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A Conflict Management Task Force,
composed of representatives of stakeholders of the
FGCU community, after reviewing current processes
for addressing conflicts at the university reached
CONSENSUS about the following problem statements:
The current regulations have two stages for
handling conflict: one informal and one formal (grievances):
- Informal resolution- although the informal
resolution of conflict is encouraged in many rules,
existing deadlines for filing grievances and a
lack of alternative interest-based tools (mediation
/ facilitation) limit both the time and resources
available for informal resolution
- Formal Grievances- grievances are decision-making
processes based on rights and obligations contained
in contractual relationships. Grievances provide
due process and compliance regarding administration
remedy, and legal defense for grievable conflicts.
Nevertheless, many conflicts being presented to
the system are not grievable*, leaving these conflicts
without clear processes and guidelines for their
internal resolution
- Lack of general policy- FGCU does not
have a clear, easily accessible general policy
regarding the University commitment towards conflict
handling. This means that managers handle conflicts
in different ways, often without the necessary
training and support.
- Lack of use- Many parties don’t
use the formal processes either because they:
- Fear retaliation or being perceived as troublemakers;
- Believe the process doesn’t bring final
solutions;
- Don’t know of their existence
- Even if known, the legalistic language in
which they are written, makes them difficult
to understand
- Lack of interest-based processes and neutrals-
The lack of established interest-based alternatives
and trained neutrals (mediators/ facilitators)
has limited the effectiveness of the current conflict
handling system"
Pending Statements:
- Presently, these are not enough assigned
institutional resources to correctly implement
a better system that increases the use of informal
tools
- There is a lack of institutional incentives
for both managers and parties of conflicts to
participate in training or to contribute to an
eventual conflict handling plan
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