Team Conflict Resolution Interventions. Standing at a Crossroads.

(Our teams have an amazing amount of team building experience with Eskom, Government and Corporate teams.)

Teams, businesses and organizations that are under pressure to transform their troubled teams, are often challenged by the wealth of “solutions” offered, by companies. Some of these solutions are great - and many are doomed to failure.

If your team is being forced to find a solution, your team is at a crossroads of danger and opportunity.

The danger lies in choosing the wrong “solution(s”) and yet, if you get your choice right, there are huge hidden opportunities to build individuals and teams, and thereby reap great rewards.

Self-defeating team conflict resolution programs will have strategies that:-

• try isolate to the “troublemakers”, and get them to resolve their differences.

• exclude any member/s of the team in the process.

• hand the management of the team’s behaviors, with agreements from “team agreed resolution”, to your managers/ supervisors.

• isolate, intimidate, or simply ignore certain team members.

• neglect the development of communication skills, team and individual personality skills, understanding of the carious diversities within the team.

• Go with a talk-down and divisive diversity training program.

• Use unsuitable and un-focused team building programs - that isolate even 1 member of your team..

If any of these factors form part of your attempts to resolve team conflict, the process, and your money, will be wasted. More so, it could negatively impact your team - in the long term..

The opportunity to build teams is found in the wisdom, uniqueness, talents and skills of your team. When we hire people, we hope that they are mature enough to manage their own behavior. After we sign the employment contracts, we then begin to control their every action. We put managers in charge of all decisions. Soon we have people who will not even go to the toilet without permission.

Our over-control has taken away their sense of value, ownership, accountability and responsibility. And this is where team conflict begins.

The methodologies included in Celebrating Humanity Diversity Training and Transformational team-building programs - outlined in our book - Team Conflict resolution Strategies - ensures that team transformation is non-threatening, unifying and inclusive. It ensures that we give the power back to your teams - to manage their own behavior - through their own agreements.

This takes incredible stress off managers and supervisors, and the business/organization. In turn, empowered people drive your business in a safe and respectful place created by themselves.

Our teams have been called in to resolve conflict when the psychologists, and conflict resolution specialists have been unsuccessful. The people that we meet are often disillusioned, angry and isolated. Management is stressed, backstabbing, gossiping and labor disputes are the order of the day. And all of this is after numerous “conflict resolution solutions.”

Our teams bring fun, communication, respect and understanding into the team - before we even look at developing team-based codes of conduct. And when we leave - we have put in place ongoing team-managed processes - supported by our follow-up processes. Our feed back is always taken at least a year after the initial program. And the results are always excellent - without fail!

Read the book - and use the lessons therein, or call in our teams. Whichever way your go - this will be the best decision you will ever make.

Brian Moore - Copyright. October 2008

www.celebrating-humanity-projects.com

info@africa-dreams.com

Mobile: +27 9 643 4457

Moneyweb - News - Eskom lashes out at Nersa

An interesting article for you,

Enjoy,

Brian

Moneyweb - News - Eskom lashes out at Nersa: "22 May 2008 16:14

Eskom Holdings Limited rejects, in the strongest possible terms, the suggestion that the Eskom management has been pre-occupied with the profitability of the utility at the expense of providing adequate supply of electricity to the country. This is a misguided statement and can never be substantiated in fact.

Eskom has consistently spent in excess of what the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's (NERSA) has allowed for primary energy cost in its Multi-Year Price Determination. In this current phase of the three year price determination (commencing 1 April 2006 ending 31 March 2009), Eskom will spend R13 billion over and above what the Regulator has allowed in its determination. For the past two financial years, Eskom spent R6 billion more than what the Regulator allowed. For the current financial year, Eskom is projecting to spend another R6 billion in excess of what the Regulator has allowed for primary energy cost.

The Board further disagrees with the NERSA conclusion that 'there appears to be a conflict between Eskom's business objectives and its reason for existence: to supply electricity"

Team Conflict Resolution: Simple, Effective Team Conflict Strategies that Really Work: For Teams, Office & Workplace

Team Conflict Resolution: Simple, Effective Team Conflict Strategies that Really Work: For Teams, Office and Workplace: "How To Clear Stress and Conflict from Your Teams in 24 Hours!

These Fast, Effective and Simple Team Conflict Resolution Strategies Will Get Your Team Members Communicating, Supporting Each Other and Working Together - in the Long Term...

And You Can Use That Unity To Explode Sales And Get A Huge Advantage In Your Business...

... You Will See Results In As Little As 24 Hours... Without Mediation, Conflict Resolution, Therapists, Labour Lawyers or Psychologists,"

Diversity Training in South Africa

Diversity Training in South Africa: "Protecting one's Turf - McDonnel's road

Conflict will often arise in the workplace, when we cross into team members 'domains', the special little side-empires that they have built. Their 'departments', or their offices. They live in fear that this space will be changed, by those around them.

They live in a small space, and suffer their pains alone. They believe that no-one else has felt their pain. And they feel the need t0 fight to protect their turf and keep their pain, as a reason to live.

I was on one of the Isles of Aran, off the West Coast of Ireland, yesterday - with my beautiful wife, Arthie.

We were taken on a tour of the island by a man, on his horse and carriage..."

Workplace Conflict Resolution in Eskom

Mthimkhulu International has had amazing successes in clearing Workplace Conflict - in Eskom, through the Celebrating Humanity programme.

Mthimkhulu International, a Proudly South African, 50% PDI Woman-owned and managed, training and consulting organisation has facilitated numerous and very successful, workplace diversity management & teambuilding workplace diversity training programmes with Eskom Ltd.

Celebrating Humanity programmes have been approved by the Eskom Leadership Centre in Midrand and Mthimkhulu is a Recorded Provider with the Services Seta.

These programmes have been successfully run in the Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and KZN provinces of South Africa. Contact us for a project proposal.

One of the areas that are resolved is that of communication - as the following story shows:-

Talk straight, talk clearly and talk with respect.

As the lift descended the two Zulu ladies made their observations of my well-rounded figure...

"Hawu! We sisi! Uwubonile umkhaba? (Gee Sister have you noticed the stomach.)

"Yebo, ngiwubonile. Yinkinsela yempela - sengathi inemali eningi!" (Yes, I have noticed it. Clearly a wealthy person - I'd imagine he has plenty of money.)

All this gossip happened in front of me, as they innocently watched the floor indicator panel. I bided my time and as the two ladies prepared to leave the lift,

I spoke to them in Zulu. "Sobuye sibonane bomama." (I will see you ladies around some time.)

"Hawu! Hawu!" They squealed in shock. "We didn’t know that you could speak Zulu!"

The event reminded me of similar events where people use their "superior" use of language to make negative observations of people.

Many years ago I used the services of a UK born dentist. I had an afternoon session with him. I had earlier washed my mouth out at a supermarket rest-room after eating a sandwich for lunch. It was not enough. He peered into my mouth and pronounced to his assistant, "It is a foggy day in Liverpool."

In his English way he had said that I had not brushed my teeth. I was very embarrassed and he lost me as a client and a number of others who I spoke to about the event.

In a recent training course my beautiful Hindu wife and I were subjected to abuse from a small group of England-born delegates. In loud and profane tones they proceeded to malign the "Indians" and their "ability to speak the truth". This in the round about and sarcastic manner of certain English people. Very little is said directly.

We are however well travelled and understood perfectly. As facilitators we have to be fair, pleasant and respectful to all of our delegates. Any mention of their meanness would reduce the programme to a series of personal attacks. It took us both a lot of internal and interpersonal talk to get close to our normal warm level of communication.

At an earlier course three of the many Afrikaners, on a Celebrating Humanity© course, walked into the conference venue and made similar attacks on Arthie and the programme itself. This time it was in Afrikaans. They too never believed that we could understand and speak their language. Their embarrassment was very visible as the programme unfolded with both of us speaking English, Zulu and Afrikaans.

Numerous African people from our many language groups speak of the way certain English speaking South Africans "Shaya ‘ma angles." (To speak indirectly and in a round about way.) It is an old English habit to lighten the criticism and talk around a challenge, so as not to hurt feelings. Often the hurt is greater because no-one besides the speaker understands the true message until much later.

Some people find it necessary to joke in sexual manner. Their jokes are often below the belt and cause great embarrassment to their colleagues and friends who do not discuss these matters outside of their bedrooms. Most African and Eastern groups do not appreciate such jokes. Others try to get their laughs by bringing down "groups" of people. By race, by colour, by language, by religion and even by hair colour.

The message here is all about respect.

When we isolate ourselves into our common groups and use our cleverness to "secretly" or "publicly" attack others, we damage our ability to develop good working relationships.

When we try not "to hurt others feelings", we often cause more pain than we would have by straight talk and without rancour.

When we use our own "language" to communicate our jealousy or meanness towards those who communicate in other languages, we often isolate ourselves.

When we joke in a manner that is sexual or which brings down other people, we bring ourselves, the listeners and our country down.

We live in a wonderful multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-spiritual land. All of our people have a right to respect and dignity. All of us have a duty to be respectful and dignified.

One huge step of our journey, to a united land, will take place when begin to tell funny jokes that do not demean, or disrespect other people. And another gigantic step will take place when we talk straight, talk clearly and talk with respect.

Brian Moore© (Assisted by Jeff Thomas - Asizwane.)

Mthimkhulu International
trainers@iafrica.com