Conflict Management Coaching - IPMA

THE MAGAZINE NOF THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RESOURCES 

2010 

HR 

EWSAUGUST 

Conflict 

Management 

Managing Conflict by 

Managing Communication 

An Interest-Based Approach 

to Workplace Conflict 

Also This Month 

IPMA-HR Recounts Supreme 

Court’s 2009-2010 Term

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In this month’s issue of HR News magazine, you’ll find lots of 

great information about the focus—conflict management—and so 

much more. 

In the first feature article, “An Interest-Based Approach to 

Workplace Conflict” (page six), author Stephen Erickson writes 

about how to work through a problem and, ultimately, to resolve it. 

“The reality is that conflict is all around us,” Erickson writes. 

“Indeed, a world without conflict would be dull and sterile. Conflict 

is necessary. It can be viewed as an opportunity for lively exchanges 

and productive growth—but only if it is approached in a way that 

focuses on solutions rather than causes or blame. One shouldn’t 

investigate to determine who is right and who is wrong; with a 

different approach, conflict does not have to be a contest over who is 

blamed and who is vindicated.” 

Roger Reece, in his article, “Improving Conflict Management 

Competency” (page nine), writes that, “when conflict is effectively 

managed, it can be instrumental in solving problems and building 

teamwork.” On the other hand, he writes, “When managers and 

supervisors lack conflict management competency, conflict tends to 

take a destructive path, creating enormous problems and breaking 

down teamwork.” 

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NEOGOV..............................................................................................16, 17, C4 

FROM THE EDITOR 

Reece says it’s up to the HR department “to lead the charge toward 

more effective conflict management training, coaching and 

mediation programs.” 

In “Conflict Engagement Trumps Conflict Management,” by 

Cinnie Noble (page 12), Noble encourages individuals to take a 

systemic approach to conflict management—one that encourages 

conflict engagement. Doing so, she maintains, “will reduce the 

detrimental outcomes of ill-managed conflict on its bottom line and 

its human resources.” 

Noble writes, “Interpersonal workplace disputes may be a 

consequence of systemic, task related or relational problems that are 

inadvertently allowed to tear apart the workplace fabric. These 

situations are often compounded by organizational cultures that 

avoid conflict and react only when things escalate...” 

In the fourth focus article, “Managing Conflict by Managing 

Communication” (page 15), author Diane Bogino writes that it is 

important to realize, when dealing with conflict, that all people have 

different learning and communication styles. 

And, Bogino added, “There is more to conflict than just the conflict 

itself. Remembering to establish boundaries during the resolution 

phase is important. Attack the problem, not the person. Look at 

disputes from a point of view other than your own, and be willing to 

LISTEN.” 

Also this month, don’t miss the Successful Practices article (page 

29), in which the city of Livermore, Calif.’s Support Our Staff 

program is discussed. 

In addition to Successful Practices, you’ll also find the Supreme 

Court Wrap-Up (page 20), in which you’ll read about the Court’s 

employer-friendly opinion on employer review of text messages and 

a ruling that opens the door for more adverse impact claims under 

Title VII. 

And, don’t miss this month’s CompDoctor column, by Jim Fox and 

Bruce Lawson (page 23), in which they discuss classification and 

compensation system reviews. 

You’ll read about all this and more inside this month’s issue of HR 

News magazine. We hope you enjoy it. —N 

Elizabeth Kirkland 

WWW.IPMA-HR.ORG AUGUST 2010 | 1 |

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FEATURES 

6 

12 

An Interest-Based 

Approach to 

Workplace Conflict 

Conflict Engagement 

Trumps Conflict 


1 From the Editor 

26 IPMA-HR’s Assessment Department 

is on YouTube! 

NEWS 

31 Register Today for the 2010 IPMA-HR 

International Training Conference 

31 IPMA-HR’s Developing Competencies for HR 

Success Online Training Starts August 25 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

15 

COLUMNS 

20 SUPREME COURT WRAP-UP 

23 COMP DOCTOR TM 

AUGUST 2010 | VOLUME 76 NO 8 

Managing Conflict 

by Managing 

Communication 

DEPARTMENTS 

25 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS 

29 SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES 

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32 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 

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Improving Conflict 

Management Competency

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Coming up in the September issue of 

HRNEWS 

Workforce/Succession Planning 

and Strategic Planning 


■ conflict management ■ conflict management ■ conflict management ■ 

An Interest-Based 

Approach to 

Workplace Conflict 

By Stephen Erickson 

Many of us see conflict as a sign of failure—especially 

in a workplace setting. When conflict begins to 

contaminate that setting, we have many choices 

about how to resolve it. 

In their book, Getting Disputes Resolved: Designing Systems to Cut the 

costs of Conflict, authors W.L. Ury, J.M. Brett and S.B. Goldberg (San 

Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, © 1989) observe that as a culture, 

we have tended to address conflict resolution in three general ways. 

We have asked the question, “Who has more power?” or, in a society 

of laws and regulations, we have asked “Who is right and who is 

wrong?” More recently, we have also asked the question, “What are 

your needs and what are your interests?” 

The first question focuses on power, and is often the authoritarian 

approach of managers and supervisors who respond to conflict with a 

determined or controlling “I am in charge” attitude. This sometimes 

works, but in many ways, power-based approaches do not resolve the 

underlying problems, and the conflict may continue to simmer. With 

most workplace conflicts, a rights-based approach has emerged that 

applies laws and regulations (rights), and, if necessary, endless hearings 

to determine rights and wrongs. This legalized, rights-based 

approach also can work, but it has an exceedingly high transaction 

cost in terms of time, energy and, ultimately, legal fees. 

A successful mediator will stress that relationships which give rise to 

difficult conflicts are much more complex than who is right and who 

is wrong. In addition to nearly always needing a lawyer at one’s side, 

a rights-based approach creates intense competition to determine 

who is right and who is wrong, and generates endless investigations. 

The person trying to resolve the conflict is often caught between 

wondering whether to follow common sense or to assume that a 

lawsuit, or at the very least, complaints and animosity will simmer 

and affect the workplace unless some action is taken. 

| 6 | AUGUST 2010 

The reality is that conflict is all around us. Indeed, a world without 

conflict would be dull and sterile. Conflict is necessary. It can be 

viewed as an opportunity for lively exchanges and productive 

growth—but only if it is approached in a way that focuses on solutions 

rather than causes or blame. One shouldn’t investigate to determine 

who is right and who is wrong; with a different approach, 

conflict does not have to be a contest over who is blamed and who is 

vindicated. 

Bill Ury has written that a third way to resolve conflict is to ask the 

question, “What are your needs and what are your interests?” He 

argues, and mediators agree, this approach works better, is less costly, 

results in greater satisfaction to the parties in conflict and creates the 

framework for better future relationships. He describes an interest as 

one’s fears, values, concerns, or beliefs. Interests are the underpinnings 

of people’s positions. 

Positions are the more global, tangible demands that are made. An 

employee may allege an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

(EEOC) violation and demand a hearing, when in fact their 

underlying interest is to have a reasonable accommodation made. 

One such example would be the single mother who is unable to 

work mandatory overtime due to child care constraints. Because her 

supervisor is fixed on a rights-based approach to conflict resolution, 

the employee will never be able to voice her underlying interest. 

Therefore, because the underlying interest is not heard, a simple 

solution becomes lost in the midst of litigation, or some other adjudicative 

process. 

An interest-based approach to conflict resolution has many advantages 

over a rights-based or power-based approach. These techniques, 

seen as “interventions,” or “asking different questions,” 

change the game. When properly applied by mediators or people 

with training, they can turn people in conflict into partners attacking 

HR NEWS MAGAZINE


the problem rather than adversaries attacking each other. On the 

surface, these interventions seem simple, yet to exercise them 

requires a good deal of practice and skill. 

My friend Linda called me recently and asked for some advice. She 

supervises 25 nurses and one of them was complaining of discriminatory 

treatment in the scheduling of her work assignments at her 

clinic’s satellite offices. This nurse said she was being “illegally 

discriminated against” by Linda. Linda said she had a meeting the 

next day with this “troublesome” staff nurse who had also (unknown 

to Linda at the time) filed an EEOC complaint alleging other nonminority 

nurses were getting preferential treatment. As we talked, I 

assured Linda that there were a number of strategies she could use 

that might work better than the previous meeting with the nurse 

(she had previously unloaded a litany of complaints about Linda 

and the system, ending with a charge against Linda that generated 

an incident report and another investigation by the nurse’s union 

representative). 

I suggested that Linda first acknowledge that this meeting is difficult 

for both of them but that she appreciated the opportunity to 

meet with her (respect is the grease of the conflict resolution 

process). Then, I suggested if the staff nurse pulled out a another list 

of complaints, that Linda indicate all of the items could be 

addressed, but then try to guide the conversation by suggesting it 

might first be good to have a general discussion about the problem 

instead of a blow-by-blow discussion of the complaints. 

Step One: Define the Problem 

Don’t waste time investigating who caused it. Mediators believe that 

the person who defines the problem has greater control over the 

outcome. I asked Linda to maintain a future-focused definition of 

the problem rather than a past-focused (blame-oriented) definition 

of the problem. I suggested that Linda use her best mediation skills 

and try to define the problem not as Linda being an unfair manager 

(assigning blame), but as a problem that has a solution (move 

forward). Mediators have a saying: “The problem is the problem. 

The person is not the problem.” Linda might say, “So, it sounds as if 

the problem we should talk about is how the rotation schedule 

affects you.” 

As the staff nurse continues to blame and to find fault in an effort to 

try to pull Linda back into admitting her mistakes and insisting she 

has been treating her unfairly, Linda must continue to bring the 

conversation back to the problem. 

This requires some effort, but a person can redirect the conversation 

away from blame and fault by focusing on the future and by stating 

the problem in a mutual manner that requires a joint effort to 

resolve. 

For example, family mediators have basically changed the way 

divorce is practiced in this country through reframing the question 

of child custody by asking divorcing couples “What kind of future 

parenting plan would you like to build?” instead of asking “Who is 

(or was) a better or worse parent?” 

I urged Linda to avoid as much as possible a debate over whose view 

of the past problem is correct and suggested she acknowledge in a 

respectful way that the staff nurse was entitled to her view of the past 

problem, and that it was not necessary to argue over whose version 

of the past was correct. The goal is not to determine who is right and 

who is wrong. 

What emerged from Linda’s meeting the next day was a definition 

of the problem as “how to schedule 25 nurses to cover six satellite 

offices in such a way as to minimize driving time and yet to create 

fairness for all of the nurses.” 

Step Two: Ask About Needs and 

Interests, Instead of Who is Right 

or Wrong 

I next suggested to Linda that it made more sense for her to help her 

staff nurse understand what Linda’s needs were and that Linda also 

must listen carefully to what the staff nurse’s needs were. At the 

meeting, when Linda asked the nurse what she needed, the nurse 

responded by saying she needed to be treated fairly and she needed 

the schedule crafted differently. Staying with that need, Linda then 

asked her, “What do you need me to do differently so you feel fairly 

treated?” As it turned out, all she needed was an opportunity to 

discuss a different way to schedule nurses who had small children 

and who could never pick them up late from day care. The staff 

nurse explained that a clinic rule requiring all nurses to equally staff 

the most remote sites caused her to be late picking her child up at 

day care four times a month and that she should either be compensated 

for extra time in her car (so she could pay for extra day care) 

or that those with children in day care should be exempted from 

the rule. 

Asking the question “What do you need?” will never fail you. It is a 

question that requires a future-focused answer. It goes to the heart of 

the problem and frequently, the answer you get will not only surprise 

you but also will give you insight into where to go next with the 

discussion. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 



Approach CONTINUED 

FROM PAGE 7 

The problem, however, with asking the question “What do you 

need?” is that it requires the supervisor or HR director to let go of 

right and wrong and address concerns, values, beliefs and special 

circumstances. It also requires the person asking the question to 

acknowledge that it may be necessary to be creative in thinking 

about fairness principles. Perhaps the hardest part for many parties 

to a conflict is that the question requires some sharing of the decision-making 

power with others in the conflict. It does not, as one 

human resources manager observed, give the employees the keys to 

the bus, but rather it asks them to join as partners in resolving the 

conflict. It is a liberating approach because it puts responsibility for 

solving the problem back on the shoulders of the people in the midst 

of the conflict. 

Step Three: Get Creative 

Problems are solved and needs are met when creative 

solutions are discussed and agreed upon. 

Linda could have parroted personnel rules that pay “on-the-clock” 

time only for travel between the main clinic and the satellite clinics 

and not from the satellite clinic to home at the end of the day. Linda 

also could have said that since the rule is applied equally to everyone, 

she doesn’t have a claim. Or, Linda could have said she cannot make 

an exception for her without causing problems for everyone else. 

Because Linda asked the question, “What do you need?” she learned 

that the “troublesome staff nurse” had actually taken a job at the 

clinic to avoid the rotating hours at the hospital in order to be able 

to pick up her child at day care each day. The staff nurse needed a 

different way of putting in her time without ending up at the satellite 

office that was the farthest from her day care center at the end of 

her workday. This then led to the next question about what creative 

solutions can be reached that will solve the problem and meet the 

need. 

Step Four: Select a Solution 

Without the contaminating effect of blame and fault and right and 

wrong, it was possible for Linda and the staff nurse to engage in a 

creative discussion about how to fairly schedule her for the least 

desirable duty of working at the satellite offices, which always 

required extra driving and mandatory overtime. 

In order to finally get to the work of crafting creative solutions that 

everyone takes ownership of, it is necessary to first create the proper 

environment for cooperative conflict resolution to occur. When the 

correct environment for good discussion is present, one can turn the 

game from intense conflict to a cooperative search for solutions. 

There is no one magic bullet, but rather a cumulative effect that 

creates a completely different environment of cooperation. 

Here are some of the tools and techniques that will work to turn the 

environment of conflict into a search for mutual solutions: 

1. Don’t try to determine right and wrong; it will always fail you. 

This does not mean you should let go of your moral compass, or 

that the past is not important. Rather, the past should be 

discussed only insofar as it is necessary to shed light on what 

must be done to understand and resolve the conflict, not to prove 

truth or falsity of the events in question. 

2. Try to discover what people need. One of the most powerful 

questions you can continually ask is, “What do you need?” 

3. Focus the discussions mostly on the future. Remember, the past 

cannot be changed, but the future is a clean slate. 

4. Reframe the problem in a way that is future-focused and requires 

mutual effort to resolve. 

5. Use a four-step approach: 1) What is the problem? 2) What do 

you need? 3) What are some creative options that meet everyone’s 

needs and solve the problem? 4) Select and implement one 

or more of the options. This four-step approach does not investigate, 

does not judge, and does not determine rights or wrongs. It 

asks people to state what they need so the conflict can be 

resolved. 

6. Do not worry about power all the time. Linda might be sharing 

some of her authoritarian power, but she loses much of her power 

if she spends days and days in hearings with the union over fair 

labor practices, or with EEOC investigators. 

7. Listen carefully. Listening is powerful and respectful. 

8. Understand that fairness is in the eye of the beholder. Be willing 

to create a standard of fairness for each conflict situation. This 

does not mean policies and regulations need to be thrown out the 

window. It merely means that within each policy, law or personnel 

regulation, there is room for fair application and interpretation. 

Rather than having a hearing office make the final decision, 

encourage the parties in the dispute to take responsibility for the 

problem that they have created. 

The above might seem simple to some. Indeed, much of it may seem 

antithetical to a traditional conflict resolution approach. Although 

applying the above interventions is complex and not easy to learn, 

interest-based approaches actually enhance one’s power by harnessing 

the energy of one’s opponents. 

Stephen K. Erickson, J.D., is licensed as an attorney, but works exclusively 

a mediator. Since 1977, he has mediated more than 5,000 

disputes in his private practice, the Erickson Mediation Institute in 

Bloomington, Minn. He received the Bush Leadership Fellowship 

Award for the study of mediation in 1979 and is a founder and 

second president of the Academy of Family Mediators. He is well 

known as a mediation trainer and speaker, and has published 

numerous articles and books on the subject. He has recently 

been appointed to the faculty at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, 

where he will be teaching a course in the Master of Arts in 

Leadership program in fall 2010. Erickson can be reached 

by phone at (952) 835-3688. —N 

| 8 | AUGUST 2010 HR NEWS MAGAZINE


Improving Conflict 


Competency 

By Roger Reece 

The cost of litigation in escalated conflicts within the public 

sector is extremely high, and alternative dispute resolution 

(ADR) programs have proven to be a great help in reducing 

these costs. But the greatest opportunity for improvement 

is in increasing the conflict management competency of line 

managers and supervisors. 

When conflict is effectively managed, it can be instrumental in solving 

problems and building teamwork. On the other hand, when 

managers and supervisors lack conflict management competency, 

conflict tends to take a destructive path, creating enormous problems 

and breaking down teamwork. The most dramatic cost of conflict 

management incompetency is not the litigation costs; it’s the overall 

loss of productivity, employee engagement and teamwork. 

Managers who are highly competent in managing budgets, projects 

and their overall missions are often deficient in the skills and behaviors 

required for effective conflict management. Conflict management 

competency requires the following behaviors: 

■ Assertiveness in initiating difficult conversations 

■ Objective, empathic listening 

■ Avoiding the blame game 

■ Asking open-ended questions 

■ Directing without controlling 

■ Staying centered; focusing on the desired outcome 

■ Not taking comments as personal attacks 

■ Converting reactions into responses 

■ Negotiating win-win-outcomes 

Conflict Management: Skills or 

Behaviors? 

Most managers and supervisors have attended classes in conflict 

management. Do they lack the skills, or are they stuck in their old 

habits? In some cases, they truly lack the skills, and it’s up to the 

human resources department to provide the necessary training in 

interpersonal communication, coaching and conflict resolution skills. 

In most cases, however, they don’t need more than training. They 

need behavior coaching. 

In most cases, managers tend to rationalize and minimize their 

contribution to the problem. They have a distorted view of their 

disruptive behaviors. This phenomenon was identified by Abraham 

Maslow as unconscious incompetence. 

Maslow outlined four stages of learning in order to achieve 




Improving CONTINUED 

| 10 | AUGUST 2010 

FROM PAGE 9 

competence in a given skill. Below are the four stages as they apply to 

a manager’s conflict management competency: 

■ Unconscious Incompetence: The manager is incompetent in one 

or more of the conflict management skills, but doesn’t know it. 

Unconsciously incompetent managers tend to blame others for 

the results of their own incompetence. 

■ Conscious Incompetence: The manager is incompetent in a 

conflict management skill and knows it. Consciously incompetent 

managers are aware of their need to learn the skill. 

■ Conscious Competence: The manager has learned the specific 

conflict management skill, but must consciously apply the skill, or 

old habits may prevail. 

■ Unconscious Competence: The manager is so adept at the 

conflict management skill that it has become “second nature” and 

the manager applies the skill consistently during conflict. 

The goal of conflict management training and coaching is to make 

managers aware of their areas of unconscious incompetence and 

bring them to the stage of conscious incompetence. Then we teach 

them the necessary skills and help them to overcome their old habits. 

This can only happen through conscious, deliberate practice on the 

part of the manager. Through practice, the manager attains conscious 

competence and eventually unconscious competence. 

Competence vs. Competency 

It should be observed that, in the English language, there is a subtle 

difference between the words “competence” and “competency.” 

Competence is generally associated with a skill. If an individual 

knows how to do something, they have achieved competence. 

However if managers possess conflict management skills but don’t 

use them in their daily interactions, we would describe them as low in 

conflict management competency. For this reason, I include the 

breaking of old habits and the forming of new habits in my usage of 

Maslow’s four-stage learning model. If managers have a conflict 

management skill but don’t use it, I consider them to be behaviorally 

incompetent. Too often they are at the stage of unconscious behavioral 

incompetence. Conflict management competency, then, includes 

both skill competence and behavioral competence. 

You Are Not Your Behavior 

Unconsciously incompetent managers don’t try to overcome their 

areas of incompetence. In fact, they tend to defend them. If you tell 

managers that they are behaviorally incompetent, they generally get 

defensive. The root of this problem is in the manager’s identity. If I 

tell you you’re incompetent it feels like an attack, and your natural 

reaction is to protect yourself by getting defensive. But if your defensiveness 

serves to sustain the habits you need to change in order to be 

competent, you have a real problem. You aren’t motivated to change. 

But the reality is that you are not your behavior. Conflict management 

competency isn't about changing you, but about changing your 

behavior, and that's a big difference. 

Parents need to focus on the behavior of their children when disciplining. 

“I love you, but your behavior has to change.” Every good 

parent avoids identifying the behavior with the child. “You are a good 

boy, but your behavior is not good.” 

Managers need to do the same thing when correcting the behavior of 

employees. Too often, employees feel like they are personally judged 

and criticized by their managers because of the failure of managers to 

differentiate the behavior from the employee. 

Likewise, human resources departments need to be more proactive in 

focusing on the behaviors of line managers and supervisors that are in 

effect sabotaging conflict management efforts. The coaching intervention 

of the human resources department can be looked upon as 

arbitrary, judgmental and punitive, focusing on bad managers. 

Conversely, behavioral coaching can be positioned as a personal 

growth benefit designed to advance the manager’s career and overall 

leadership effectiveness. 

Behavioral Coaching: Positioning & 

Marketing 

Timothy Galwey, in his book, The Inner Game of Tennis, puts it this 

way: “The opponent within one’s own head is more formidable than 

the one on the other side of the net.” Once a manager abandons the 

defenses and really focuses on moving from conscious incompetence 

to conscious competence, the coaching task gets much easier. A 

combined training and coaching program for conflict management 

competency must be positioned and marketed as a program to make 

successful managers more successful. If it looks like a boot camp for 

inept managers, the job will be much more difficult. 

Training + 360° Behavior Coaching = 

Accountability 

Effective conflict management clearly requires training, but managers 

often respond to mandatory training programs with compliance. 

Showing up in a training class doesn’t make you competent. Three 

hundred and sixty-degree behavior coaching involves the manager’s 

manager, direct reports and peers. It’s immersive and quickly gets to 

the heart of the manager’s areas of unconscious incompetency. Then 

the real work begins: practicing conscious competence. The coaching 

relationship is the key ingredient that assures accountability. This 

ingredient is generally missing in conflict management training 

programs where classroom training is the only vehicle for learning. 

The Value of Deliberate Practice 

Managers can attend conflict management training classes and then 

reinforce their old behaviors for years. They are involved in some 

form of conflict every day, but this kind of practice does nothing but 

reinforce unconscious incompetencies. 

Deliberate practice is highly focused on using behaviors that are 

uncomfortable, difficult and unnatural for the manager. Deliberate 

practice is a real time activity that requires self awareness, self 

HR NEWS MAGAZINE


management, social awareness and relationship management (the 

four foundational elements of emotional intelligence). Deliberate 

practice works best when the manager knows a coach will ask how 

the difficult conversation went. Deliberate practice also works best 

when the manager and coach can develop a strategy for the difficult 

conversation beforehand. Without coaching, it’s very likely that the 

manager’s practice will amount to managerial insanity (repeating the 

same behaviors expecting a different result). 

Conscious Competence: Overcoming 

Blind Spots 

Every manager and supervisor has conflict management blind spots 

that lie at the root of their unconscious and conscious incompetencies. 

These blind spots didn’t occur overnight. They have been there 

for a lifetime, and they won’t be overcome overnight. Overcoming 

these blind spots requires a change in perception, and focused, deliberate 

practice. A few of the behaviors that represent major conflict 

management blind spots are: 

■ Overreliance on authority power. There are essentially four types 

of power that managers can use to influence the behavior of 

another person during conflict: 

1. Authority Power – The power inherent in their title and place 

in the organizational hierarchy. 

2. Positional Power – The political power they have, based on 

who they know, who they report to, and who will support 

their behaviors. 

3. Knowledge Power – The power they have based in their 

knowledge, technical expertise and the sources of information 

they have access to. 

4. Personal Power – Their ability to change the behavior of 

another person without using any of the other power bases. 

Managers who rely too heavily on their authority power create 

unnecessary dissonance in the people they manage. Because they 

have reinforced this behavior throughout their careers, they believe 

that this is good management. Unfortunately, because they have 

failed to deliberately practice personal power during conflict over the 

years, they don’t have much of it. This results in an ever-widening 

area of unconscious incompetence as they move up the hierarchical 

ladder. 

■ Conflict avoidance. This behavior often stems from a personality 

or behavioral style that is conflict-averse. Anyone can learn to be 

more assertive and confront conflict appropriately, but when the 

manager has followed the path of least resistance for long enough, 

this avoidance behavior results in a huge area of unconscious 

incompetence that sabotages conflict management efforts. 

■ Too much telling; not enough listening. Many managers believe 

strongly that they see the situation correctly, that they have all the 

answers and that they are right. They tell it like it is. Employees 

aren’t given the opportunity to vent or to express their feelings. 

Some employees are hesitant to express their feelings out of fear 

that anything they say will be held against them, so the manager 

resolves the conflict by doing all the talking. Effective conflict 

management requires patience on the part of the manager. Openended 

questions and listening are the most effective tools in 

establishing the kind of dialogue that leads to a real resolution. 

Unfortunately, some managers are unconsciously incompetent 

when it comes to these skills and behaviors. 

■ Reactive behavior during conflict. Reactive behavior can quickly 

derail a manager’s attempts at managing employee conflict. If the 

reactive behavior is limited to the employee and the manager is 

skilled at responding appropriately, there is a good chance that 

the outcome will be positive, but it’s common to see managers 

doing the reacting while using their authority to legitimize their 

behavior. Some managers run the full gamut of passive, aggressive 

and passive-aggressive reactions during employee counseling 

while forcing employees into compliance, armed with the 

authority of an employee counseling form. 

■ Failure to make the empathy shift during conflict. Effective 

conflict managers have the ability to shift from their position to a 

place of empathy with the employee during coaching or counseling. 

This allows them to explore interests, ask the right questions, 

listen, and direct the conversation toward a resolution. A 

lack of empathy generally keeps the manager and the employee 

focused on their polarized positions. A blind spot in this area 

dramatically reduces a manager’s conflict management competency. 

■ Nagging instead of negotiating. Nagging is telling someone what 

you don’t like about their behavior or what you want them to do, 

and is an ineffective way of managing conflict. Effective conflict 

management involves the negotiation process during which both 

parties discuss interests, explore options and then agree about 

how things will be going forward. Some managers nag their 

employees and then when their frustration level goes over the 

top, they write them up for non-compliance. This behavior 

pattern creates dissonance that leads to continual conflict and 

represents a key area of unconscious incompetence in managers. 

■ Failure to coach employees through conflict. Managers must be 

coaches in order to effectively manage employee conflict. The 

coaching methods that work with one employee may not work 

with another. Coaching is an art and a skill that every manager 

needs. Effective managers establish coaching relationships with 

their direct reports, and when conflicts arise they are in a position 

to manage the conflict. Non-coaching managers manage 

employee conflict from a position of unconscious incompetence. 

To expect managers to overcome their own blind spots is expecting 

the blind to lead the blind. Managers need help. Amazingly, 

managers can attend conflict management training and believe that 

their course certificates make them competent conflict managers. 

Their employees know better, but their only recourse is to suck it up 

or escalate the conflict. 

When Employees Suck it Up 

Some employees have been “sucking it up” for so long that they don’t 

know how to communicate directly with any manager (although they 




Conflict Engagement 

Trumps Conflict 


By Cinnie Noble 

Khalid and Marta have worked together for three years. From the beginning, they have argued over their responsibilities on shared 

assignments, requiring their manager’s intervention each time. Their disagreements are becoming increasingly strident and their 

manager Robert decided to ask the HR department if they could mediate this situation. 

Janet has been Bryan’s manager for two years and they were coworkers two years before that. There is a history of conflict between them 

that has escalated since Janet became his manager. Other staff members are aware of the dissension. Janet is very concerned about this 

situation and wonders if an HR professional could coach her about how to work better with Brian. 

One of the things Helen hates most about her job is delivering difficult messages, such as performance reviews. She is afraid of conflict 

that could arise with her staff. Helen is thinking that she ought to ask the HR department for help. 

These situations are rampant and they’re only a small sample 

of the daily interpersonal disputes plaguing organizations. 

HR departments commonly struggle to keep up with the 

numbers and types of conflict that come to them, and yet 

they are often the first people employees go to for help. HR professionals 

are well aware that disputes of this nature have a huge impact 

on staff, staff leaders and the organization, and increasingly, many are 

trained and getting trained to address these problems. 

Outcome & Costs of Improperly 

Managed Conflict 

The following list comprises a number of themes that refer to the 

impact of improperly managed interpersonal workplace conflict in 

public and private sector organizations, educational and religious 

institutions and other workplaces. 

■ Diminished and lost relationships among staff, especially those 

who are dependent on each other for getting their work done well 

and in a timely way 

■ Low morale 

■ Loss of interest in work, of motivation and of energy 

■ Stress-related illness, including clinical depression 

■ Loss of sleep 

■ Humiliation, frustration, hopelessness, disappointment, feelings of 

contempt, anger, hurt, resentment and other emotions that 

contribute to ongoing stress and its related consequences 

■ Loss of confidence and self-esteem 

■ Job dissatisfaction 

■ Loss of “belongingness” or feeling part of a united team 

■ Loss of team purpose 

■ Loss of trust in and respect for the organization and those in 

positions of power 

■ Increased arguments with family and friends and other effects on 

personal lives 

In addition to these sorts of consequences for leaders, staff members 

and the workplace, there are quantifiable costs of poorly managed 

interpersonal conflict for the organization. These costs include 



decreased productivity, increased absenteeism and the related 

expenses due to disability and medical/stress leave, attrition, litigation 

and grievances. Some of the worse case scenarios relating to illmanaged 

conflict and which cause enormous problems and expense 

for organizations include discrimination, harassment, bullying, 

mobbing, abuse of authority, property damage, violence and the ensuing 

legal ramifications. One aspect of interpersonal conflict that is 

often overlooked is its impact on the organization’s reputation and 

credibility as a workplace and client of choice. To state the obvious, 

workplaces where conflict is not well managed invite these and other 

humongous losses. Doing nothing or only minimal interventions 

about workplace conflict conveys a dangerous message to all 

concerned and condones the conduct that has the potential for creating 

poisoned work environments. 

A very basic and simple calculation of the cost of conflict to an organization 

may be done by multiplying the number of hours spent by 

each staff member involved in just one interpersonal dispute, by their 

hourly wage. Since the impact of interpersonal disputes usually 

extends well beyond those directly involved in a dispute, this time 

computation would include hours of HR professionals and other staff 

discussing the issues with the disputants, coworkers, managers and 

union representatives. By computing the number of hours spent over 

the duration of the conflict which often starts before and extends after 

the conflict is resolved, the number of hours and costs rise exponentially. 

If everyone on staff quantified the hours and costs this way for 

WWW.IPMA-HR.ORG 

just one interpersonal workplace conflict, the business case becomes 

unequivocal, for having processes in place that help leaders and staff 

members effectively engage in conflict. 

Conflict as an Opportunity 

A starting point for building conflict competent workplaces requires 

a proactive and systems approach that accepts the concept that 

engaging in interpersonal conflict rather than avoiding it presents an 

opportunity to build relationships, share ideas and opinions and 

create mutually satisfying solutions. To make a paradigm shift as 

such, organizations need to commit to developing a culture of 

conflict competence by naming effective conflict management skills 

as a core competency for all staff and support that initiative with the 

requisite training and coaching. Competency for leaders, for instance, 

may be of the nature of coaching direct reports about their interpersonal 

conflict, conducting difficult conversations, facilitating discussions 

between and among disputing staff members, etc. It is equally 

as important to provide easily accessible conflict management and 

engagement options for staff, aimed at addressing the range of 

conflicts that occur in the workplace. Such initiatives are ideal though 

not a common phenomenon, mostly due to concerns about financial 

commitment. However, that argument does not reconcile with the 

high costs of conflict previously noted. 


AUGUST 2010 | 13 |


Engagement CONTINUED 

Spectrum of Conflict Engagement 

Options 

Most organizations are reactive when it comes to conflict. The shift 

to the idea of client engagement is more evident in proactive workplaces 

that extend financial support and provide their staff with ways 

and means to gain knowledge, skills and the ability to confidently and 

comfortably work out differences and to do so in timely ways. HR 

professionals, managers, non-managers and other internal people may 

be trained to provide various services. Similarly, HR professionals 

may be instrumental in implementing, monitoring and measuring an 

internal system that facilitates effective conflict engagement, utilizing 

internal and external persons for service delivery. The following are 

just a few conflict engagement mechanisms to consider. 

Conflict Management Coaching 

Conflict management coaching, or conflict coaching as it is also 

known, is a specialty in which a trained coach helps individuals on a 

one-on-one basis gain competence to independently manage and 

resolve an ongoing dispute, to address anticipated conflicts and/or, 

generally, to improve their conflict competence. One of the many 

useful aspects of conflict coaching is that it assists individuals to 

resolve their own disputes and gain sustainable skills to be able to 

manage and engage in future ones with increased competence. 

Conflict coaching is regularly used to prepare managers to deliver 

performance reviews and engage effectively in other challenging 

conversations. Of all the mechanisms described in this article, conflict 

management coaching is one which is the most proactive. HR 

professionals are increasingly being trained in many workplace 

contexts to provide conflict coaching as are internal coaches, where 

applicable. Similarly, leaders and non-managers may be taught to 

provide managerial or peer coaching, respectively. 

Mediation 

FROM PAGE 13 

Mediation is a process in which a trained mediator facilitates a 

dialogue between and among two or more employees in dispute. The 

focus is on the specific issues and depending on the form of mediation, 

the breakdown of the relationship may be addressed. Many HR 

professionals are trained to conduct mediations and facilitate this sort 

of dialogue among and between staff members. Again and alternatively, 

peer mediation for managerial and for non-managerial staff 

may also be instituted and monitored by the HR department. 

Conflict Management Training 

Conflict management training and skills training about engaging in 

challenging conversations are often provided in organizations. It is 

suggested, however, that those that do not offer follow-up coaching 

to help participants with the ongoing application of the skills learned 

are not as useful as those that do. Adding post-workshop coaching to 

such training that HR professionals or others provide reaps benefits 

that help participants when they encounter conflictual situations with 

specific practical and concrete assistance. 

Summary 

Interpersonal workplace disputes may be a consequence of systemic, 

task-related or relational problems that are inadvertently allowed to 

tear apart the workplace fabric. These situations are often 

compounded by organizational cultures that avoid conflict and react 

only when things escalate, staff who do not have appropriate training, 

incentive or support to get off the treadmill of conflict and/or the lack 

of conflict competence of the leaders. These and other reasons wreak 

havoc for workplaces and their staff and strongly concern HR professionals 

who strive to create a “conflict-positive” workplace. It is 

recommended here that a systemic approach that encourages conflict 

engagement will reduce the detrimental outcomes of ill-managed 

conflict on its bottom line and its human resources. 

Cinnie Noble, C.M., LL.B., LL.M. (ADR), ACC, is owner of CINERGY® 

Coaching, a division of Noble Solutions Inc., which is a full service 

conflict management company and approved provider (HRCI) for workshops 

on Conflict Coaching, Collaborative Trialogue and The Science 

and Art of Conducting Challenging Conversations. Noble is a lawyermediator 

and certified coach. More information about CINERGY® can 

be found on the Web at www.cinergycoaching.com. To reach Noble, 

send an e-mail to cinnie@cinergycoaching.com, or call toll free: (866) 

335-6466. —N 



Managing Conflict 

by Managing 

Communication 

By Diane Bogino 

conflict isn’t happening, then the organization has no reason 

for being,” so stated Dr. Louis R. Pondy in his paper, Reflec- 

“If 

tions on Organizational Conflict. 

However, Pondy, until his death in 1987 served as the head of the 

Department of Business Administration at the University of Illinois 

at Urbana-Champaign, had his own conflict over this very topic. 

Twenty years earlier, he had written a different opinion on conflict, 

and after careful study and debate, changed his philosophy to the one 

quoted above. 

The truth of the matter is that often our own efforts at everyday 

communication can be the source of conflict. Someone makes an offthe-cuff 

remark that stirs up conflict. A colleague may say something 

not meaning any harm, yet the receiver perceives an entirely different 

meaning. This is when communication can seemingly skyrocket out 

of control and affect teams, workgroups, and entire departments. 

Culture adds another dimension to our ability or inability to 

communicate effectively. Culture encompasses not only global 

cultures that come together in a work situation, but industry, organizational, 

and even departmental cultures as well. Despite this, people 

do share many traits, behaviors, and communication styles worldwide 

that can lead us to better understanding, effective communication, 

and increased productivity. This is not to say that even the greatest 

improvement in any of these areas will eliminate conflict, but that 

should not be our goal. Effective management of conflict and using 

conflict to identify problems and make changes creates opportunity 

and growth. It’s true that conflict can be a destructive force, but 

healthy conflict can bring benefits to the table. 

1. Conflict can produce a better understanding between 

people having conflicts as well as the issue at hand. 

Here’s a bombshell for you: not everyone sees issues in the same way. 

Everyone has a slightly different perspective. The point here is that 

perhaps some experience has taught them a better way or maybe 

they’ve learned consequences that were before unforeseen. Or, sometimes, 

discussion alone can spark new ideas and perspectives, and 

bring forth creative problem solving. Typically, people become 

emotional about a topic, develop tunnel vision around it, and can see 

no other alternatives. Many times, this is why people commit suicide; 

they can see no way out of their conflict, be it with others, money, or 

the authorities. 

2. Conflict can enhance motivation. 

People who do not care about a particular issue one way or the other 

do not fight for it. In other words, they are not willing to expend the 

time, energy, effort, or resources to change either the current situation 

or the outcome. Conflicting debates can encourage someone to 

do research and uncover facts for themselves—facts that hopefully 

will promote understanding or bring a different perspective to the 

table for all involved in the conflict to consider. For example, a 



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San Mateo M County (CA) Santa Barbara County ty (CA) Santa Clara County (CA) Santa Monica City(C 

ylvania County C (VA) Stafford County (VA) ) Stearns County (MN) Surprise City (AZ) Tarrant County 

est Virginia Westerville City (OH) Alachua County (FL) Alameda County (CA) Albany City (GA) A 

www.neogov.com 

VA) Atlanta City (GA) Baltimore County (MD) Clark County (NV) Clovis City (NM) Cobb Coun


Managing CONTINUED 

FROM PAGE 15 

novice trainer may surmise that lecturing is the best training 

methodology. It is a safe bet that those who have to attend such 

sessions have a great deal of conflict about attending them. However, 

through research, education, and maybe a little maturity, the novice 

trainer learns that using multiple methodologies of delivering training 

is best for diverse learning and communication styles and 

reduces conflict surrounding attendance. 

3. Conflict can provide better solutions to problems. 

If two heads are better than one, just think what a group of heads can 

accomplish. When others present their perceptions, perspectives, 

premises and arguments, analyzing the problem for validity, verification 

and value can begin. In a paper by Doug McCleery, he relates 

how United States land policies fertilized the idea for and the subsequent 

creation of the USDA Forest Service. During the 1900s, the 

United States wanted to encourage the development of the west. 

Therefore, land, including public land, was issued to corporations as 

well as to private farmers. Conflict among U.S. citizens developed 

due to deforestation, wildfires, poor land use, soil erosion and the 

demise of wildlife. No one person had the vision to foresee the consequences 

or the cure for saving our great forests. However, through 

group efforts of citizens, the government and corporations, we have 

been able to provide commercial and domestic use of our land as well 

as the preservation of forests and parks for everyone’s enjoyment. 

Societal changes such as these will always stir up conflict on several 

thought points; however, putting thinking, planning, and implementation 

resources together reduces conflict and solves problems. 

4. Enhancing the team’s cohesiveness. 

Two terms with which you are no doubt familiar are “forming, storming, 

and norming” and “kiss and make up.” The former quote deals 

with the stages teams experience when first formed. The latter is 

what happens when conflict is resolved in a positive manner. America’s 

team (its citizens) were borne out of conflict. The colonists had a 

conflict with the “motherland” and King George III. For more than 

200 years, many factions, both internal and external, have sought to 

tear our team apart. Each time, America has come back stronger than 

before and more determined to pursue the philosophies in which this 

country believes. This can happen with work teams as well. Of 

course, some factors must be in place for this to occur. These factors 

are a mutual respect for one another, tolerance of other individuals 

and a belief that the work the team is performing is important. Here 

is how a mutual respect and better understanding of personalities, 

communication styles, and behavior tendencies can help eliminate or 

reduce conflict. 

Despite cultural differences, political persuasion, religious beliefs, or 

ethnicity, there are four communication and behavioral styles. 

Following is information to help 

■ Describe each style, 

■ Recognize each style, and 

■ Understand the best way to communicate with each style to 

reduce conflicts and reduce miscommunication. 

See if you recognize anyone you know or yourself in the following 

descriptions. 

Dominant: These personalities are blunt, ambitious, forceful, decisive, 

strong-willed, independent, and goal-oriented. 

How to recognize: These people are easily recognizable as they generally 

lack patience; they have no time for details and want you to get 

right to the point. They may even be abrasive and have no idea or 

even care that their manner is causing conflict. These are the people 

who arrive at work at 8 a.m., and by 8:05 a.m. they’ve already alienated 

the entire department. 

Communicating with this style: 

■ Be clear, concise, and get to the point. 

■ Stick to business. 

■ Come prepared and organized. 

■ Be logical and efficient in presenting information. 

■ Your questions need to be specific. Ask, preferably, 

“What?” questions. 

■ Be prepared to offer alternatives and choices—don’t dictate 

a choice to them. 

■ Be sure to have facts and figures and check to be sure they 

are accurate. 

■ If you disagree with a Dominant, take issue with the facts— 

not with them! 

■ Provide win/win opportunities. 

Compliant: Compliant does not necessarily mean that these personality 

types comply with your every wish, but rather they like to do 

everything by the book. They love rules and regulations. That’s what 

makes them good drivers. 



How to Recognize: They are described as dependent, neat, conservative, 

perfectionists, and careful. This is the person who reads a law 

like Sarbanes-Oxley for sheer pleasure! 


■ Be prepared. 

■ Be straightforward and direct when approaching them. 

■ Build credibility by looking at all sides of an issue. 

■ Do what you say you can do and be specific. 

■ Have an action plan at the ready complete with dates 

and milestones. 

■ Take your time, but be persistent 

■ If you disagree, prove it with data and facts or testimonials 

from respected people. 

■ Give them time to review any information before they have 

to make a decision. 

■ Give them space. 

It is no accident that the Dominant and the Compliant styles are one 

after the other. These two styles have the most adapting or accommodating 

to do when communicating with one another in order to 

avoid conflict. 

Steady: This type is the steady-Eddie team member. This person is 

the same most all the time. They have emotions of course, otherwise 

they wouldn’t be human. However, they rarely show emotion one 

way or the other. 

How to Recognize: These folks are patient, predictable, reliable, 

steady, relaxed, and modest. If you ask this person to come up with 

ideas for an employee picnic, they will write a 10-page report. Their 

files are probably alphabetized, numerical, and color-coded. 


■ Begin communication with personal comments to break the ice. 

■ Show sincere interest in them as a person. 

■ Patiently draw out their personal goals and ideas. Listen and 

be responsive. 

■ Present your case logically, softly, and in a non-threatening 

manner. 

■ Your questions need to be specific. Ask, preferably, “How?” 

questions. 

■ Your body language should be casual and informal. 

■ If a situation affects them personally, there may be hurt feelings. 

■ Provide assurances, but don’t make promises you can’t deliver. 

■ If a decision is required from them, give them time to make it. 

Influence: This personality style is magnetic, enthusiastic, friendly, 

demonstrative and political. 

How to Recognize: They can be so enthusiastic at times that they 

appear superficial. This style will leave a message on your voice mail 

and have to call back four times to leave the entire message. They 

love to talk and cannot do it without using their hands. 


■ Plan interactions that support their dreams and intentions. 

In other words, do not legislate or muffle. 

■ Allow time for relating and socializing. 

■ Talk about people and their goals. Facts and figure do not 

impress them. 

■ Focus on people and action items and be sure to put details 

in writing. 

■ Ask for their opinion. 

■ Provide ideas for implementing action. 

■ Allow enough time to be stimulating, fun, and fast moving. 

Do not be curt. 

■ Offer special immediate and extra incentives for willingness 

to take risks. 

The Steady and Influence styles also have a difficult time communicating. 

They do better than the Dominates and the Compliants, but 

conflict can still easily develop and each style needs to do their own 

share of adapting. 

Each of these personality types has a preferred communication style. 

Conversely, each has a style of communication they do not like. 

However, with a little effort to understand each other’s style and 

adapt our own communication style, there will be fewer miscommunications, 

better insight, and less conflict. While eliminating conflict 

is not possible, nor, according to Pondy, do we want to, we can 

certainly have less of it and make the conflicts we do experience more 

productive. 

It is important to realize that all people have different learning and 

communication styles and learning how to work with all of these 

personality types is a key to helping your team towards managing and 

resolving conflict. There is more to conflict than just the conflict 

itself. Remembering to establish boundaries during the resolution 

phase is important. Attack the problem, not the person. Look at 

disputes from a point of view other than your own, and be willing to 

LISTEN. People in conflict often forget this step. In addition, once 

the conflict is resolved there should be a process to evaluate the resolution 

to see if it worked. Doing this will reduce the number of 

conflicts and the conflicts that do occur will be easier to manage. 

Diane Bogino is president of Performance Strategies, Inc. 

(www.performstrat.com). Bogino is a consultant, author, trainer 

and speaker who assists companies with hiring and performance 

challenges. She can be reached either by phone at (404) 320-7834, 

or by e-mail at diane@performstrat.com. —N 


SUPREME COURT WRAP-UP 

Supreme Court Ends 2009-2010 Term 

The Supreme Court ended the 2009- 

2010 term on June 29, saying 

goodbye to Justice John Paul Stevens, 

who retired after 34 years on the bench. 

The Court decided few employment law 

cases but has already accepted several 

for next term. Highlights of this term 

include the Court’s employer-friendly 

opinion on employer review of text 

messages and a ruling that opens the 

door for more adverse impact claims 

under Title VII. 

On the docket for next term are employment 

law cases concerning the so-called 

“cat’s paw” doctrine, a case asking 

when a wronged third-party can bring a 

retaliation suit, and a case about a job 

applicant’s right to “informational 

privacy” in the course of a background 

investigation. The Court is likely to add 

several more employment law cases 

before the next term begins October 4, 

2010. 

Although the just-ended term was light 

on employment-law decisions it was an 

important one. The Court considered a 

case directly affecting public sector 

employers in an emerging area of HR 

law—employees’ right to privacy in the 

content of their computer/wireless 

communications. 

While employers long ago adjusted to 

the use of phones and e-mails for 

personal use, the advent of Facebook, 

LinkedIn, online shopping, Twitter, and 

blogging provide employees with exponentially 

more opportunities to bring 

their personal lives into the workplace. 

The fact that HR struggles with these 

issues is apparent from the requests of 

IPMA-HR members for sample policies 

on social networking and the appropriate 

use of technology. 

The Supreme Court’s opinion in Quon v. 

City of Ontario, Calif., clarified that the 

constitutionality of the review will depend 

upon the reasonableness of the search. 

A unanimous Court ruled that public 

employees have a privacy interest in the 

content of their communications but that 

reasonable searches will not violate the 

Fourth Amendment’s right to privacy. 

At issue were hundreds of text 

messages sent by SWAT officer Jeff 

Quon to his wife, girlfriend, and coworker, 

some of which were sexually explicit. The 

messages were sent on a governmentprovided 

pager. The city of Ontario has a 

written “Computer Usage, Internet and E- 

Mail Policy” reserving the right to 

monitor all activity with or without notice 

and informing users that they should 

have no expectation of privacy or confidentiality 

when using these resources. 

The policy was extended to paging 

devices through a meeting and a written 

memorandum. 

Despite the policy, Quon’s supervisor 

told him and other officers that as long 

as they stayed within the contract’s character 

limits or reimbursed the city for 

personal use, there would be no 

problem. The chief of police, however, 

decided to review messages to determine 

if the repeated overages were due 

to work or personal use, for the purpose 

of deciding whether or not to increase 

the number of messages allowed under 

the contract. 

When Quon’s extensive personal use 

was discovered, the chief appointed an 

investigator who reviewed the messages 

and removed all those sent during nonwork 

hours. The investigator concluded 

that Quon had violated workplace rules 

and he was allegedly disciplined. The 

Court ruled that the department’s review 

of the messages did not violate Quon’s 

right to privacy. The Court declined to 

issue a broad ruling, deciding instead 

that he did have a right to privacy in the 

messages but because the search was 

conducted in a reasonable manner, the 

Fourth Amendment was not violated. 

Another case decided this term that is 

important to public sector HR professionals 

is the case Lewis v. City of 

Chicago. The Supreme Court issued a 

unanimous opinion finding that under 

Title VII’s disparate impact provisions, 

every time an employer uses a particular 

employment practice, it starts the clock 

running again. 

The city of Chicago argued unsuccessfully 

that minority firefighters were time- 

barred from bringing a discrimination 

claim because they failed to file their 

claims within 300 days of the announcement 

of the test results. At issue is a 

firefighter entrance exam taken by 

26,000 applicants in 1995. 

Test scores were grouped into three 

categories: “well-qualified,” “qualified,” 

and “not qualified.” Only a small 

percentage of minority candidates made 

the well-qualified category and because 

of the large number of applicants, the 

city did not hire from the qualified category. 

In the case, the city did not dispute that 

the test had a disparate impact on 

minorities. Rather, the city argued that 

the unsuccessful candidates waited too 

long to file their complaint—they waited 

until the city was hiring from the list 

instead of when the city announced the 

test results. The Supreme Court 

disagreed and distinguished disparate 

impact cases from disparate treatment 

cases. 

In disparate impact cases, where an 

otherwise neutral practice has an 

adverse impact on a protected class, 

Title VII says that the clock begins to run 

when the employer applies the practice. 

In disparate treatment cases, where 

discriminatory intent is required, the 


employee must show that the discriminatory 

activity took place within the limitations 

period. 

When the Court returns on October 4, 

they will consider the following three 

employment law cases, along with any 

the Court adds to the docket this 

summer and fall. 

■ Thompson v. North American Stainless, 

LP – The case was brought by an 

employee who argues that he was 

fired after his fiancée filed a discrimination 

charge with the EEOC. The 

question is whether or not Title VII’s 

anti-retaliation provision allows for 

third party suits. 

■ Staub v. Proctor Hospital – The case 

was brought by an employee alleging 

Improving CONTINUED 

may freely talk about their managers with others). This is the formula 

for personal powerlessness and victimhood. These are the ingredients 

for unresolved conflict and a breakdown in teamwork and productivity. 

Unfortunately, this produces a circular process that breeds hostility 

and employee disengagement. 

According to the Gallup Organization, as of March 2009, only 30 

percent of the employees in the U.S. workforce were actively engaged 

in their work. Thirty percent were not engaged, and 18 percent were 

actively disengaged (undermining the efforts of engaged coworkers). 

Although it’s not within the scope of this article to explore these 

statistics, it is apparent that much of this is due to unresolved conflict 

and employees “sucking it up.” 

Employees who are not engaged or actively disengaged (70 percent of 

the U.S. workforce) need coaching and effective conflict management. 

If their managers aren’t providing it, who will? Most managers are 

unconsciously incompetent in their coaching behaviors. Many don’t 

know how. Most of those who have coaching skills don’t do it because 

they’re too busy. Managers must become competent in conflict 

management skills and behaviors so they can set the right example 

and transfer those skills and behaviors to their employees through the 

coaching process. 

Leading the Charge 

FROM PAGE 11 

It’s up to the human resources department to lead the charge toward 

more effective conflict management training, coaching and mediation 

SUPREME COURT WRAP-UP 

he was fired because his immediate 

supervisors were biased against him 

for his service in the Army Reserves. 

There is no evidence that the vice 

president of human resources, who 

actually made the termination decision, 

was biased. The question is 

when an employer can be held liable 

for unlawful discrimination when 

biased officials had some influence in 

the termination but were not the ultimate 

decision maker. This is the socalled 

“Cat’s Paw” theory of liability 

where an employee alleges that the 

decision maker, although unbiased 

herself, was unduly influenced by 

others who were biased. 

■ NASA v. Nelson – Twenty-eight scientists 

employed as contractors by 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

which is operated under contract by 

the California Institute of Technology 

sued arguing that background investigations 

asking about mental health, 

drug use and finances were overly 

intrusive. The workers are in nonsensitive 

positions. The background 

investigation is required by a federal 

law that applies the National Agency 

Check with Inquiries (NACI) to contractors 

as well as all civil service 

employees. The NACI was extended to 

contract employees in 2004 as part 

of an anti-terrorism policy to protect 

U.S. facilities. The Supreme Court is 

expected to determine the scope of a 

right to information privacy. —N 

programs. Start a pilot. Work with a core group of willing managers 

as a proof of concept. Measure your results. Wherever people work 

together, there will be conflict. Help managers and supervisors face 

their unconscious incompetence and begin practicing conflict 

management competency. 

Roger Reece provides conflict management training, coaching 

and mediation services. He can be reached at roger@rogerreece.com 

or through his Web site at www.ConflictManagementWorkshops.com. 

—N 


| 22 | AUGUST 2010 

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By Jim Fox and Bruce Lawson, Fox Lawson & Associates, A Division of Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. 

Question: Our organization is 

getting ready to begin a classification 

and compensation system review. Our 

employees are, to say the least, a bit 

nervous about the study and what it will 

mean for them. They believe that they 

do more than employees in other agencies 

in comparable job classifications 

and they want to make sure that this is 

considered during the study. Do you 

have any words of wisdom that will help 

us address employee concerns as we 

begin this process? 

CompDoctor TM 

: Let us first 

make sure we understand your question, 

as this is something that we have 

rarely heard from employees in other 

organizations that we have worked with 

over the past 25 years. You say that 

your employees believe they do more 

than others in similar jobs in other 

communities or organizations that have 

similar or comparable job classifications 

and you want to make sure that 

their concerns about the study recognizing 

this fact is taken into account 

during the study. This is really a much 

more complex question that you may 

realize. In those rare occasions that 

people feel they do more than others 

(we are obviously being a bit facetious 

here), the issue can be related to 

perceptions about a number of different 

situations. 

The first and most common issue 

relates to the amount of work that one 

person does versus another, either 

within the organization or in other organizations. 

We know that this may come 

as a shock but some people feel that 

they just work harder than their peers. 

Workload may relate to the number of 

positions available to do the required 

work, the confidence that a supervisor 

or manager may have in the reliability of 

one employee over another in terms of 

getting stuff done so they put more on 

their plate than they do on other’s 

plates, or simply that some people work 

faster or smarter than others so they 

are more productive. Unfortunately, 

none of these situations changes the 

type of work or the level of the work 

that is actually performed. As a result, 

this situation should not be addressed 

as part of a job classification review. 

Please note we specified classification 

here. Compensation is another matter 

but we will get to that shortly. 

The second most common issue 

relates to organizations that assign a 

different mix of duties to one position 

versus another position that is currently 

in the same job classification. This 

could conceivably be a job classification 

issue IF the duties performed by one 

position are of a higher level or a totally 

different type than others in the same 

class. 

Obviously, the organization will need to 

determine whether assignment of the 

higher-level duties to the one position is 

appropriate but that is a whole other 

matter. If the work performed by an 

employee is truly of a higher level in 

terms of the level of responsibility 

and/or the skill/knowledge required to 

perform the work, and the higher level 

work does meet the standard for being 

an essential duty of the positions as 

defined by the EEOC in the guidelines 

related to essential duties under the 

American’s with Disabilities Act, then, 

depending on the classification concept 

(broad versus narrow job classifications) 

that has been adopted by the 

organization, a 

separate or 

higher level job 

classification 

may be appropriate. 

However, if the 

work is simply 

different but it 

is comparable 

in terms of 

type and level, 

then a change 

in job classification 

would likely not be justified. 

Now we can move on to the more 

important issue—how much an 

employee should get paid versus other 

employees, both within the same organization 

and relative to other organiza- 

COMP DOCTOR TM 

“...there will always 

be employers who 

pay more...” 

tions that are within your defined 

labor market. Let’s take each issue 

separately. 

When in comes to paying your 

employees based on market conditions, 

one thing you absolutely have to deal 

with is how you see your organization 

relative to the labor market. By this, we 

simply mean are you trying to pay the 

median of the market or do you want to 

be the highest paying employer. That 

philosophy will dictate how you respond 

to an employee relative to their 

concern. 

Quite frankly, there is always going to 

be another employer who will pay more 

than you do. They may or may not be 

out front about it but they do exist. 

Unless you are committed to never 

having to say you’re sorry (we apologize 

for the reference to a line in Love Story), 

the fact that someone else pays more 

is a reality of the market. 

If you are trying to pay your employees 

competitively (somewhere around the 

50th to the 60th percentile of the 

market), there will always be employers 

who pay more, just like there will always 

be employers who are paying less. 

There are a couple of other key points 

we feel compelled to raise. The first is 

that when someone tells you that my 

brother-in-law’s next door neighbor’s 

cousin works 

at the neighboring 

city and 

she or he does 

the same work 

that I do but 

gets paid 

$20,000 more, 

you need to 

step back and 

say “whoa.” 

The problem 

with these 

types of situations 

is they are anecdotal at best. 

While someone may be in a similar job, 

each organization will structure the job 

a bit differently. That is why the 

Department of Justice and the federal 



COMP DOCTOR TM 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 

courts have provided guidance relatively 

to salary data comparison related to 

the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (which is a 

whole other topic for separate discussion). 

Nevertheless, the WorldatWork guidelines 

stipulate that a job can be used 

for comparison purposes if it is a 70 

percent match to the subject job. (We 

have addressed that subject in previous 

columns.) Since professional standards 

stipulate a 70 percent standard, that 

means there could be a 30 percent 

difference. The other thing to keep in 

mind is that the other organization may 

pay its people differently than you pay 

yours. They may have a performance 

based system and you may not. 

Now we can get to the issue of workload. 

From our perspective, a pay 

system that does not recognize the 

contribution of an employee is going to 

address this issue. For those organizations 

that are committed to the traditional 

step type pay plan where all 

employees can advance to the top of 

their respective salary range or grade 

based on simply meeting basic job 

requirements simply cannot address 

this issue. However, those organizations 

that address individual employee 

performance can and typically do 

compensate high performers more than 

average performers. 

We could keep going on this topic but 

we hope you get the idea. There is no 

one answer but you absolutely need to 

understand and explain why differences 

may occur. 

The Comp Doctor is the team of Jim Fox 

and Bruce Lawson of Fox Lawson & 

Associates, a Division of Gallagher Benefit 

Services, Inc., a compensation, benefits and 

human resources consulting firm that 

specializes in assisting governments in 

fixing their compensation, benefits and 

classification systems. You may find them 

on the Web at www.foxlawson.com. If you 

have a question, you would like to have 

them answer, please write to them at 

james_fox@foxlawson.com or 

bruce_lawson@foxlawson.com. They will 

try to include it in the next issue of 

Comp Doctor. —N 

Solutions for people who pay people. 

Job Classification 

Compensation 

Performance Pay 

Salary Surveys 

1335 County Road D Circle East 

St. Paul, MN 55109-5260 

Phone: (651) 635-0976 Fax: (651) 635-0980 

P.O. Box 32985 • Phoenix, AZ 85064-2985 

Phone: (602) 840-1070 Fax: (602) 840-1071 

www.foxlawson.com 


Certification Corner 

Congratulations to these newly 

certified individuals! 

Jason Bajor, IPMA-CP 

Des Plaines, Ill. 

Michelle Beauchamp, 

IPMA-CP 

Personnel Analyst 

Placer County Personnel 

Auburn, Calif. 

Deborah Kal, IPMA-CP 

Senior HR Manager 

El Dorado County 

Placerville, Calif. 

Beverly Nieves, IPMA-CP 

Personnel Analyst 

City of Long Beach, Calif. 

Terry Parker, IPMA-CP, MBA 

Assistant HR Director 

City of Racine, Wis. 

Karen Willis, IPMA-CP 

Human Resources Director 

City of Alameda, Calif. 

Linda Zartler, IPMA-CP 

City Secretary/Assistant to 

the City Manager 

City of Boerne, Texas 

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS 

Member News 

Richard Brainerd is the 2010-2011 president of the League of 

Minnesota Cities. Brainerd serves as a council member in the City of 

Mahtomedi, Minn. He is a past president of IPMA-HR and the 

Central Region and is an IPMA-HR honorary life member. 

The Association was saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Donald 

Hayman. Hayman was the 1981 recipient of the Warner W. Stockberger 

Achievement Award. He worked for the School of Government 

at the University of North Carolina for almost 40 years, he 

drafted the original North Carolina State Personnel Act, and he 

worked with many cities, towns and counties across North Carolina 

to assist them in formulating sound personnel policies and practices. 

Hayman was instrumental in starting the University of North 

Carolina M.P.A. program and is considered to be the “father of 

sound public administration” in North Carolina. 

Regina Hilliard was named the HR director for the City of Virginia 

Beach, Va. Hilliard has worked for Virginia Beach since 1987. 

During her tenure with Virginia Beach, she specialized in compensation 

management, recruitment and hiring and was instrumental in 

developing and implementing the city’s workforce planning and 

development program. 

The Association was sorry to hear of the death of Grady Terrell, 

IPMA-CP. Terrell was a longtime IPMA-HR member who served 

in leadership positions at the chapter, region and international level. 

He was a member of the IPMA-HR Executive Council and was a 

president of the Southern Region and the Virginia Chapter. Terrell 

worked as the corporate HR manager for JWH, Inc., in Lynchburg, 

Va. Previously, he worked for the City of Richmond, Va., and several 

local governments (Durham County, city of New Bern, and town of 

Carrboro) in North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Rose Ann 

Terrell, an IPMA-HR member. —N 


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NAME ON CARD 

CARD # EXPIRATION DATE 

SIGNATURE 

PHONE NUMBER 

TO ORDER 

CALL: (800) 381-TEST (8378) 

FAX: (703) 684-0948 

MAIL: 1617 Duke Street, 


INTERNET: testing.ipma-hr.org 

If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours 

of faxing your order or sending your order online, 

please contact the assessment department at 

(800) 381-TEST (8378) or assessment@ipma-hr.org. 

Photocopy this order form and send to IPMA-HR. 


TESTING ORDER FORM 

A. ORDER 

We have a Test Security Agreement on file at IPMA-HR and wish to order the following test(s): 

We are in the process of renaming our tests. If you are a returning customer, go to 

http://www.ipma-hr.org/assessment/tests/key to familiarize yourself with the new test names. 

TEST/PRODUCT TITLE QUANTITY x UNIT COST = TOTAL COST 

POLICE SERVICE TESTS & PRODUCTS 

PO-EL 101 (TIP) PO-EL 102 (TIP) $15.00 

PO-EL 201-NC (TIP) 



$15.00 

PO-EL 301 (VID) 

$15.00 

Format: VHS DVD (included in unit cost) 

PL 301 $15.00 

PSUP 201 PSUP 202 PSUP 203 $15.00 

PDET 101 $15.00 

PO-BDQ 201-NC (see scoring below for addt’l fees) $6.00 

PO-RCE 101 (VID) PO-RCE 102 (VID) 


FIRE SERVICE TESTS & PRODUCTS 

$7.50 

FF-EL 101 FF-EL 102 $12.50 

FF-EL 201-NC (TIP) FF-EL 202 (TIP) $15.00 

FF-EL 301-NC (TIP) FF-EL 302 (TIP) $15.00 

FL 101-EM FL 102 $15.00 

FF-RCE 101 (VID) FF-RCE 102 (VID) 


$7.50 

CO-EL 101 CO-EL 102 

CORRECTIONS TESTS & PRODUCTS 

$12.50 

CO-EL 201 (TIP) $15.00 

CF-FLS 101 $15.00 

CO-BDQ 201-NC (see scoring below for addt’l fees) $6.00 

CO-RCE 101 (VID) CO-RCE 102 (VID) 


$7.50 

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER TESTS & PRODUCTS 

ECC-EL 101 $12.50 

ECC-EL 102 (AUD) 

Audio Format ECC-EL 102 (AUD): 

CD VHS Cassette 

ECC-EL 201 (VID) 


$12.50 

$15.00 

ECC-FLS 101 $15.00 

ADMINISTRATIVE TESTS & PRODUCTS 

Administrative Support Modules (List modules below) (see below) 

CASM-1 (5 modules) (see below) 

CASM-2 (3 modules) (see below) 

ADMINISTRATIVE TEST PRICING: 

One module at $5.50; two modules at 

$8.00. Any additional modules at $1.50. 

Cumulative price is per candidate. 

HAND SCORING: One scoring stencil 

will be provided for each test title. Extra 

scoring stencils may be rented for $10.00. 

Only one stencil may be provided for 

every 50 tests ordered. Corresponding 

answer sheets will be provided. 

SCORING SERVICE: Please fill in an 

appropriate fee of $40.00 for each test title 

ordered, plus $0.50 for each answer sheet 

to be scored. Please allow up to 72 hours 

for results to be processed. 

ANSWER KEY: A list of answers will be 

included for each test title at no charge. 

No answer sheets will be provided. 

BACKGROUND DATA QUESTIONNAIRE: 

BDQ’s must be returned to IPMA-HR to 

be scored. Please include an appropriate 

charge of $45.00, plus $0.50 per answer 

sheet to be scored. 

ADMINISTRATION FEE 

($90/each test item ordered) 

Hand (quantity per test) 

Scoring Service Answer Key 

SUBTOTAL 

MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT 

(5% discount for IPMA-HR Agency 

membership) 

SUBTOTAL WITH DISCOUNT 

RUSH SHIPPING 

(If applicable. See section B 

for fee schedule) 

TOTAL: 

Prices and availability of tests and services described 

here may change. Please visit us on the web for the 

most up to date information. 

B. SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS 

TESTING DATE (REQUIRED TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR UNUSED TESTS.) 

Confirming telephone order — do not duplicate. 

PLEASE CHECK ONE: 

Free shipping, via UPS Ground. 2 to 7 business days 

shipping time depending on location. Free upgrade 

to 2nd Day UPS for locations in Alaska & Hawaii. 

Rush shipping, via UPS 2nd Day or Next Day. $20 + 

10% of order total. 

C. AUTHORIZATION 

This section must be completed by an individual who 

has signed the Test Security Agreement with IPMA-HR. 

CUSTOMER ID# 

WWW.IPMA-HR.ORG AUGUST 2010 | 27 | 

NAME 

TITLE 

AGENCY 

SHIPPING / STREET ADDRESS (NO PO BOXES) 


COUNTRY 

PHONE # 

EMAIL 

SIGNATURE DATE 

D. BILLING 

You will be billed after your order ships. Unused test 

booklets will be accepted for credit towards your 

original invoice if returned within 2 weeks of your 

scheduled test date. A credit memo will be sent once 

your return is received. 

Please reference the attached purchase order 

on my invoice 

My Billing Address is different from my 

shipping address: 

ATTENTION 

AGENCY 

ADDRESS 


TO ORDER 

CALL: (800) 381-TEST (8378) 

FAX: (703) 684-0948 

MAIL: 1617 Duke Street, 


INTERNET: testing.ipma-hr.org 

If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours of 

faxing your order, contact us at (800) 381-TEST (8378) 

or assessment@ipma-hr.org. Photocopy this order form 

and send to IPMA-HR.

Professional Development Courses 

for Public Sector HR Professionals 

Trusted professional development designed specifically for public sector HR professionals that: 

�� Develops a broader range 

of competencies 

�� Enhances job performance 

�� Improves quality 

�� Elevates professionalism 

�� Instills pride 

�� Advances the HR profession 

Bring Public Sector HR Professional Development to Your Agency! 

Visit IPMA-HR at www.ipma-hr.org 

or call 703-549-7100 to schedule your 

professional development course today!

Are you looking for ways to create a more diverse workforce and 

need fresh ideas? Maybe you have recently developed a new 

program of your own and want to share its success with others. The 

purpose of IPMA-HR’s Successful Practices Taskforce is to 

encourage excellence in public HR by providing information to 

IPMA-HR members about programs that have been successful in 

the public sector, and IPMA-HR is currently collecting case studies 

on successful practices in HR. 

The city of Livermore, Calif., is a full-service municipality comprised 

of just fewer than 500 employees. They are committed to providing 

an equal opportunity workforce and vow to attract, hire and develop 

a highly diverse, competent and qualified workforce. Their commitment 

is reflected in their development of the Support Our Staff 

(S.O.S.) program, of which the goal is to foster a workforce that is 

truly diverse and inclusive of all differences including developmental 

and physical difficulties. Especially in today’s tough economy, this is 

a difficult feat. 

Dwindling fiscal and human capital, coupled with increased service 

demands, is a familiar paradox, yet never before have public resources 

experienced such erosion as today. The “do more with less” expectation 

is no longer a sufficient means to a productive ends in this environment. 

Today, a new imperative is at hand; a “do better with less” 

calling, which requires public agencies to evaluate their current environment 

and identify alternative means to meet desirable outcomes 

more efficiently. 

With such a vision, Livermore took an innovative approach by 

attempting to tackle two seemingly different challenges (improved 

business efficacy and equal employment opportunity) with the same 

creative solution—development of the S.O.S. program. This unique 

diversification initiative is rooted in management beliefs that 

increased productivity and efficacy of administrative services can be 

reached by way of a more broadly diverse workforce. Such a solution 

relies on inclusion to create and maximize a broader range of workforce 

talents in order to more productively meet administrative 

service demands. 

The city of Livermore partnered with East Bay Innovations (E.B.I.), 

a nonprofit advocacy organization serving people with developmental 

disabilities throughout Alameda County; the S.O.S. program 

was designed to improve core business needs through workforce 

inclusion and diversity. By purposely employing individuals with 

developmental disabilities to perform routine, entry-level functions 

throughout the city, the city envisioned increased productivity and 

effectiveness of administrative services due to a broader pool of 

talent. Recognizing the potential that this valuable and largely 

untapped labor market could provide its organization productive and 

contributing members, the S.O.S. program was designed with the 

SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES 

City of Livermore Support Our Staff 

Program 

following two primary purposes in mind: to develop and maintain a 

pool of temporary support staff available to flexibly meet the 

ongoing, ever changing routine administrative needs of the city; and 

to extend public supported employment opportunities and on-thejob 

training to individuals with developmental disabilities within the 

Livermore community. 

Through this program the city has directly hired, trained, and 

currently maintains a pool of temporary employees with developmental 

disabilities. They each work a set schedule of 20 hours per 

week on a wide variety of programs and activities throughout the 

city. Supported employment is a crucial part of the program and a 

professional job coach provided by E.B.I. is at the worksite at all 

times that the S.O.S. team provides services and at no cost to the 

city. The job coach’s role is to assist with assigning, prioritizing, 

observing, and tracking work assignments, meeting deadlines, 

instructing and coaching, and quality assurance of services. 

While providing supported employment opportunities to individuals 

with developmental disabilities is a key part of this program, so too 

is improving administrative services vital to its success. There is no 

question that in every city department there are routine tasks that all 

too often are pushed aside when more urgent priorities require 

attention. Pushing aside less urgent priorities may lead to inaccurate 

record keeping, untimely distribution of information, and even 

noncompliance with regulatory requirements. By creating a team 

specifically dedicated to providing pooled support for routine and 

as-needed tasks and special projects, we are better able to flexibly 

meet and adapt to the on-going, yet ever changing administrative 

demands of the city. 

The program title reflects the essential reason for this programs’ 

existence. In nautical terms, S.O.S. is used as a distress signal for 

help; it too serves this same purpose in Livermore City Hall. 

However, for the city of Livermore, a request for S.O.S. support 

signals a need for additional administrative help beyond what 

current resources are available. The program name has proven 

fitting; with a team of three members and a job coach, the S.O.S. 

team now provides routine support four days a week for five hours a 

day to most every city department and has proudly not declined any 

projects nor missed any deadlines since program implementation. 

This program was designed to overcome barriers to disabled individuals 

by providing on-the-job training and work experience to S.O.S. 

team members in order to better prepare them to meet entry-level 

job qualifications and improve their competitive testing results in 

public sector testing processes. The city’s hope is that by providing 

on-the-job training opportunities they can expose program 



NEWS 

International Public Management Association for Human Resources 

2010 IPMA-HR 

International Training 

Conference & Expo 

October 2-6, 2010 

Sheraton Seattle Hotel | Seattle, Washington 

Join us for the 

President’s 

Welcome 

Reception at the 

Space Needle! 

Professional Development. Choose from a 

variety of pre-conference workshops and 

25+ educational sessions presented by 

leaders in the human resources field. 

Save Your Agency Time and Money. Learn 

about real-world solutions to the problems 

your agency is facing. Reap the benefits of 

best management practices, success 

stories, tools, and practical solutions. 

Recertification Credits. Earn up to eleven 

points toward your IPMA-CP or IPMA-CS 

recertification. 

IPMA-HR Expo. Explore the latest cuttingedge 

products and services for the public 

sector. 

Build Your Professional Network. 

Take advantage of unparalleled 

networking opportunities and 

the chance to learn best 

practices from public sector 

HR innovators. 

DEVELOP 

LEARN 

EXPLORE 

NETWORK 

Register Today! 

Visit www.ipma-hr.org or call (703) 549-7100 to learn more. 


Register Today for the 2010 IPMA-HR 

International Training Conference 

The 2010 IPMA-HR International Training Conference & 

Exposition, which will be held October 2-6 at the Sheraton 

Seattle in Seattle, Wash, is the largest gathering of public sector HR 

professionals anywhere. 

During the conference, participants will meet the best and the 

brightest in the public sector HR profession. With more than 20 

educational sessions, you and your agency will reap the benefits of 

best management practices, success stories, tools and practical solutions. 

Participants will also have the opportunity to turn their 

biggest challenges into their greatest accomplishments when 

learning from experts, leaders in the field and fellow practitioners. 

Keynote speakers and educational sessions have already been set for 

the conference. 

It’s true; budgets are tight, especially for state and local governments. 

That’s why it’s even more important to attend this conference. 

Finding out how other public sector HR agencies are 

navigating through these difficult times is essential for dealing effectively 

in this economy. Everyone can benefit by attending. 

Participants can be a force for change in their organization by 

bringing the knowledge home. 

IPMA-HR is offering a Group Registration Discount program for 

Developing Competencies for HR 

Success is a comprehensive training 

program that teaches the benefits of 

understanding HR competencies, how to 

apply them and how to integrate them 

into business plans. As a standalone 

training program, completing this course is the best way to become a 

strategic player within your organization. This course will help you 

and your staff shift from managing “people issues” to managing 

“people-related business issues.” 

NEWS 

the 2010 conference. Full conference participants with three or more 

staff from the same organization or agency can deduct $50 from the 

applicable registration fee for each registrant. Each member of the 

group must complete a registration form. All group registration 

forms must be submitted simultaneously. 

Make Your Hotel Reservation Now! 

The Sheraton Seattle Hotel has set aside a limited block of rooms 

for IPMA-HR conference attendees at the special rate of $189 

(+tax)/night for single and double rooms. The special rate is in effect 

until September 9. All rooms are available on a first-come, firstserved 

basis or until the room block is at capacity. After September 

9, or until the room block is at capacity, reservations will be taken 

on a space- and rate-available basis only. Reservations can be made 

by calling the Sheraton reservation line at (800) 325-3535 and 

referencing the IPMA-HR Conference. 

Questions about the conference can be directed to the IPMA-HR 

meetings department by e-mail at meetings@ipma-hr.org. Please 

continue to check the conference Web site at www.ipma-hr.org 

for updates. —N 

IPMA-HR’s Developing Competencies for HR 

Success Online Training Starts August 25 

Classes Start 

■ August 25 

■ September 22 

Learn about self-assessment, building teams and coaching staff, 

resolving disputes and reaching consensus, creating a risk-taking 

environment, communication skills, building trust relationships, 

using consensus- and coalition-building skills, and more with 

IPMA-HR’s Developing Competencies for HR Success. 

The online training consists of 11 weekly sessions. Benefits of taking 

part in the program online include the following: 

■ You decide when and where to take classes. 

■ You can complete the program in 11 weeks. 

■ You can continue to work full time while participating 

in the classes. 

The entire program costs $795 for IPMA-HR members, and 

$995 for nonmembers. 

Completing IPMA-HR’s Developing Competencies for HR 

Success is a step toward certification. At the core of the IPMA-HR 

certification program is an appreciation of the importance of HR 

competencies. If you or any member of your staff desires to become 

certified as an IPMA-HR Certified Professional (IPMA-CP) or an 

IPMA-HR Certified Specialist (IPMA-CS), learning the concepts 

that are the foundation of this course is a necessary step. 

Visit www.ipma-hr.org to learn more about IPMA-HR’s Developing 

Competencies for HR Success, or contact us, either by e-mail at 

meetings@ipma-hr.org, or by phone at (703) 549-7100. —N 


CALENDAR 

August 25 Online Course: Developing 

Competencies for HR Success 

Visit http://www.ipma-hr.org/professionaldevelopment/online-courses 

for more 

information. 

September 19-22 Eastern Region Conference 

Adlephi, Md. 

Visit www.ipma-er.org for more information. 

September 22 Online Course: Developing 

Competencies for HR Success 


for more 

information. 

October 2-6 2010 International Training 

Conference & Expo 

Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, Seattle, Wash. 

Contact IPMA-HR Director of Membership 

and Professional Development Jessica Allen at 

jallen@ipma-hr.org or visit http://www.ipmahr.org/professional-development/conferences/2 

010-ipma-hr-international-conference-expo for 

more information. 

October 6 Online Course: Managing Employee 

Performance as an HR Business Partner 


for more 

information. 

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 

Consultants To Management 

Atlanta, GA Santa Fe, NM 

770.551.0403 505.466.9500 

Fax 770.339.9749 Fax 505.466.1274 

email: mercer@mindspring.com 

Pinpointing Workable Solutions 

from Our Offices Nationwide 

Entry-level and promotional 

test products, services, and 

publications for public safety 

and non-public safety personnel. 

Interested in Advertising? 

Call IPMA-HR Today! (703) 549-7100 

SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 

participants to public sector employment while enhancing their 

talents so they are able to successfully compete for public sector 

employment opportunities on their own merit. 

The S.O.S. program has been largely a success because it is centered 

on abilities and contributions, rather than on disabilities and obstacles. 

This program has opened up new opportunities for individuals 

of all abilities to contribute to the success of the organization and 

community based on their own strengths and capabilities. Yet 

creating opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities 

to participate civically and productively provide local services is only 

one of the evident positive outcomes of this program. 

Additional information, including further outcomes and benefits of this 

program, can be found on our Web site: http://www.ipma-hr.org/hrresources/successful-practices. 

If you have developed a new 

“Successful Practice,” we would love to hear from you! Please submit 

your practices to tchiappetta@ipma-hr.org. —N 


BECOME A MEMBER 

OF IPMA-HR 

TODAY! 

IPMA-HR is THE 

source for information, 

resources, and 

professional 

developmentfor 

HR PROFESSIONALS 

from Federal, State, 

Local City and 

County Agencies. 

Public Public HR HR for for 

Solution 

Solution 

Excellence 

Excellence 

The The 

Gain access to the most up-to-date 

research & knowledge 

■ Weekly, monthly and quarterly publications 

keep you up to date 

■ 24/7 online Research portal -HRCenter 

■ Government Affairs Updates 

Learn from some of the best minds 

in the profession 

■ Professional development courses, 

Webinars, conferences and professional 

certification 

Connect to a vast network or peers 

■ Special Interest Groups, Listservs & 

local chapters 

Plus, Quality Testing Products & Services 

for Law Enforcement & Fire Service 

Resources that support 

YOUR career and 

professional development! 

Join IPMA-HR today! 

Go to www.ipma-hr.org or call (703) 549-7100

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Conflict Management Coaching - IPMA

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