Intervention Services

ADR Education’s partners provide a range of services from third party interventions to one-on-one coaching. Our work is designed to help organizations and individuals find  lasting solutions to the conflicts and disputes they find themselves in.

For many good reasons, organizations decide to transfer portions of their work to outside suppliers rather than handle it internally. Outsourcing typically saves money and creates operational effectiveness.  It allows specialized work to be managed and supported by highly qualified and experienced external capacity. Conflict management and dispute resolution expertise – including mediation, facilitation, coaching and training – is seldom found “in-house”. Rather, external contractors and specialists are called in on an as-needed basis and are intended to complement the clients’ existing internal resources. In other cases our role is to support the work and goals of the organization in situations where being external can provide a different perspective and a “neutral” approach.

We offer a comprehensive model where all of your conflict management services could be handled by the Firm, or a suite of services tailored to your needs.  We believe it is essential to build an understanding of your organization and how you function. This enables building a long-term, trusting relationship that is contextually savvy, cost-effective and responsive to any and all conflict demands faced by an organization.  ADR Education currently acts in this capacity (to varying degrees) for a number of different organizations across Canada with great success.

We at ADR Education are highly experienced and accomplished mediators.  We mediate all sorts of disputes in every jurisdiction in Canada including matters headed for trial in the Courts, workplace problems, massive inter-governmental issues, multi-party problems, and complicated technical issues.  We prepare people and organizations for mediation.  Then, with the assistance of their advocates, we take them through the mediation process, providing a framework for their negotiations.

We have a well-earned reputation for avoiding the temptation to masquerade as arbitrators. Instead, we provide the process leadership and communication assistance that is missing in most disputes.  As a result of our help, the parties are almost always able to transform arguments into productive discussion and intransigence into solutions.

Large groups often need help with difficult discussions, particularly where values differ sharply.  We work with them to provide guidance in the convening of these discussions, including public meetings, and in the management and chairing of large group events. If needed, we also meet with participants to help them develop their constituency and ideas. Our experience over many years is that the strong views of competing groups can be heard in a way that builds consensus and identifies issues for further solution.

Helping with large-scale difficult conversations and consultations are some of our organizational strengths.  We believe that people affected by tough discussions can and should be the architects of successful results to those discussions.  All they need is help communicating, organizing and effectively engaging in those conversations.

We have a unique approach to workplace health that accents the need of organizations to learn from their issues of conflict.   We enter workplaces as invited resources to help develop an assessment approach that enjoys general acceptance.   Whether the process involves surveys, individual confidential interviews, focus groups or larger facilitated meetings, our goal is to help identify themes of conflict and define them without attributing blame.

It is important for us to remain agile in our methodologies so they can be tailored to the operational and cultural specifics of the organization.   Our experience is that leaders, managers and staff are invariably empowered by our help and participate in the assessment.   As a result, we are able to make procedural recommendations which the organization can implement with confidence.

ADR Education provides a full range of dispute and conflict investigation processes.   We are often asked to investigate allegations of improper workplace behaviour.   These include accusations of discrimination, harassment and disrespectful conduct.   We engage as third party neutrals under defined processes, sometimes pursuant to Collective Agreements or long standing workplace standards.

Our work includes interviews and confidential meetings.   We will also analyze other forms of evidence as required.   The result of our work is usually embodied in a report in either official language that sets out our findings about whatever procedural help is required.   In doing this, the organization obtains the neutral assessment of experts, together with our analysis of the way ahead.

At ADR Education we strive to help our clients go beyond workplace restoration towards recovery, reparation and ideally reconciliation.

Investigation and fact-finding processes are increasingly used to address allegations of misconduct in the workplace.  Responding to complaints of bullying, harassment and discrimination using these processes is typically disruptive, complex and frequently leaves the people involved dissatisfied with the results. Rather than resolving matters and healing relationships, these results – findings and conclusions about alleged inappropriate behaviour – can intensify conflict and negatively impact workplace morale and team cohesion. We recognize that investigatory work is sometimes required but even in these cases the question that still needs answering is “how do we put the pieces back together” following the intervention?  In many cases, the people involved will still be required to work together or at least co-exist respectfully in a common work environment. Even in the absence of an investigation, workplaces often experience challenging situations and episodes of intense stress, trauma and destabilization.  It is essential to supportively address these situations to enable people to effectively “move on” and re-establish a positive, inclusive and respectful workplace culture.

Workplace Restoration offers a valuable opportunity to do so.

When we use the term “Restoration”, we do not mean it in the traditional sense of  “taking action to return something to a former state” because the past cannot simply be recreated and replicated in the present.  Rather, Workplace Restoration is more future-focussed.  We regard it not as a single activity, but as a collection of processes which are designed and tailored to the circumstances of those we help.  We believe that Workplace Restoration processes should be designed collaboratively and grounded in the values of empathy, resiliency, reconciliation and empowerment.  Resulting from an assessment and analysis of the situation needing treatment, ADR Education offers a process design that integrates different conflict engagement methodologies designed to promote relational recovery and enhanced group functionality.  This approach is useful after an investigation and importantly may also provide an alternative that avoids the need for an investigation in the first place.

Increasingly, we provide advice and assistance to people one on one.   Workplaces and professional life can be fraught with difficult communications.   So leaders, managers and staff (as well as independent professionals) often look to us for advice about how to face their challenges and conflicts.   Likewise, teams often require practical answers to how to approach tough negotiation challenges.

We meet either in person or via media as often as needed.   We provide advice on how to approach difficult meetings, how to improve communication style, how to give and accept critique and an array of other conflict conversations.   Sometimes this involves playing out anticipated communication challenges, something we are highly experienced in.

This service and resource is offered to clients in response to their need to assist valued members of their organization in developing leadership effectiveness, communication skills and professional interpersonal relations. Some consistent unproductive behaviour and resulting negative perceptions are limiting these leaders’ effectiveness and career aspirations.  Their personal style and approach may overshadow their other achievements and technical competence to deliver.  It may also have a significant impact on co-workers who are affected by the detrimental and possibly damaging behaviour.

Our clients want to offer the tools and assistance to help these individuals broaden their leadership abilities in generating commitment from their team and in providing them with steady support in a fast-paced and stressful work environment.  They also want to respond to the needs of co-workers who have difficulty adapting to the current leadership style of this individual.

 

We help organizations figure out their objectives as they head into difficult negotiations. Sometimes these negotiations are protracted. ADR Education provides advocacy services at negotiation tables for government, First Nations and in the private sector. We have a proven reputation for bringing about interest-based negotiation in situations which traditionally have been unproductive bargaining contests.

For many years, partners of ADR Education have advocated at Treaty Negotiation tables in British Columbia.  In these circumstances, we are responsible for the organization and delivery of our client’s mandate as the client seeks to advance its interests with other governments.

ADR Education helps organizations develop strategic plans.   We facilitate multi-perspective exercises in settling organizational Vision and Mission.   We assist with the development of critical paths that follow decisions about an organization’s mission.   We also help develop objective indicators to measure the successful implementation and monitoring of the mission.

We also provide parliamentary services, providing due process and keeping order at meetings.  Since the development of an organization’s personality often generates conflicting visions, we also help with the resolution of these differing views of the future.

We design and deliver leadership development programs tailored to the unique circumstances of our clients.   Our programs typically feature a mixture of coaching and executive advising, competency-based learning activities and various assessment methodologies.   We strive to assist leaders develop greater agility, self-confidence and approaches to achieving performance excellence. ADR Education is a catalyst in promoting leadership capacity building.   We believe that skillful communication, conflict competence and decision making expertise are the foundations of effective leadership.

Balancing effective management,technical proficiency and operational execution with capable leadershipand inspiring, empowering and supporting organizational vision is a delicate process.   ADR Education excels in helping leaders achieve that balance.




The presenter showed skill in weaving between theory and practice... from theoretical examples to sensitive hot topics.

ADR's approach is exceptional. They are able to take a complex subject and distill it into digestible components

Teaching methods are fantastic!

The team was effective. Our case was set for a two week trial but was mediated in one day!

I've seen a lot of manuals for this kind of thing in my time, and this one is by far the best.

Very accomplished presenters excited about what they are teaching...easy to be with and very approachable.

Excellent facilitating. Keeping on track, taking control at the appropriate times.

For our staff to see how the skills can be used specifically in their work makes them take notice.

Your ability to customize the course so it was directly relevant to the work we do made it all the more useful.