Conflict Resolution in the Workplace Webinar (ASBS 2025)

NASAC organized its first 2025 Academy Synergy Building Session (ASBS) webinar on 6^th March 2025 titled “Conflict Resolution in the Workplace”. The webinar was attended by approximately 30 participants from African Science Academy secretariats.

The presentation was delivered by session speaker, Mr. Sydney Sproul, the Senior Strategy & Development Officer at the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS), who delved into the intricacies and complexities of conflict in the workplace. The audience was taken through the various ways to engage in necessary difficult conversations and how to integrate better communicative and negotiation skills in their day-to-day workplace experiences. The participants shared their practical experiences in identifying, dealing and managing conflicts at the workplace.

To allow participants to actively participate in the webinar, they were assigned into three breakout groups with distinct sub-topics related to the main topic – Conflict Resolution at the Workplace. The three groups presented the following insights from their discussions.

Group 1: Practical steps academies can take to create and sustain a culture that promotes constructive conflict resolution among staff. The group identified the following steps:

1. Communication of the prevailing culture at the academy/secretariat during induction processes.
2. Inclusive and participative culture for all cadres of staff and membership.
3. Consultative engagement during preparations and implementation of new initiatives, strategic, annual, or performance plans to provide additional clarity on expectations.
4. Establishment of a code of conduct policy document if none exists.

Group 2: Key considerations necessary when developing a formal conflict-resolution framework, and how can it be effectively implemented. The group identified the following considerations:

1. Inclusion of confidentiality, privacy, and whistleblower clauses in policies.
2. Periodic update of staff and member institutional documents as required.
3. Regular review of instituted strategies.

Group 3: Early warning signs of potential conflicts and how can academy staff proactively address tensions before they escalate. The group discussion resulted in the following points:

1. Disgruntlement – establish the cause of conflict and create a cohesive culture.
2. Miscommunication – establishment of clear and simple channels of communication.
3. Disharmony –
   1. Ensure all members are knowledgeable on the academy’s vision, mission and objectives.
   1. Ensure installation of good leadership in the academy.
4. Differences in opinion –
   1. Create a balance between soft negotiation tactics (carrot) or hard decisive tactics (stick) to achieve consensus when dealing with dominant personalities.
   1. Explore and exploit this to the advantage of the academy.
   1. Establish a set of rules and regulations to provide guidance.

Following the presentations of their group discussions, the participants made recommendations as below:

1. Promotion of a culture of trust, empathy, and transparency in academies by communicating resource limitations, priority areas, pro-bono scenarios, and opportunity allocation decisions for members and secretariat staff.
2. Creation of a standard template for conflict resolution to be customized by academies based on their socio-cultural and governance contexts.

The webinar concluded with a call to create better relationships among staff and for the institution of good leadership to guide science academies through this unavoidable terrain. The next Academy Synergy Building Session will be held on 5^th June 2025 under the topic “Strengthening Regional Teamwork”.