Crisis and De-Escalation

Where communication no longer runs smoothly, ”frictional losses” quickly arise. Escalation of the conflict can become so massive that even the simplest process in the organisation is disturbed. Frequently, harassment can be observed (one type of which has in recent years been termed ”mobbing” in Germany). The occurrence of harassment seriously jeopardises all parties and even the organisation itself. N.B., we are still talking about risk management !

It is seldom effective to take these conflicts to a court of law. Rather the goal should be to restore the individual and collective productive capacities as quickly as possible and to return to mutual respect and appropriate communication – in short: to break the vicious circle of violence. If the parties are able to recognise their own advantages in cooperative conflict resolution, a conflict navigator or mediator may provide an ideal way of approaching such conflicts. The aim is then to discover the relevant interests of all parties and to help them best realise these interests, which is quite different to the classic compromise in which all may forego their aspirations and everyone is expected to renounce something. Constructive communication work of the mediation kind can bring results within weeks or less. A concrete conflict in the workplace can usually be worked through in 2 or 3 sessions.

In the case of external whistleblowing, the obvious symptoms also have to get worked through so that further damage does not ensue. An effective consultation takes into account which area is in greatest need of treatment – e.g. the reputation risk. The respective counselling will be laid out on an entirely individual basis.