Conflict in organizations and communities is natural, even positive. It means that the people involved are passionate about the work and invested in getting to the best outcome as they see it. Conflict is what happens when those visions differ—it's how communities work through difference to a shared vision for the future.

Of course, conflict can also be uncomfortable and disruptive. Without the right tools for reaching a resolution, conflict can alienate contributors and rob the community of their contributions.

Adversarial approaches to conflict resolution—whether they take place in court or on social media—are effectively designed to escalate conflict, emphasize difference, and guarantee division. Battle lines are drawn and a war is fought over competing claims to the real truth. The outcome is usually more harm to everyone involved (and often those on the sidelines).

Restorative justice offers another way.

Restorative justice is a non-adversarial process that acknolwedges that everyone involved in a conflict brings their own perspective, background, and experience to the situation. The goal is for the participants to reach some mutual understanding, then to collaborate on agreements to repair harm and move forward in a way that best meets the needs of everyone involved.

How does it work?

At the core of a restorative justice process is a conversation between the people impacted by a conflict. That includes those directly involved in the conflict (who may choose to bring supportive friends or family), and often others in the organization or community who are impacted by the conflict.

With my support as a facilitator, participants share their own experience of the situation in turn. The conversation focuses on a few questions at the heart of any conflict:

What happened, from your perspective?
What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
What have you thought about since?
How has the situation impacted you?
What do you need to make things right?

Each participant has the opportunity to share without interruption. When they're finished, others have the opportunity to ask questions to better understand their perspective.

The mutual understanding gained through this dialogue is the foundation for the next step: a collaborative conversation about what actions are needed to repair past harms and transform the situation to meet the needs of everyone involved. The participants' creativity is an asset here; there are no limits on what participants can ask or offer in this conversation.

Once the participants reach agreement on repairs and steps ahead, those are often captured in a written agreement.

Preparation and follow-through

For a restorative conference to be productive, the participants must come prepared to share openly and listen non-defensively. This requires preparation, particularly for people who have been harmed by one another's actions. Before the conference, I work with each participant, helping them to share their perspective in their own words, and preparing them to hear from each other. I schedule the conference only when each participant feels ready.

After the conference, I follow up with participants regularly to ensure the circle agreements are being carried out and support each participant in meeting their agreements.

Ready to transform conflict in your community?

If you are experiencing conflict that would benefit from a restorative approach, or are interested in implementing proactive restorative practices to help your community process conflict more productively, please reach out.

Williamson Legal

Williamson Legal

Williamson Legal

Williamson Legal Blog