The HR Director

Unresolved workplace conflict can have a serious effect in any organisation. But in healthcare, where it has the potential to put lives at risk, the effective management of conflict is particularly critical. The NHS is one of the world’s largest employers and conflict in the workplace is never far from the surface. Only recently, a Royal […]

There’s a well-known chinese proverb that teaches: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” At the heart of this are two principles, both of which chime with the wisdom of our times. Contributor Tania Coke, Senior Mediation consultant […]

It is tempting to present mediation as a defined process with largely predictable outcomes. But to do so could rob HR of what should be one of the most powerful tools in its conflict management toolbox. Long before a grievance needs to go to court, there are opportunities to solve an issue, before it has […]

The workplace is a notorious breeding ground for conflict; from trivial spats to multi-million pound court cases, and the conditions are becoming ever more conductive to conflict. But could this development be an opportunity in disguise that could improve the situation? If senior executives treat differences of opinions as opportunities to expand their worldviews and […]

In recession, the volume and intensity of organisational disputes inevitably soars. What can an organisation do to protect itself from this tide of destructive conflict? Asks Tania Coke, Senior Mediation Consultant, Consensio Interpersonal disagreement and difference are inevitable, even healthy features of organisational life. At best, they can foster constructive debate, healthy competition, innovation, and […]