Conflict isn’t an HR thing: Why your organization needs an ombuds
When I share my interest in ombuds work with people outside the field of conflict resolution, I typically hear two things: 1) Wait, what’s an ombuds? Then 2) Wow, my organization could really use one of those!
So what exactly is an ombuds? Every system experiences conflict, from intimate partnerships and families, to places of work, health care and government. Conflict can and does happen. Different people tend to see different solutions and approaches to the same challenge. Some take a collaborative versus a combative approach, while others acquiesce, run away, or shut down in the face of conflict. Enter the ombuds, a conflict point person for a given community. An ombuds works with individuals and groups to resolve conflicts or concerns, and present systemic issues they’ve observed to the organization’s top leadership for resolution. Unlike Human Resources, or other organizational structures and actors, ombuds adhere to strict practices of confidentiality, informality, impartiality and independence. ombuds, therefore, play a distinct role in both uncovering systemic concerns and sharing those concerns with senior leaders.
Ken Cloke, a bridge-building pioneer since the 1960s under whom I studied mediation, describes conflict resolution systems design as the most profound level of conflict related work. The systems approach takes the wisdom and experience of conflict coaching, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, and uses them to mitigate and prevent future conflicts. Mediators, and so ombuds, must do the bold work of naming internal conflicts, highlighting shared versus divergent values and needs, and asking tough questions that invite courage, vulnerability and compassion. Cloke suggests that embracing and engaging with these so-called “dangers” of mediation, rather than avoiding or suppressing them, can lead to more effective and transformative outcomes, not just for the parties in conflict but for the organization (i.e. system) at large. By recognizing and addressing the underlying issues that create conflict, mediators can better navigate difficult conversations and facilitate more meaningful resolutions for both current and future conflicts.
For an ombuds, that means listening to the conflict presented as well as its associated values and impact for the individuals involved, but also listening to understand the root causes of that conflict within the organization. Which policies, practices or structures have helped create or exacerbate the conflict? Ombuds are responsible for alerting senior leadership to such recurring systemic issues, and are thus uniquely positioned as organizational change-makers.
Too often, leaders make the mistake of believing that an ombuds function is redundant to HR, trusting that an HR representative or affected employees within the organization will freely bring systemic issues to their attention. This is wishful thinking at best. Many employees do not trust HR to field, let alone address, their concerns for fear of retaliation. However, unlike HR, an ombuds does not have the power to fire or demote someone, nor do they participate in any formal processes, legal or otherwise.
While leaders may say that they welcome employees to question policies and decisions without fear of retaliation, data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suggest otherwise: retaliation remains the most frequently cited and costliest allegation in charges filed with the EEOC, accounting for over 55% of all cases in 2020. So leaders hardly need to wonder why employees don’t speak up: the trust just isn’t there. This is why organizations need ombuds — to serve as trusted, impartial, independent conflict point persons and, arguably more importantly, as conflict resolution systems designers.
The folks in HR aren’t immune to the benefits of an ombuds either. Having partnered with HR heads over the last many years to deliver leadership and organizational development programs, they too echo that familiar refrain when learning what an ombuds does: “Wow, we could really use one of those!”
But is an ombuds really worth the investment? Mary Rowe, former ombuds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argues that “there is no single, scientific way to calculate the cost effectiveness of Ombuds,” yet she clearly believes in the economic and wellbeing potential of an ombuds office, particularly where alignment, embedment and integration (AEI) of services exist or are co-created amongst stakeholders. Andrea Schenck and John Zinsser point to the “ascending spiral of value return from AEI.” Blaine Donais, Canadian conflict expert and founder of the Workplace Fairness Institute, estimates that conflict management interventions, such as establishing an ombuds function following a comprehensive organizational analysis of workplace fairness and conflict response, saves $10 for every $1 spent — an astonishing, though not surprising, ROI.
An ombuds’ superpower lies within their core function: to help resolve conflicts with confidentiality, informality, impartiality and independence. Moreover, ombuds with emergent facilitation skills can lean even further into the role of conflict resolution systems designers by teaching members of their community the communication and collaboration skills that support better conflict navigation.
That’s conflict resolution, mitigation and prevention all in one hire? Yes! Ombuds may just prove to be the most valuable resource within an organization — economically, structurally, and culturally.
Curious about engaging an ombuds for your organization? The work is scalable and there are many existing models to support a flexible hiring arrangement that can fit your community’s needs. Visit my website for more information.
Not yet convinced of the value of an ombuds? Visit the IOA’s site to learn more.
