Mediator Robert Benjamin offers reasons to hope that President-Elect Barack Obama will be a boon to the alternative dispute resolution field and a valuable endorsement of mediation:- Obama appears to think in a systemic frame, as opposed to a linear frame, and he operates from a more flexible protean perspective, un-tethered to any particular ideology or orthodoxy.
- Obama’s personal history, being from a multi-racial and cultural background, offers him up as the embodiment of the ‘protean self’ suggested by Robert J. Lifton.
- Obama’s leadership style offers a model for the highest quality of negotiation and mediation practice and invites emulation and application in other areas.
Benjamin concludes that professional conflict practitioners should prepare to capitalize on Obama's leadership and the example he sets. (Mediate.com.)
Michigan State University's Graduate School has developed an impressive collection of resources for constructive conflict resolution between faculty and graduate students. In addition to a book, Setting Expectations and Resolving Conflicts, the program has produced video vignettes to spark discussion about the expectations and underlying interests that may be unspoken in many common graduate school conflicts. The clips are available on a DVD and some are online. (MSU Gradaute School; Setting Expectations and Resolving Conflicts in Graduate Education, via Campus-adr Weblog.)
On the recommendation of University Ombuds James R. Fazio, Ph.D., the UI Faculty Council approved a plan to extend Ombuds services to the student body. Previously, the Ombuds Office was available only to faculty and staff. However, Fazio did not believe that students would increase the workload unreasonably. The Faculty Council also agreed to recognize both faculty and staff Ombuds with equal status. (UI Faculty Council Minutes.)
The US Department of Defense watchdog agency is hiring an Ombuds -- "a neutral, independent, confidential resource tasked with facilitating the resolution of internally-generated complaints, disputes and disagreements regarding the equitable and/or impartial application of OIG policies and procedures and providing feed-back of such systemic problems, issues, and complaints to the IG and senior management." The position will report directly to the Inspector General. Annual salary ranges from $93,107 to $157,412; applications are due November 17, 2008. (FederalGovernmentJobs.com.)This posting reflects the continued expansion of federal Ombuds programs.
Related posts: Senate Bill Would Create DOD-Wide Ombuds Office; Inspector General Recommends Realignment of TSA Ombuds Program; Senate Approves Funding for New FOIA Ombuds Office; National Taxpayer Advocate Plans Study of Federal Ombuds; GAO Urges USDA to Hire Ombuds.
UW invites nominations and applications from faculty and staff for the position of University Ombuds. Candidates must have at a Master’s degree and at least 10 years of relevant experience at a leadership level in a higher education institution or equivalent setting. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by November 10, 2008. No salary indicated. (UW Job Posting.)Related posts: Grad Student's Perspective on UW Visiting Ombuds; UW Faces Lawsuit Despite Mediation by Ombuds; UW Searching Internally for Ombuds.
The public university in San Marcos has named Walter E. Rudzinski, Ph.D., as University Ombudsman. Professor Rudzinski will serve a three-year appointment, through August 2011. Rudzinski has been a faculty member at Texas State since 1979 and recently served as Chair of the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. (Appointment Letter.)
Two research scientists sued the pharmaceutical company for employment discrimination, alleging, among other things, retaliation after they filed internal complaints with the Corporate Ombudsman. The federal court in Connecticut denied many claims, but allowed the retaliation claim and other causes of action to proceed. The issue of the Ombuds' role was not addressed in the court's decision. (Byra-Grzegorczyk v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 572 F. Supp. 2d 233, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63553 (D. Conn. 2008), available at docstoc.com.)
The Royal Bank of Canada announced an agreement with ADR Chambers to provide an independent appeal process for customers who are unsatisfied with the results achieved by the RBC Ombuds. The services of ADR Chambers, an industry-leading alternate dispute resolution firm, are free to all RBC clients. RBC expects that the new arrangement will improve what is already one of the best records in the Canadian banking industry for dealing with client disputes. (Canada NewsWire via TradingMarkets.com.)Related post: RBC Ombuds Office Implements New Case Management Software.
When companies are forced to downsize, the effects are not limited to the employees laid off. David Noer, professor of leadership and business administration at Elon University, coined the term “layoff-survivor sickness” and has extensively studied the affliction and its effects. Noer says the sickness is a pervasive sense of personal violation manifest as “a toxic set of feelings and emotions.” Recent research indicates that attrition among layoff survivors can lead to greater than the cuts achieved through the layoffs. University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School Associate Professor Charlie O. Trevor recommends employers institute programs to give employees a sense that the company is just and fair, and cites Ombuds as an example. In addition, researchers recommend the following strategies:- Over-communicate, tell the truth and seek advice;
- Ensure a perception of fairness in restructuring decisions;
- Adopt a “helping” relationship, rather than one of “command-and-control management”;
- Facilitate “grieving” and “venting”;
- Consider the family;
- Involve top managers;
- Do something very visible; and
- Give survivors a reason to stay.
(HR Magazine, subscription required.)
John Zinsser and Frank Fowlie are offering a two-day course for Ombuds considering, planning and conducting office assessments. They will cover all essential components from improving measurements, to demonstrating effectiveness and value, and reporting. The course will take place February 5 and 6, 2009, in Marina Del Rey, California. Zinsser is owner of Pacifica Human Communications, LLC., and an experienced Ombuds. Fowlie is Ombuds for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Tuition for the course is $500 and includes lunch, refreshments and course materials. (Ombuds.ca.)Related posts: HR Professionals are Also Struggling to Define Effectiveness; Journal of IOA Releases First Issue; IOA Presentation on Ombuds Evaluation.
UTEP is hiring an Assistant Dean of Students and Student Advocate with a muddled job description. The position manages of several student service departments "with core responsibilities such as the role of providing confidential and informal assistance to students with university-related issues." Despite the managerial and administrative duties, the applicant must The applicant must either be, or willing to be, an active member of "The Ombudsman Association, the University and College Ombuds Association, the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, in order to stay on the leading edge of critical advocacy issues such as confidentiality, mediation and privilege." None of these organization are still in existence, having merged into either the International Ombudsman Association or the Association for Conflict Resolution. Moreover, the job seems to be inherently conflicted with formal and informal duties. The position pays $60,000-$60,456 per year; no closing date indicated. (UTEP Job Posting.)
Over the weekend, the Naples News ran an editorial criticizing the decision by Florida Gulf Coast University to settle discrimination claims by three former employees. The editorial repeated the claim by FGCU's attorney that the Ombuds, Charles McKinney, "let the university’s best interests down by failing to keep written records." Yesterday, the paper printed my letter to the editor explaining why McKinney is due an apology. (Naples News Editorial, Letter to Editor.)Prior post: University Attorney Recommends Settlements - Blames Ombuds for Upholding Standards.
The World Health Organization has appointed Dr. Issa Sanou as the new Ombuds for staff members in the African Region. Previously, Sanou, an expert in infectious diseases, had been the Acting Focal Person for Research Policy and Coordination at the WHO Regional Office. He replaced Dr. Akpa Gbary who was reassigned to Benin Republic as WHO Representative. “I see my appointment as a privilege and a challenge as well as an opportunity to serve”, Sanou said in an interview. (WHO AFRONews.)Related: Job Posting.
The University of California has signed a Charter Agreement for the Office of the Ombudsperson according to UCR Ombuds Indu Sen. The first-ever Charter was signed by the UCR Executive Vice Chancellor just weeks before the Office celebrates its 40th anniversary. (Link forthcoming.)
Related post: UC Riverside Ombuds Expands Extern/Intern Program.
The Ombuds Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has issued its annual report for the 2007 academic year. According to the report, "The Office heard an unusual number of anonymous concerns; more multi-cohort, multigeneration, multi-ethnic, multi-issue concerns; issues that involved more than one department, laboratory or center; and more from people away from the Institute." Over 900 visitors consulted the MIT Ombuds Office during the year. (MIT Ombuds AY2007 Report.)
Mediator Robert Benjamin offers reasons to hope that President-Elect Barack Obama will be a boon to the alternative dispute resolution field and a valuable endorsement of mediation:
