Conflict Resolution

Introduction

• If two people have a highly charged disagreement where communication breaks down, the people involved have the option to take space to reflect and find emotional balance within themselves before re-engaging the disagreement and general community.

• The individuals are able to request that the community support their conflict resolution process by asking for someone to act as a mediator through a series of meetings. It’s important that the intention of the meetings is to resolve the conflict and create a beneficial outcome by showing up with the best outcome in mind.

• It can be a good practice for the first meeting to establish general guidelines and boundaries to support the two people sharing the same space successfully. The meetings can be conducted using a menu of conflict resolution tools such as Process Dialoguing, Nonviolent Communication, or other models.

FeF Conflict Resolution Process

Suggested process for attaining closure:

1. Personal resolution of conflict between two people.
2. If a satisfactory solution is not obtained, if it is avoided, or is otherwise not practical, then each of the 2 parties has a right to request binding mediation. Binding mediation means that upon request, the other party is required to undergo mediation, with the third party currently being Aaron Makaruk or Marshall Hilton. Another third party may be used upon mutual agreement.
3. To engage in mediation, the requesting party must submit a written notice of grievance to both the other party and to the mediator. The grievance must contain a brief summary of the issue with key relevant facts, and it should also include a condition of satisfaction for resolution (ex, for me to have a resolution, I need ______). The second party is encouraged to write a written response of key issues with relevant facts from their own perspective. The intent of the written notice and response is to tame enflamed emotions - and to have both parties come to the meeting after having done some thinking and clarification on the issues involved. It is required that both parties come to the mediation session with open minds - for example - such that the conditions of satisfaction are not set in stone and alternative solutions may be pursued upon mutual agreement. It is required that each party respect each other's right to a process and right to closure. Right to closure is that each party must feel satisfied that all possible steps were taken, and that each party is at rest. Each party reserves a right to call a mediation meeting within 24 hours of at the point of submitting their notice - for the purpose of rapid resolution of sensitive, timely issues. The right of each party to pursue closure is deemed as a non-negotiable right - and engaging the conflict resolution process shall be prioritized over other activities at FeF until satisfactory closure is obtained by both parties. The reason for this is that relations on site need to be positive and healthy for the community - otherwise morale, productivity, and creativity are compromised in the community. This is especially important because of the close-knit nature of the community where people live and work together.

• Failure to participate in mediation is taken seriously, and if the individual fails to comply within a 24 hour period in good faith, then the issue is taken into binding arbitration by the Board of Elders.
• The Board of Elders is a group of trusted protectors of the project. These are third parties (not currently members of Factor e Farm) with a more neutral viewpoint, who are professionals in human resources, startups, and enterprise development. The role of these individuals is to provide an objective suggestion in the conflict resolution process with the intent of doing the best for the project as a whole.
• The Board of Elders are presented with a written 1-2 page brief on the situation presented to them by the grieving party. They are requested to ask any questions for clarification, and are required to make an assessement of the situation in the form of a written suggestion as to a desirable course of action within 48 hours of receiving the grievance. The second party in the conflict also has a right to submit their point of view in a 1-2 page brief within 24 hours of being requested to do so by the grieving party.
  • The number of the Board of Elders shall be 5, with at least 3 of the 5 members constituting quorum.
  • Suggested Board of Elders include:
    • Karien Bezuidenhuit, COO of Shuttleworth Foundation
    • Scott Blessing, business coach, Inspired Leadership,
    • Stephanie Rosol, SupporTED coach, human resources professional
    • Claire Davis, Director of People and Culture, Canonical
    • Jose Gil-Duarte, Essentia

Balance of Power

If a conflict escalates beyond personal resolution and mediation, the Founding Director shall have the final decision making power on the resolution based on the feedback provided by the Board of Elders, except in the case where Founding Director is involved in the grievance, in which case Aaron Makaruk will be the final say. In order to provide a balance of power, this process will be carried on with radical transparency:

• The grieving party's brief, the second party's brief, and the Board of Elders' assessments shall be published with full disclosure of names and comments on the wiki.
• The Founding Director's decision, with rationale for making that decision, shall also be published transparently for any observer to see.

The intent of the transparency is to provide a balance of power to the prevent flame wars and to avoid negative publicity coming from those who are interested in the outcome but who may otherwise not have sufficient information to make an honest assessment of the situation. It is the aim that due process and a logical approach can be utilized to provide peaceful resolution to touchy issues.