Support and advice in case of conflicts at the workplace
Wherever people work together, conflicts may arise. Thus, the university intends to cultivate a constructive conflict culture.
Ambiguities and annoyances should be clarified in discussions as directly as possible in the employee's own work context. Supervisors have a special duty of care here. Since a clarifying discussion is not possible without support in all cases, a step-by-step model has been developed to assist in case of conflict.
Solving Conflicts - Stage Model of the University of Kassel
1.Level
Resolving Conflicts Directly at Work
If you are involved in a personal conflict in your work environment, you should address the person involved as directly as possible and cooperate with him/her to find possible solutions to the conflict. The Further education and training program of the University offers assistance in this regard. Should you be unable to resolve the conflict with the person involved by yourself, your first point of contact should be your superior, whom you should ask for support.
Superiors can obtain advice and support in dealing with conflicts from the Human Resources and Organization Department and the Strategic Human Resources Development and Organizational Culture Department.
2.Level
Central Contact Persons and Interest Groups
If the conflict cannot be resolved on-site, you should get in touch with a central contact person or an interest group representing you. Taking into account what measures have already been taken by you or your superiors, further approaches to conflict resolution will be sought together.
3.Level
External Conflict Counselling
If the support offered at Stage II did not suffice, you as the employee or your superiors may turn to an external conflict counselling service. This can be arranged through the Personnel and Organization Department or the Strategic Personnel Development and Organizational Culture Department (see below).
Contact:
Martina Ahrendts
Tel.: +49 561 804-2378
E-Mail: m.ahrendts@uni-kassel.deContact:
Dr. Manuela Kaiser-Belz
Tel.: +49 561 804-2596
E-Mail: manuela.kaiser-belz@uni-kassel.de
4.Level
Counselling Round Table
If the dispute still could not be settled after involving external conflict counselling, as a next step, a ‘counselling round table’ can be formed to deal with your case. Within this format, further measures can be initiated and the university management will be provided with recommendations on how to deal with the conflict. The Strategic Human Resources Development and Organizational Culture Department will document the results of this internal counselling meeting. Two members of the ‘counselling round table’ will then report back to the internal department the conflict arose in.
5.Level
Referral to the University Management
If the efforts at the previous stages failed to resolve the conflict, as a final step, the university management will deal with the issue in question. Depending on the respective case constellation, the university management will turn to the department concerned and/or the consultants involved when providing their feedback.