VEChannel Event Profile

Collaborative Conflict Resolution

The parties to a conflict are often one of each others best resources for resolving the dispute. This session presents a collaborative approach that frames conflict as a shared problem to be solved. Building from interestbased principles of dispute resolution, participants will consider the use of communication, information sharing, and creative thinking in conflict resolution and examine techniques for making the process work. Seminar Objectives: Understand the principles of interestbased conflict resolution Identify criteria for evaluating successful conflict resolution outcomes Learn techniques for framing conflict as shared problem solving Develop communication skills to facilitate conflict resolution Build working relationships through effective conflict resolution Instructor: Susan Woods Susan Woods is Senior Extension Associate with the Program for Employment and Workplace Systems (PEWS), a unit of Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is involved in workplace practitioner education and training in joint labormanagement processes, high performance work systems, organizational change, mutual gains negotiation and workplace diversity. She provides technical assistance and facilitation for interestbased conflict resolution and negotiations, participative organizational change initiatives, and joint unionmanagement processes. Recent clients include: Rutgers University/AAUP Chapters; General MillsBuffalo/BTCW&GM, Local 36G; Chautauqua County/CSEA, DSACC & CCSEA; Upstate Healthcare Systems Network ñ Veteranís Administration VISN 2/NYSNA, AFGE & SEIU, Local 200C, R.P. Adams/USWA 4447, TRW/ICWU Local 190C, and American Axle and Manufacturing/UAW Local 846. Susans work with diversity includes diversity awareness training as well as facilitation consulting with diversity leaders on the organizational change aspects of diversity and inclusion. Recent work includes workforce awareness dialogues for Cornell University Library Systems, the development of a trainthetrainer diversity awareness and culture change initiative for the City of Buffalo Fire Department and working with diversity executives at Philip Morris Companies to explore concepts of inclusion. Susan codirects The Workplace Diversity Network, a joint project of Cornell University ILR and The National Conference for Community and Justice, NCCJ. The WDN links practitioners with one another and with leading national resources to explore emerging policy and practice issues in workplace diversity. Through the network, she has cofacilitated the development on a framework for organizational inclusion and is collaborating on a national research project to create a validated measure for an organizational climate of inclusion. Susan has published on diversity in The Diversity Factor. Before joining Cornell University ILR, Susan taught at Smith College and Western New England College in Massachusetts.

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