Conflict Resolution

Draft created 2018-03-24 by jmil for membership discussion

Conflict Resolution

Despite our Guidelines for Conduct and Harassment Policy at Hive76, from time to time, interpersonal conflicts may arise that require additional help to resolve. This page can help by providing a suggested workflow to address issues.

1. Membership should form and maintain a conflict resolution committee of at least 3 members and/or board members. Although the committee shall have no power, committee members have the right and duty to communicate generally and, if necessary, specifically to the board, management, and/or members. Committee members should have a demonstrated expertise solving interpersonal conflicts, and committee members are recommended to take formal conflict resolution training.
2. Anyone can contact any member of the conflict resolution committee about any issue at any time. No chain of command escalation is required.
3. The goal should be to de-escalate conflicts equitably and with discretion, but also as quickly as possible because unresolved conflicts can grow with time.
4. A committee member may be able to resolve the conflict without involving the whole committee. This is great and follows the "as quickly as possible" provision above.
5. Management, because of their elected representative position, may be the first recipient of complaints or notices about conflicts. Management is recommended to immediately escalate issues to the Committee so that they can instead focus on Management duties. Conflict resolution can be a significant energy drain, and it's best for members if Management energy is spent focused on Management duties.
6. If the Committee member is not able to resolve the conflict to the satisfaction of conflict participants, the conflict should be escalated to the full Committee. Further escalation should be in the order of: Board, then Management and/or Members.