Emerging Systems for Managing Workplace Conflict Lessons from American Corporations for Managers and Dispute Resolution Professionals

Emerging Systems of Managing Workplace Conflict presents illustrative real-life examples as well as cutting-edge methods and tools for integrating systems of dispute resolution into standard corporate procedures. This vital resource investigates the systems organizations have developed to manage common and costly workplace conflicts involving supervisor-employee relationships; race, age, and gender discrimination complaints; sexual harassment; occupational safety and health; reasonable accommodation of the disabled; and wrongful termination as well as other problems stemming from governmental regulations and court actions. Drawing on the authors' vast research and frontline experience with a wide variety of corporations and organizations, this important book examines successful responses to universal workplace problems and conflicts. In addition, the book is filled with illuminating case examples and stories from organizations, such as Brown and Root, Kaufman and Broad, Warner Brothers, Universal-Studios, Kaiser Permanente, the United States Postal Service, Johnson & Johnson, Shell, Prudential, and others, that have instituted systems of dispute resolution in response to ongoing destructive conflict, expensive litigation, and crippling settlements. This book offers an enormously useful approach for the application of the most up-to-date systems of organizational conflict resolution and shows how this approach can work in specific situations to save time and money.

David B. Lipsky is professor and director of the Institute on Conflict Resolution, School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Ronald L. Seeber is associate professor and associate dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and executive director of the Institute on Conflict Resolution. Richard D. Fincher is an arbitrator, mediator, attorney, and managing partner of Workplace Conflict Resolutions in Phoenix, Arizona.