Blog

Jan 17, 2017

NC State Faculty Ombuds Office – First Annual Report

  The NC State Faculty Ombuds Office is relatively new after opening its physical office space in late February 2015,  The office was the fruition of many years of effort by the Faculty Senate working closely with leadership across the university. Thus, the office is pleased to report that it recently published its First Annual Report covering…

Jan 2, 2017

It’s All About Options

In November I added a short video explaining the role of ombuds (check out the home page link Video Explanation) that discussed the idea of developing “options” as an important role of the ombuds.  This concept also fits well with noted dispute resolution author Bernie Mayer (and others like William Ury) who explain that conflict intervention roles…

Dec 19, 2016

Resolving Conflicts – the Present, the Future, and the Past

  As you may know, the NC State African American Cultural Center is in the midst of its 25th Anniversary year (1991 – 2016) (Congrats!) and I was on the Center website recently when something caught my eye. It was a banner showing the West African Adrinka Symbol Sankofa (“learning from the past” or “return and…

Dec 2, 2016

Confidentiality at the NC State Faculty Ombuds Office

  One of the hallmarks of an ombuds office is confidentiality. In ombuds terms, this means that all communication with the faculty ombuds office is off the record with two limited exceptions – if there is imminent risk of serious harm (to oneself or others) or if required by law ( if information of child…

Nov 16, 2016

Interview with NC State Faculty and Student Ombuds

  Check out the recent interview with the NC State Faculty and Student Ombuds that appeared in a recent newsletter from the Provost.  Here’s the link: Interview

Oct 25, 2016

How Can the Faculty Ombuds Help From a Leader’s Perspective ?

  As I meet faculty leaders across campus and explain the role of the NC State Faculty Ombuds, I ask them to think in terms of – What can the Faculty Ombuds do for you?  Specifically as it relates to leaders, let me explain. Recently in a meeting with faculty leaders, I asked for a show of hands –…

Sep 15, 2016

Negotiating in the Workplace – Part II

  Here’s the rest of Jeffrey Krivis’ Top Ten Workplace Negotiation tips. (Take a look at 1 – 5 from 7/14/16). 6. “Learn to ‘read minds.’” – According to Krivis, “mind reading is not magic;” instead it is observation and intuition combined to help you get a sense about the people engaged in your conflict and…

Aug 2, 2016

The Ombuds Role – Conflict Engagement with the Conflict Paradox

  I recently heard a keynote address by Bernie Mayer outlining his thinking on how we (people with conflicts and those that seek to intervene and help – meaning everyone!) think about conflict. Mayer is a longtime mediator and thinker in the dispute resolution field and recent author of “The Conflict Paradox” (Wiley & Sons,…

Jul 14, 2016

Negotiating in the Workplace – Part I

Call them differences, issues, conflicts, or concerns. Whatever the name, these come up almost every day in the workplace. And, its not necessarily a negative. We often want and need diverse ideas, differing opinions, or even direct disagreements to help fuel creativity and drive an organization forward.  This is certainly true at NC State where robust critical…