Thera Rising, Inc. has efficiently and painlessly resolved more than 300 workplace conflict over 25 years.

Our Process is Based on Five Proven Principles:

1) Transparency: At the onset of the project the facilitator meets with team members and explains the process.  This overview dispels rumors, creates familiarity and puts people at ease. 

2) On-Going Involvement: The process maximizes involvement and immediately begins to build ownership in positive outcomes.

3) Accountability: Our process draws out the best in people and taps their desire to re-establish working relationships.  Rather than assigning blame, the facilitator creates opportunities for every personto acknowledge their part in creating more healthy interactions.

4) Reliable Data Collection: To insure confidentiality and avoid “group-think” all data is collected in individual interviews. Data collection focuses on multiple areas: 1) systemic sources of tension such as poorly designed workflow, role confusion, etc., 2) group behavior and 3) leadership style.

5) Leadership Commitment: Leaders set a positive, future-oriented tone by acknowledging their part in the current situation and making commitments to new behaviors.  Leaders set the stage for groups and individuals to acknowledge their own missteps.

Over many years, and in a wide variety of settings, the results of our work have resulted in permanent change.  Groups are surprisingly grateful for the turn-around and honor their gains.

Steps

1) The Facilitator Meets with the Planning Team

The planning team consists of 1-3 people who ‘own’ this process and its success. Together with the consultant the group defines the scope, purpose and logistics of the project.

2) Introduction of the Project to Team Members

At the onset of the project the facilitator meets team members as a group and explains the process.  This overview dispels rumors, creates familiarity and puts people at ease. 

3) Assessment

Individuals are interviewed alone, using both standard and customized questions.  When the interviews are complete the answers are scrambled, all identifiers are removed, and the consultant prepares a summary of data for the planning team to review.

4) Executive Summary with Planning Team

The facilitator prepares an Executive Overview for the planning team.  During this meeting all parties agree on the project’s scope and strategy.

5) Leadership data and goal setting (Optional)

If the leader has agreed to receive feedback the data is seem only by him or her.  Working with the consultant, the leader determines realistic and achievable goals in response to the interview data and reciprocal changes from the group. 

6) Working-Day

The off-site activities consist of a combination of the following, as determined by the planning team.

• Skill building and Heightened Awareness:  Using the seminar, “Self-Defeating Habits of Otherwise Brilliant People®,” the consultant builds the problem-solving skills of the group and creates a valuable common language.
• Summary of Leadership Feedback (optional):  The leader reports a summary of his or her feedback back to the group focusing on specific, future-oriented goals and reciprocal changes from the team.
• Code of Conduct Work:  Participants address negative group behaviors through a process of assessment and prioritization that results in a “Code of Conduct endorsed by all members. 
• Address Problematic Processes and Procedures: Team members identify and address process or systemic issues such as:
  ambiguity in roles or work direction; bottlenecks in workflow; inadequate information meetings; irrelevant agendas, etc.
  If necessary, an ad-hoc team is created to continue addressing these issues after the off-site.

7) Resolution of Conflict Between Pairs (As needed)

Longstanding mistrust between individuals is typically not resolved during group work, nor is it appropriate to address issues between two people in a group setting.  Consequently, if the planning team and facilitator determine there are pairs that need additional assistance, the facilitator meets with them following the off-site. 

8) Planning team and consultant meet to determine a follow-up schedule. 

A plan is created to monitor group progress and to provide early intervention if needed.

Bio

Founder Anna Maravelas has resolved hundreds of workplace conflicts and created more than 300 success stories over 25 years.  Maravelas’s powerful keynotes and seminars help leaders and employees avoid the Self-Defeating Habits of Otherwise Brilliant People®.  Her book, How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress, is rated a five star “must read” on Amazon.com.

Anna’s strategies have been featured on business radio and in more than 35 publications including Forbes.com, Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The ABA Journal, HR Magazine and Harvard Management Review.

Pricing and ROI

Team building projects costs vary depending on the size of the group and the steps the planning team deems necessary for lasting resolution.

Our conflict resolution and teambuilding work consistently earns return on investments (ROI) of 600-900%.  The cost of workplace conflict is staggering, yet seldom measured.  Most mangers estimate they spend between 30 and 50% of their time responding the repercussions of disagreement and mistrust.  However, you can identify and eliminate the root cause of low productivity and cohesiveness and restore pride in work, cooperation and commitment. 

Contact us for an estimate based on your budget and your needs. 
We bring our services to your workplace, on your schedule.

Entrenched conflict between individuals cannot be addressed effectively in groups.  Consequently, Thera Rising works with pairs in individual sessions to address and resolve patterns of behaviors that have driven wedges between them.  Together the pair agrees on specific changes for the future.

This process draws out the best in people and restores collaboration.  Typically, individuals embrace the changes in their working relationship with quiet relief.  They value and maintain their gains, and the results are surprisingly permanent. 

Our process for Resolving Conflict Between Pairs

 

Planning meeting with sponsor

A Thera Rising, Inc., consultant meets with the sponsor to define the scope, the purpose of project and to set logistics.

Preparation interviews

Working with their consultant each individual prepares for a face-to-face meeting by identifying their primary concerns and suggesting specific, future-oriented behaviors they’d like from the other party.

Three-way meeting

The group of three meets to discuss each individual’s concerns.  Together we draft a “Covenant,” a series of specific agreements that govern future behavior. 

A process for follow-up is determined.

Seminars • Keynotes • Conflict Resolution Services • Train the Trainer and Certification

We bring our services to your workplace, on your schedule.

If you’re interested in bringing this material in-house using a
Thera Rising consultant go to Contact Us.

If you’re interested in becoming certified in Thera Rising’s Three Step Process for
Healing Conflict, Anger and Mistrust go to Train the Trainer.

Skills that change your world

The insights of the seminar Self-Defeating Habits of Otherwise Brilliant People® are powerful and self-sustaining.  In Step Two, participants apply the seminar’s principles directly to specific behaviors within their team. 

This half-day, hands-on process uses the power of peer pressure to reinforce positive behaviors and gently nudge outliers toward more healthy norms.  Using self-assessment and prioritization the team creates a written “Code of Conduct,” a surprisingly effective tool for eliminating behaviors that have driven wedges between individuals, raised tension and impeded productivity.

Steps:

• Participants individually brainstorm group behaviors that are eroding cohesiveness, harming trust and impeding productivity.
  
• Individual ideas are combined and team members narrow the list to a handful of behaviors they consider most damaging to cooperation and positive results.
• Working in small and large groups participants craft alternative behavior to replace their old norms.
• The draft versions are modified until all team members are comfortable adopting the new behavior as their own, starting the next working day.

A well-written Code of Conduct stops irresponsible behaviors perpetuated by the “everyone does it” mentality. Through this process every team member simultaneously embraces more respectful and professional norms.

Codes are powerful documents that individuals own and honor.  They provide an effective means for groups to collectively raise their professional behavior, reaffirm trust and embrace mutual respect.

If you’re interested in bringing this material in-house using a Thera Rising consultant go to Contact us.

If you’re an internal HR or OD professional and interested in becoming certified in
Thera Rising’s Three-Step Conflict Resolution process go to Train the Trainer.

Developmental feedback becomes increasingly vital as leaders rise in organizations.   Yet feedback often becomes more infrequent and more unreliable as leaders acquire power and status. Consequently, many potential executives plateau in critical leadership and interpersonal skills.

Thera Rising provides emerging leaders with feedback that is:

• Credible yet confidential
• Specific and constructive
• Delivered in a respectful and dignified manner
• Results in permanent change

Steps

• Project Definition
  The client, the client’s sponsor (typically the client’s supervisor) and Thera Rising define the project scope, determine assessment tools, identify the parties to be interviewed and select the interview questions.
• Assessment
  Thera Rising conducts 8-12 one-on-one interviews, clusters the responses, removes identifiers and provides the client with a copy of their raw data.
• Analyses of the feedback is structured, supportive and specific.  The client and Thera Rising report back to the sponsor with a summary of the main themes.
• Developmental Plan
  The client, Thera Rising and the sponsor write development goals shaped by interview feedback.
• Coaching
  Coaching is customized and includes training, individual exercises, role-plays, practice, observation and on-going feedback.
• Follow up
  Follow up is determined by project scope and generally occurs at three, six and twelve month intervals.

The client plays an active role throughout the process, which reduces anxiety, increases investment and results in long-term, permanent change.  Our clients find this process intense and positive. 

Leadership development projects typically cost between $5,000 and $8,000 depending on the number of interviews and coaching sessions.

A rare and positive growth experience.  ––Mike K.

Seminars • Keynotes • Conflict Resolution Services • Train the Trainer and Certification

We bring our services to your workplace, on your schedule.

Skills that change your world