REWARD
to manage conflict, to answer precisely that question. This latest case study, undertaken for Acas by researchers from Westminster and Central Lancashire Universities, follows in the footsteps of previous Acas research in the NHS, which has, in recent years, become a centre of innovation in conflict management, with a specific focus on workplace mediation. Like many Trusts, East Lancashire Hospitals had introduced a mediation scheme, but a review of the approach aimed to refocus on the value of mediation and the skills involved, to home in on meeting a wider strategic goal of building a culture of ‘kindness and compassion’. In tracing the origins of the Trust’s conflict journey, one finds that necessity was, as ever, the mother of invention. In 2013, the Trust was included in the Keogh Review into patient safety; the research suggests this triggered a series of important changes and particularly a wholesale change of senior leadership at the Trust. There followed extensive staff engagement, which revealed conflict was a key issue – described as having been widespread and mis-managed via risk-averse and adversarial approaches, revolving around the inflexible application of conventional procedures. The Trust’s emphatic policy response to improving the management of conflict has been threefold: 1. Renewed investment in workplace mediation l a new cadre of mediators drawn from across key stakeholder groups were trained, with dedicated time to focus on mediation and the support of a full-time co-ordinator l the scheme moved from HR to occupational health, signalling the link between dispute resolution and well-being. 2. A new ‘early resolution’ policy l this replaced the Trust’s grievance and bullying and harassment policies. It focussed on the benefits of alternative approaches to dealing with problems at an early stage, while keeping open the option of a more formal approach l it actively encouraged individuals, in the first instance, to raise concerns and complaints with managers and others, including union representatives, occupational health and the NHS Freedom
lack of managerial confidence in relation to conflict management and resolution, a fundamental issue that’s described in the report as being ‘the main factor limiting the development and impact of early resolution at the Trust’. This isn’t for want of trying: the Trust has invested considerably in managerial development and there was agreement that managerial skills have improved to some degree. Ultimately however, the training programme faced several challenges, including pressure on staff time, competing priorities and, more recently, the impact of the pandemic. More managers needed the training, and this provided a significant impediment to the Trust realising the full benefits of the change programme. What can we take from this? This brings us back to the imaginary sign in HR above the photocopier. And the conclusion that, for all the potential benefits alternative approaches to early resolution can bring, it’s contingent on having skilled managers with the requisite confidence, time and support to put theory into practice. It’s a belief at the heart of an exciting new Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded initiative Acas has developed in partnership with the Universities of Sheffield and Westminster: ‘ Skilled Managers – Productive Workplaces ’ is a pioneering online training intervention designed to significantly expand the evidence base on conflict at work. It focusses on managers having high quality conversations with their staff and developing collaborative solutions to problems in their teams (find out more at http://ow.ly/fmhH50OBITP). Its emphasis is on the value of early resolution and the skills to support organisations like the Trust in this study that are seeking to expand their capacity to adopt early, informal, non-adversarial approaches to conflict management. n Trust’s increasingly embedded mediation service have been resolved” “95% of cases referred to the
to Speak Up guardians. This allowed partners to work together to triage cases and decide on the best approach. 3. Increased focus on developing managerial skills l finally, the Trust introduced a structured management training programme, developed to improve people management capabilities. Measuring effectiveness at East Lancashire NHS Trust So, is it working? Assessing policy effectiveness at this early stage is tricky.
Furthermore, case studies such as this provide a snapshot in time, not an empirical assessment of impact.
Nonetheless the research highlights several promising signs – and a fly in the ointment. First, the new mediation approach is working: 95% of cases referred to the Trust’s increasingly embedded mediation service have been resolved. Mediation was found to confer a familiar range of advantages regarding speed and efficiency relative to conventional grievance procedures, with increased potential to restore employment relationships and have wider positive impacts on behaviour and attitude. Second, the research highlights the value of ‘informal resolution’ as a focus of policy and process, as three-quarters of cases referred to the Trust’s new early resolution process have been resolved informally so far. Perhaps the policy’s chief virtue is that it takes an otherwise fairly abstract concept – ‘informal resolution’ – and translates it into practical options for people to consider. In so doing, it indicates a culture shift in the Trust from blame to resolution. However, the research also points to several challenges the Trust will need to address if the policy is to achieve a sustained change in ‘conflict culture’ (and which others seeking to emulate this type of approach need to consider). First is that there are still lessons to be learned about which types of issues merit what type of conflict management approach, with evidence of some cases escalating to mediation when they may have been dealt with via a line management conversation; and conversely, issues being drawn out through conversations, when they merit a formal consideration. The common theme here according to the research is a
Read Acas’s paper, Mediation and early resolution in East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust at: http://ow.ly/UvFA50OBIWq.
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 92 | July 2023 - August 2023
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