Virginia Smith, Ruth Newsome, Sarah Adams, and Marissa McLedo recently participated in the IIRP Navigating Conflict: Restorative Practices in the Workplace training, bringing back valuable tools to better support staff and leadership, reported Julianna Hubbell, director of charter relations. The training was a week-long experience focused on building skills for addressing difficult situations and personnel issues in a more constructive and solution-focused manner.
Throughout the program, the team gained a deeper understanding of how to approach conflict from a restorative framework. The team collaborated with other professionals and leaders to complete activities and discussions where they explored shifting the focus of conflict from blame to repairing harm and strengthening relationships.
The participants reported taking away several practical concepts and strategies that will be utilized across the organization:
Restorative Dialogue: Learning to facilitate conversations that give everyone affected a voice in determining how to resolve the issue.
Solution-Focused Approach: Gaining a better understanding of how to move past the initial conflict event and collaboratively develop long-lasting, practical solutions.
Empowering Staff: Utilizing techniques that empower staff and leaders to take ownership of conflicts and their resolution, thereby building greater accountability and a more positive workplace culture.
Virginia stated that during the training, she learned about the importance of being a “strong facilitator” in conflict resolution. The training provided attendees with the skills to address post-conflict follow-up, rebuild working relationships, and foster an environment of high support and high accountability.
