Government workplaces are different from others. The flexibility enjoyed by corporate managers is often limited in federal agencies. Public sector managers must often negotiate with their colleagues and employees to get things done and to prevent the escalation of potentially costly* conflicts.

The Train-the-Manager (Track 2) option is ideally suited to federal employees. You will learn to use Managerial Mediation, a core leadership competency and vital tool for helping your employees reach agreements that lead to voluntary cooperation. You will also receive a Coaching Video that actually demonstrates how to perform the core competencies for managing workplace conflict — an invaluable aid to help you develop the abilities of your staff in negotiating effective solutions to everyday challenges.

The Train-the-Professional (Track 3) option may be preferred by federal employees who perform staff functions in which conflicts frequently arise. You also receive the Coaching Video and other resources for contributing to positive outcomes of workplace conflicts.

See federal employee discount.

Federal ADR officials who may consider implementing in-house training under Dana Mediation Institute's GSA Award are invited to audit the training by selecting the Invitational registration option (Track 5). Note that pre-approval is required.

See also managing conflict in local government.

* Click for complimentary access to the Dana Measure of Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict, an on-line calculator producing immediate results. Estimate your financial return on investment in conflict management training.

• Main page | Calendar of dates and cities | One-page printable flyer
• Track 1: Train-the-Trainer
  For HRD and staff development professionals
• Track 2: Train-the-Manager
  For managers and supervisors of direct-report employees
• Track 3: Train-the-Professional
  For professional staff who must deal with conflict when it arises in the delivery of their services
• Track 5: Invitational
  For pre-approved ADR program managers
• Registration options and fees
• Register here

Can't attend? Or need to train many employees at low cost? Consider using web-based training. Or train your entire team in one hour in your conference room for one low fee by joining an upcoming webinar. Special government pricing.

Edited by Melissa Zarda. See other bibliographies.
Contributors: Esra Alagoz, Carla Demers, Marco Latina, Veda Ayub

Copyright restriction: The contents of this bibliography may not be placed on other websites, but links from other websites may be directed to this page. Hardcopies of this page may be printed for academic purposes.

• Alexander, D. (2004, August-October). How to sell ADR to the U.S. government. Dispute Resolution Journal

Federal agencies use conflict resolution services for many reasons from settling workplace issues to developing regulations to settling complaints. The author also discusses the use of ADR in federal laws. To illustrate his point he cites the creation of the relatively new Alternative Dispute Resolution Act in 1996. The rest of the article focuses on how firms offering ADR services can go about obtaining a contract with the Federal government.

• Bar-Siman-Tov, Yaacov., From Conflict Resolution to Reconciliation (Oxford University Press US, December 2003)

Siman-Tov indicates that resolution alone is not sufficient as it doesn't completely resolve issues between the parties that are in dispute. Furthermore it is very more costly to come to a resolution, than if the parties were also to come to reconciliation. It is important to come to a resolution and find a happy medium to end major issues such as violence, however in the long term it is more beneficial if the parties reconcile which will make a better foundation for peace.

• Buntz, C. G., & Radin, B. A. (Sep. - Oct., 1983). Managing Intergovernmental Conflict: The Case of Human Services.Public Administration Review, Vol. 43, No. 5., pp. 403-410.

This article examines the conflict management and its applications to intergovernmental relations. The authors believe that the conflict in intergovernmental relations is inevitable due to mutual dependence and thus has to be managed properly. They select the human service area since the area itself is intergovernmental and the authors have extensive experience in this area. The article starts with a definition of conflict and explains the sources, outcomes and types of conflict within the intergovernmental relations.

• Purdy, J. (2005). An overview of state dispute resolution programs. Portland, OR: Policy Consensus Initiative.

Jill Purdy provides the background to the history of dispute resolution programs with the driving force being the National Institute for Dispute Resolution. The purpose of the drive was to encourage state agencies to design and create dispute resolution programs to assist in civil court cases, environmental issues, and public policy. She includes topics such as the location, legal authorization, and where to find funding for the dispute resolution program. She also stresses the need for a centralized program in collaborative problem solving within the state governmental branches.

• Raines, S.S. (2000). ADR program checklist. Dispute Resolution Journal (Volume 2 no. 3, pp. 66-71). New York, NY: American Arbitration Association.

Susan Summer Raines provides a descriptive approach for governmental agencies to implement an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program. This ADR program was specific to handle external disputes in an attempt to address the backlog of government cases. The results were an attempt to leave outsiders with a better feeling about government. The article provides an abundance of guidelines from selecting the proper dispute system designer to customizing a design template and implementing the program effectively.

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