helped a number of neighborhood groups. Finally, Lawyers, including the free advice available at MAP for Nonprofits can help staff and volunteers to sort out legal obligations and options.

  • Establish basic ground rules for your meetings. Many neighborhood associations find it helpful for committee members and board members to agree on basic ground rules for how they will conduct meetings. Most groups find it helpful to create a poster of their ground rules which is visible at meetings so that the facilitator and group can keep the ground rules in mind. Good ground rules and facilitation can establish a more respectful and collaborative tone at your meetings.

  • Legal review of your group’s bylaws can be helpful. Lawyer’s with experience with nonprofit organizations can assist your association to review it’s bylaws.

  • Have and remind board members of your Conflict of Interest Policy. Conflicts of Interest occur whenever a director of a nonprofit acts in a position of authority on an issue in which they, or members of their family, have financial or other interests. In cases of potential conflict of interest, directors must act to preserve and enhance public trust in the organization by putting the interest of the organization ahead of all other business and personal interests. Board members can meet these ethical and legal imperatives by stating, in general, their potential conflicts of interests at several designated board meetings each year, and by stating, in specific, their conflict of interest at the beginning of a meeting during which an item will be considered from which they can a gain financially or personally and refrain from voting on the item in question.

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    Annotated WebLinks

  • Free Management Library
    Map for Nonprofits   06/14/04
    Check the Free Management Library topic areas “Legal Information” and “Organizational Change" for resources on conflict resolution.

  • Publications on conflict resolution
    Wilder Foundation   06/14/04
    Wilder has published an excellent resource book, “Resolving Conflict in Nonprofit Organizations”

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    Library

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    Vendors by Sub-Topic

    Mediation and Conflict Resolution  
        City of St. Paul Police Department, FORCE Unit
        Clarity Facilitation
        Community Crime Prevention / SAFE
        Dispute Resolution Center (St. Paul)
        Minneapolis Mediation Program


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