Skip to main content

When things go Wrong

bc53d507c26770e8f294fcbf92ef0864.jpg

Any group of passionate people gathered together will sometimes reach points of conflict in objectives, directions and decisions.  For the most part, conflicts are typically resolved easily and swiftly through normal communication and discussions.  However, there are occasions when issues may arise that are not easily resolvable.  

In all cases, the first and most important step in resolving conflicts should be communication.  Some may have a tendency to hide concerns or not share ideas they perceive as negative.  In almost all cases, increased communication will set the chapter and staff back on the road to cooperation.

When a chapter gets off track

Occasionally, as with any community group, a chapter will go through periods of inactivity.  Some chapters may lose members or experience a leadership change that drastically reduces the overall effectiveness of the chapter as a whole.  Sometimes, personality conflicts may arise that make working with the chapter leadership difficult and, thus, make accomplishing goals very challenging.

In these cases, it is in the best interest of the overall chapter health to step back from the current situation and regroup.  Sometimes priorities may have changed or been miscommunicated and the act of backing up can help reset priorities.

Site Manager difficulties

In some cases, a chapter may see a problem with the site manager or site staff.  Again, personality conflicts may be at the root but, more often than not, simple communication is the problem.  When a chapter has problems with a site manager, often the resolution hinges on clearly understanding the manager’s goals and resetting expectations to help meet those goals.

Resolution Steps

It is recommended that chapters and site managers follow these few simple steps to help get back on the path to a productive partnership:

1.  Communicate - Clear, open and honest communications are the first start toward resolving conflicts.  Even long term frustrations can often be resolved by discussing the problems openly and honestly.

2.  Re-prioritize - Often problems arise because chapter priorities and site manager priorities become out of sync.  Hold a special chapter meeting with the core leadership team and the site manager (and any appropriate staff) to help reset and re-sync priorities.

3.  Ask Questions - Problems often arise from simple misunderstandings about reasons, priorities and goals.  By asking open ended questions like “Why do you want to do that?” “What are you trying to accomplish?” and “How do you see that benefitting the site?” each side can better understand the other.

4.  Find areas of agreement - Often, disagreements may result from a chapter not being given permission to do something that is important to them or from a site manager requesting a chapter to do something they are unwilling or unable to do.  Rather than focusing on what is not working, both should try to find areas of agreement based on the shared priorities rather than sticking to a specific, contentious issue.  For example, a chapter may want to add something to an existing program that the site manager feels is inappropriate for the site.  The chapter may ask the site manager what can be done instead.  Or the site manager may ask the chapter, “What else could we do that would accomplish the same goal?”

When all else fails

Sometimes these simple problem resolution steps are not enough to resolve larger, deeper conflicts.  There is no single correct solution for all cases.  However, Statewide Friends is available to help mediate and resolve issues.  Statewide Friends will serve to help both the site manager and the chapter come to mutual agreements involving the region manager or division leadership as necessary.  The goal, of course, is to get the chapter and site manager back into an effective partnership.