Integrating social justice‐based conflict resolution into higher education settings: Faculty, staff, and student professional development through mediation training

• Published date: 01 March 2019
• Author: Kenita S. Rogers,Karan L. Watson,Carla Liau‐Hing Yep,Nancy T. Watson
• Date: 01 March 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21233

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Integrating social justice-based conflict resolution

into higher education settings: Faculty, staff,

and student professional development through

mediation training

Nancy T. Watson

1,2,3

| Kenita S. Rogers

2

| Karan L. Watson

4

|

Carla Liau-Hing Yep

1

1

The Center for Change and Conflict Resolution,

Bryan, Texas

2

College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical

Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station,

Texas

3

Department of Educational Administration and

Human Resource Development, Texas A&M

University, College Station, Texas

4

Department of Electrical and Computer

Engineering, Texas A&M University, College

Station, Texas

Correspondence

Nancy T. Watson.

Email: cccrtx@gmail.com

This paper will share highlights of an approach used to

target professional development of faculty and staff at one

of the largest public, land grant, research-intensive univer-

sities in the United States. We will share a practical model

designed to build individual and organizational capacity

by integrating conflict management techniques that are

based on social justice principles into higher education

settings. This model has been successfully utilized for

more than 2,500 faculty, staff, and students (undergradu-

ate and graduate) at the university, and is an ongoing pro-

active and responsive strategy in creating a mindful

culture and sustaining a cohesive workplace climate.

1|INTRODUCTION

This paper is based on work at a large higher education institution and is specifically designed to

favorably impact workplace climate by increasing individual and organizational capacity in a system-

atic manner through targeted professional development focusing on conflict management and build-

ing cultural competencies. The delivered model is based on social justice principles that have a

direct, positive impact on the conflict language and culture of the college or unit. The model has been

extensively utilized to proactively facilitate development of leaders and their teams, as well as

employees within intact work units as they create positive and inclusive work and learning environ-

ments. This paper adds to the literature about conflict management in higher education (Fiutak, 2000;

Gmelch & Carroll, 1991; Warters, 1999; Warters & Wendy, 2003; Watson, Watson, & Stanley,

2017; Webne-Behrma, 2008). The goals of the paper are to: (a) identify current methods for integrat-

ing conflict management into professional development activities in higher education settings;

Received: 25 March 2018 Revised: 6 August 2018 Accepted: 8 August 2018

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21233

© 2018 Association for Conflict Resolution and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2019;36:251–262. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 251