Original post can be found here: https://create.twu.ca/robtegelberg/2018/11/12/post-7-1-conflict-and-cooperation/

Thank you, Rob, for your post. To be frank, I am envious of your workplace! You say “the joy of the Lord is present in the staff, even when disagreements arise.” (Tegelberg, 2018, para. 1) There are days I have trouble finding any joy in our organization, let alone the joy of the Lord! I am also happy to hear the school’s culture to allow staff to grumble and have a sympathetic ear (Tegelberg, 2018, para. 2)
You have also shared the secret of this harmony – being disciples of Christ who love one another (Tegelberg, 2018, para. 3; John 13:35).

I would like to answer your discussion questions below.

1. Have you ever begun a conflict resolution meeting with prayer? Do you feel that it makes a noticeable difference to the tone of the meeting?

My current workplace, being secular, does not currently use prayer as part of a conflict resolution meeting. I sometimes pray silently before entering into a meeting. I find my results mixed. Upon self-reflection, I do note a difference between prayer for the sake of habit versus prayer as a request for God’s guidance, wisdom, and love. Toussaint, Kamble, Marschall, & Duggi (2015) note a “statistically significant” decrease in thoughts of retaliation after participants prayed for others. Prayer may modify the motives of participants, helping them to seek and provide forgiveness as well as cooperation. I forget to follow the command of “praying without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and have to deal with potentially avoidable escalations.

In situations where public prayer is used prior to conflict resolution meetings (i.e. church business meetings), results have also been mixed for me. At times, personal passions override the goal of reconciliation, especially if certain actions have caused deep pain. I feel conflict resolution in this case may need long sessions of prayer and fasting, as well as multiple meetings to completely resolve these issues.

2. I have worked at many schools that struggle with an attitude of gossip and grumbling? What actions or traits do you think prevent that attitude from arising at my current school? Are there any tangible tools one could take from this example into another situation to dissolve an existing negative school culture or environment?

You have stated the traits of love, service, and support as underlying desires that prevent gossip and grumbling. Stragetic leadership, as defined by Hughes, Beatty, & Dinwoodie (2014, p. 11) is the creation of direction, alignment, and commitment needed to achieve enduring performance. Having the abovementioned traits as organizational values forms the foundation of DAC within the school. Many organizations would benefit from creating and maintaining this culture. The most tangible “tool” to take from your school is the worldview of treating everyone, including frontline staff, as God’s children. Lepsinger (p. 62) says we should assume value and listen for the positives with supposed low-performing employees. How much more value should we have when we see each person as one God loves so much to die for us!

3. Should a situation arise in the future where a staff member were to take advantage of the current school environment that I work in, what strategies would you employ in creating an attitude of collaboration? For a hypothetical example: a new staff member joins the team. They bring with them an attitude of negativity, a desire to only do required tasks, and teach the curriculum that they want to teach. How would you bring them into the collective vision.

I believe the school culture addresses many of the concerns noted with a potentially problematic staff member. The staff member would need to fit himself or herself within the current culture of love, service, and support. He or she would need to follow the current DAC set by current leadership. He or she would also have to determine if personal culture and organizational culture would be a good match; otherwise, he or she would feel increasingly isolated, not because other staff would actively shun that person, but because his or her behavior would be incongruent with organizational culture. The culture clash may reach a point where a staff member would voluntarily leave to avoid the discomfort of values dissonance, or would work with leadership to seek employment elsewhere.

References:

Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. C., & Dinwoodie, D. L. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.

Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. Jossey Bass.

Tegelberg, R. Conflict and Cooperation. Retrived November 15th, 2018, from https://create.twu.ca/robtegelberg/2018/11/12/post-7-1-conflict-and-cooperation/

Toussaint, L., Kamble, S., Marschall, J. C., & Duggi, D. B. (2015). The effects of brief prayer on the experience of forgiveness: An American and Indian comparison. International Journal of Psychology, 51(4), 288–295. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12139