Q: When will you cease to have conflict in your life?

A: When you die.

This was my introduction to Responding to Conflict: Strategies for Improved Communication, an excellent training course I recently attended through the Canadian Management Centre. The course was designed to help participants identify the underlying causes of, and ways to appropriately respond to, conflict. Because, like it or not, human beings will always find themselves in conflict.

Many of us have come to see conflict as at best a necessary evil, and at worst something to be avoided at all costs. Yet many conflicts result in positive outcomes.

It’s important to realize that the underlying cause of a conflict is often brought about through misunderstanding. Here is an example:

You asked a colleague to work with you on a project and each time you ask for help with a specific task, they are unavailable. You feel that they are avoiding the work and decide to have it out with them.  As it happens, your co-worker would really like to assist, but you always seem to ask for help at the last minute. Their schedule is packed and request that you give at least a couple days’ notice.

While this is a very simple example, it illustrates how misunderstandings and assumptions can lead to conflict. Of course, most conflict situations arise from more complex circumstances, but the point is not so much the severity of a conflict, rather how we deal with it.

A key message of the course was the importance of responding to conflict rather than reacting to it. In other words, don’t let your emotions get the best of you in a conflict situation. To that end, we learned about a conflict resolution model with the cute acronym P-U-R-R.

Pause – to reign in your feelings and gather self-awareness

Understand – your goal, the other party’s feelings, needs and concerns

Regulate – your thoughts, words, behaviours based upon choices

Respond – appropriately and adjust for results

In layman’s terms, take a deep breath, listen, think before you speak and be flexible.

The model itself is only a framework. We were also taught five conflict strategies, each different from the others, yet all appropriate to use in diverse situations. We learned that although everyone naturally gravitates to one or two of the strategies, we should be familiar with all of them. The 5 conflict strategies are:

1.    Integrating: This is the most effective in terms of satisfying both parties’ goals. The Integrating strategy is also known as problem-solving or collaboration because a conflict is viewed as a joint problem.  The strategy also promotes long-term relationship building.

When is Integrating Appropriate?

Integrating is appropriate in most conflict situations, especially when parties must work together in the future.  It sets a positive tone for future interactions. However, since Integrating is the most difficult and time-consuming strategy, it might not be used if an expedient resolution is required.

2.    Compromising: Not to be mistaken for the Integrating strategy, Compromising results in both parties gaining AND losing something. The focus is less on achieving common ground and more about minimizing individual losses. It is a short-term solution.

When is Compromising Appropriate?

Compromising is most effective when both parties are having difficulty moving forward. Although ultimately not as effective as Integrating, a compromise situation where each side gains a little might be enough to keep the parties involved.

3.    Competing: This strategy results in winners and losers. Even if one party becomes the ultimate winner, the relationship will most likely be damaged. This may not be a good strategy for people who have to interact on a regular basis.

When is Competing Appropriate?

Competing is rarely productive in the long-term. However, if a short-term solution is needed, competing may be useful. Common examples of healthy competition are found in sports and when colleagues are vying for the same job.

4.    Smoothing: While the Smoothing strategy also results in winners and losers, the loser usually chooses his or her fate for the sake of maintaining harmony. While this may prove to be a workable short-term solution, the person who gives up their goals may harbour resentment. More importantly, the underlying conflict still exists.

When is Smoothing Appropriate?

Giving in on one issue may be the correct strategy when you are working toward a longer-term goal. Smoothing may also be effective when the issue is of much greater importance to the other party than it is to you.

5.    Avoiding: This strategy usually results in neither party’s goals being met. The conflict remains and is neither discussed nor resolved.

When is Avoiding Appropriate?

If a conflict is trivial, or can be reasonably expected to work itself out over time, it may be best to simply leave it alone. Sometimes avoidance can prevent the escalation of a conflict into something even worse. Some conflicts are fundamentally unresolvable, stemming from different personal values.

Like so many things in life, conflict resolution boils down primarily to one thing: communication. Whether you are dealing with colleagues, residents, government officials, contractors or anyone for that matter, the quality of your communication will set the tone for all of your interactions.

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Reel Flicks, a 12-week project culminating in five short documentaries, engaged a group of 10 youth living in Lawrence Heights to shed light on their experiences living in a social housing community in Toronto. Premiering at the beginning of July, the films depict the realities and ambitions of teens living in the Lawrence Heights community. Filmed from their point of view, the young participants focused on topics ranging from gun and gang violence to a profile on an aspiring Olympic athlete.

The project, which provided participants with filming and editing equipment, workshops and mentorship, was a partnership between Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC), Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and two local community partners: Pathways to Education and Unison Health & Community Services.

“As a partner in this project we saw our role as connecting youth to a tremendous opportunity to experience and explore the art of film making while learning about themselves and exploring issues in their community,” explained Daniela Mantilla, a team leader and mentor from Pathways to Education. “Collaborating on the film project was a way to deepen an already strong and influential relationship with the students, and to continue supporting them on a path of success in school and out.”

A Fresh Point of View

Zara Hemmings, the Project Lead of Reel Flicks from the Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC), found that the films offered a realistic and fresh point of view on subjects that need to be talked about.

“At the community premiere was someone who trains Toronto Police Services officers on how to work within communities,” Zara explains. “He has asked for copies of The Jump Off and A Road to Peace to screen for the officers that he trains, which should hopefully provide insight on how to better work within these communities.”

Zara further added that, “Reel Flicks provided a view into the Lawrence Heights community that many, as outsiders, don’t necessarily get to see. Hopefully this will lead to further discussions and ideas for the future.”

To help raise the profile of social housing among the general public and showcase the achievements of the young filmmakers, the Reel Flicks documentaries will be submitted to film festivals. You can stay posted by checking out the Reel Flicks Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages.

Investing in Communities

Reel Flicks is one example of SHSC’s efforts to improve the quality of life for low-income residents. Building on our successful Community Champions and Tenant Insurance programs, SHSC is creating a Social Innovation Test Lab that connects all our resident focused initiatives and research including:

• START – A province wide financial literacy and asset-building pilot
• REDY - A green jobs training program
• YourSay – A technology tool for surveys, communication and resident engagement
• UK School for Social Entrepreneurs Ontario – A pilot to help low-income residents start sustainable social ventures
• GC Foundation for Youth – To fund education, employment training and entrepreneurship directly to low-income individuals

By offering a connected series of supports and resources and engaging communities, SHSC is leveraging sustainable, scalable solutions to social challenges, enabling social and economic inclusion and building capacity for the Ontario housing sector.

The Documentary Videos

A Road to Peace – Examining the issue of violence in Lawrence Heights, and the sometimes strained relationship between community and police

The Jump Off – A profile on an aspiring Olympic athlete from Lawrence Heights

A Way With Words – Showcasing young talents from within the Lawrence Heights community

Left in the Dark – Looking at the lack of programming available for girls in Lawrence Heights

Teen Preggers – What youth in Lawrence Heights think about teen pregnancy

One of life’s more intimidating trials is being in the position of the new kid on the block. We’ve all faced the lack of confidence and feelings of angst that go along with starting a new job. So why is it that we often forget our own experiences when training a new staff person?

Simply put, training is an investment. And like any investment, it takes time to realize a gain. Taking the time to appropriately train new staff may feel like time we don’t have but, believe me, the payoff can be well worth the effort. Consider the following scenario:

Your maintenance coordinator provides notice that he is leaving in June. By the time you find time to post a job ad., screen resumes, conduct interviews and hire a replacement, it is mid-August. The new hire came with impeccable credentials, and maintenance requests have been backing up, so you decide to place them on the job with a minimum of orientation and no training. What could go wrong?

Plenty! The mechanical systems in your building are no doubt very different from what the new person is used to. Unfamiliarity with the equipment may lead to inefficiency, damage to the system itself and potentially dangerous situations for the employee. Your maintenance coordinator may not be aware of the proper procedures for filling out maintenance tickets and completing reports. They would also most certainly benefit from information about your residents’ maintenance history.

Even if you offer a comprehensive training program, it’s important to remember that training is not a one-shot deal. Again, think of your own work history: did you know everything there was to know about a new position once the 2-week training period was over? Probably not, but there is often a perception that one is “ready to go” once the defined training period is over. It is often said that we “learn something new every day”. Bear this in mind and check in periodically with your new hires, as they may be reluctant to come to you.

Still not convinced?

Here are a few demonstrated benefits of training:

• Staff become more competent at their jobs
• Staff become more flexible
• Staff motivation increases
• Increased productivity
• Changes become easier to introduce
• Fewer accidents
• The organisation’s image improves e.g. when dealing with customers
• Reduced waste

Are there costs involved?

Sure, but weigh the following points against the benefits:

• Once fully trained, staff may leave for better paid jobs
• Financial cost of training may be high
• Work time is lost when staff are being trained
• Quality of training must be high for it to have a positive effect

Our staff and volunteers are our ambassadors to the greater public. Make sure that they are properly equipped to represent your organization.

As a veteran of nearly 30 years working for various purveyors of customer service – hotels, retail, food & beverage and social housing – I am constantly on the lookout for examples of good service; the kind that tells me that a company cares enough not only to train their employees, but to recruit the right folks to begin with.

Sadly I am often left disappointed. And I don’t think I’m alone. From the hotel receptionist who does not make eye contact, to the bank teller who can’t seem to smile, to the store clerk who has no clue where that particular electrical widget is located – and makes no effort to find out, it can feel like customer service has gone the way of the dinosaurs.

Download the PowerPoint

But I don’t think it has for two reasons:

• First, everyone (even people who deliver poor service) knows and appreciates exceptional customer service and its attributes – empathy, listening skills, not interrupting the customer, and follow-through.
• Second, businesses run the risk of damaging their reputation and their bottom line by delivering poor customer service. Take for example the DoubleTree Hotel and the damage their reputation sustained when two disgruntled business travelers documented their experience with a (hilariously funny) Powerpoint presentation. It was sent to their contacts via e-mail with a cover note encouraging them to share it with friends. It eventually was sent to hundreds of thousands of people; reported on in USA Today, NBC and elsewhere; and the Hilton hotel chain’s management (DoubleTree’s parent company) had to do massive damage control costing hundreds of thousands of dollars (see the second entry for details)

So what do you do?

In an article on Customer Service Manager, Bill Hogg offers these 10 tips to frontline workers:

1. Treat your customers like human beings.
2. Go beyond the minimum to make your customers love you.
3. Don’t make excuses. If it’s your fault, say so.
4. Don’t take it personally!
5. Listen to your customers. Don’t assume you know what they want.
6. Always pay close attention to what you’re promising, and don’t let a customer talk you into the impossible.
7. Think about what you’re promising.
8. Allow the customer to feel like a priority.
9. Get to problems right away.
10. Follow up!

For further details, you can read the full article. Hogg also has a blog on customer service worth checking out – which has entries in different categories, including ‘customer experience stories,’ ‘employee engagement,’ ‘tips and techniques’ and more.

With the upcoming federal election, it is important to understand each party’s stance on the subject of affordable housing. Below is a quick guide on what Canada’s federal parties are promising to bring to the housing sector.

Liberal Party

The Liberal Party’s platform proposes the creation of a new Affordable Housing Framework. This Framework will feature a long-term commitment by the federal government to replace the current collection of temporary programs. The three main goals of the framework are to reduce homelessness; stimulate new construction of affordable housing and maintain and renew existing affordable housing stock. In its first two years, the Liberal government claims it will increase federal investment in affordable housing by $550 million.

New Democratic Party

The NDP platform promises to increase the supply of affordable housing by restoring funding for the homeowners Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) and the Affordable Housing Initiative in partnership with the provinces and territories. The NDP also proposes “significant new funding” for affordable and social housing and the introduction to reduce household heating costs.

To address affordability and environmental sustainability, the NDP also promises a home heating federal sales tax rebate; a permanent Eco-energy Retrofit program and an inter-generational Home Retrofit Program to help families retrofit their homes to accommodate senior family members.

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party platform makes no statements concerning new investments in housing. However, it does commit $400 million to continue the Eco-Energy Retrofit program for one year. The continuation of this program would provide homeowners with grants of up to $5000 per unit to offset the cost of energy efficiency upgrades from 2011-2012.

Bloc Québécois

The Bloc’s platform focuses on insisting that the elected government make an annual investment of $2 billion to construct and renovate affordable housing via the surplus generated by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation.

Green Party

In its Vision Green document, the Green Party states that it intends to implement a National Affordable Housing plan to radically increase the supply of affordable housing and resolve the issue by 2019. Under this plan, the government would build 20,000 new and 10,000 rehabilitated, subsidized affordable units per year for the next 10 years through capital grants and changes in tax and mortgage insurance regulations.

The Greens also promise:

• Rent supplements or shelter assistance for an additional 40,000 low-income households per year, for ten years
• Funding to community groups through a National Affordable Housing Plan to renovate 10,000 new units per year for the next 10 years
• The appointment of a federal Minister of Housing
• The development of a national energy retrofit standard that would ensure 100% of Canada’s buildings are retrofitted to a high level of energy efficiency by 2025

Additional Resources:

• Canadian Housing Renewal Association Platform Analysis
• Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association Election 2011 webpage

The National Film Board’s (NFB’s) Toronto Mediatheque is partnering with Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC), Pathways to Education and Toronto Community Housing for ‘Reel Flicks,’ a 12 week project culminating in five short documentaries made by youth in the Lawrence Heights area. This week Merrill Matthews from the NFB blogs on the importance of documentary filmmaking.

Get video/text updates on Reel Flicks as the project unfolds:

• Subscribe to the Reel Flicks YouTube Channel
• Follow on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook

The NFB and Documentary Filmmaking

Documentary filmmaking is deeply connected to the history of filmmaking in Canada. In fact the term “documentary” was coined by filmmaker John Grierson, the first film commissioner for the NFB. His definition is “the creative treatment of actuality” – a definition that still rings true.

From its beginnings with John Grierson as commissioner, the NFB has sought to make films that “reflect Canada to Canadians and to the rest of the world.” As early as the Challenge for Change program in the 1960s, the NFB has helped share the stories of communities as varied as those in The Children of Fogo, The Things I Can Not Change and Invisible City. The more recent work of NFB filmmaker Katerina Cizek also bespeaks this commitment with her Street Health Stories and The Interventionists and as well as her current Highrise/Out My Window interactive project.

NFB and Reel Flicks

Today, documentary filmmaking has become more accessible due to the availability and equipment and software. This has empowered those who did not previously have the economic means to create films and tell their stories.

With Reel Flicks, NFB Mediatheque workshop facilitators Amery Martin and Michele Tredger is supporting this empowerment by guiding 12 youth through the production of five documentaries on their experience in social housing communities. Workshops on the technical and story aspects of filmmaking are currently underway. Perhaps a new NFB voice will be borne by the end of this experience!

The Pitching Session

Here’s a video of Christopher “Junior” Riley, one of youth involved in this project, pitches to us his awesome documentary idea.

The release of the 2011 Provincial budget allotted no new funding to social or affordable housing.  Rather, the focus of this years’ Provincial budget was on the investment into employment, education and training and the protection of public health care.

Responses and commentary on the budget by the housing sector:

• ONPHA
• CHF-Ontario
• Wellesley Institute

While the budget did acknowledge the Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy and past funding initiatives aimed at social and affordable housing, no new funding was announced. The budget also highlighted that Ontario is currently working with the federal government on an affordable housing initiative that would extend federal and provincial funding for building and renovation.

This year’s concentration on the protection of public health care saw the creation of a Mental Health and Addictions Strategy for Youth.  This follows the recommendations from an all-party committee’s report, released in August 2010, that cited early identification and intervention as critical components of a more effective children’s mental health system. The Ontario Government will invest in a comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy initially aimed at children and youth that by 2014 will see funding support increase to $93 million a year.

Ontario will also continue to focus on clean and sustainable forms of energy, and again noted the need for comprehensive water management strategies, but no new initiatives or funds were announced.

In fact, in his Budget Speech, Finance Minister Duncan acknowledged that while the current government was successful in eliminating the inherited deficit, economic stimulus and job creation policies in recent years have actually created a greater deficit. This deficit and the likely criticisms from opposition parties, while approaching a provincial election, are plausible reasons for a budget that reflects austerity rather than spending.

The full article is available on Toronto Star website.

Losses on the stock market? Appliances from China? Splitting purchase orders? Holt Renfew chocolates? What was TCHC thinking?

That’s the question any fair-minded person would ask after reading the Auditor General’s two reports on Toronto Community Housing. It’s certainly the question the housing community has been asking.

We were pleased to see the Auditor General confirm this was not a case of fraud or corruption. Anyone who has ever met or worked with either former CEO Derek Ballantyne or CEO Keiko Nakamura already knows them to be compassionate, competent and honourable. Derek Ballantyne played a central role in the revitalization of Regent Park — an internationally recognized $1 billion project, with $500 million raised from private financing, the sale of private units and other levels of government. Keiko Nakamura’s commitment to social housing tenants was repeatedly cited by tenants at the deputations on March 3.

Those who are watching the media closely are beginning to understand the story behind the headlines. It now appears the $75 million TCHC received from Toronto Hydro was never at risk. The funds that were lost in the crash of 2008 are being recouped, and it looks like TCHC will meet its $200 million investment target by 2015. The appliances from China may have saved over $550,000. Splitting purchase orders allowed TCHC to complete major repairs before the “use it or lose” it deadline for federal stimulus funding. As for the chocolates, all I can say is that most corporate executives, both public and private, understand the value of teambuilding and recognition. And a $15 year-end bonus for 60 volunteers, paid out in chocolate, seems skimpy by corporate standards.

Continue reading TCHC: Looking Beyond the Spin on Toronto Star >

Raees Ahmed

In this second part of the Rooftop Series (read the first part Greening Mumbai: Debris to Development), intern Raees Ahmed talks about his experience in developing and piloting a bulk purchasing program in Johannesburg, South Africa.

When I was first offered an internship by Rooftops Canada, I was overjoyed. It came at a time when I was completing work on a post-disaster development project in Haiti. After one month’s training with co-op and social housing organizations in Toronto, I left for a five-month internship with the National Association of Social Housing Organizations (NASHO) in Johannesburg, South Africa to help start their first bulk purchasing program.

NASHO is a national federation of 16 social housing institutions that house about 21,000 low-income families across the country. NASHO provides training to its members and represents their voices in government relations and more generally, in the housing market. Although still fairly young, NASHO boasts a large number of highly motivated social housing developers and managers. They very much share the values of Canadian housing activists. In the words of NASHO’s part-time CEO, Malcolm McCarthy, “social housing is not about making units, it’s about ensuring people live in decent communities with adequate services”. A participant at the 2010 NASHO Conference in Johannesburg added, “social housing is not about making units, it’s about making people”.

Rooftops Canada has supported NASHO from its launch in 2002. This included visits to Canadian co-op and social housing federations and associations to learn about their bulk purchasing programs. The program at NASHO is intended to generate funds to assist the organization with its future operations, provide savings for its members, and improve the living conditions of their low-income tenants. This includes looking for opportunities to “green” housing operations.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the first product to come on stream will be property insurance. When all NASHO members switch to the new insurer, revenues will cover the costs of a staff person for the program. Banking, security services and maintenance supplies are the next in line.

In developing the strategy we borrowed heavily from the experience of the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto. I am grateful to the staff of the two organizations as well as the Social Housing Services Corporation and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation for the continued support and for sharing their experience. A successful NASHO and a successful bulk purchase program will definitely contribute to the development of the social housing sector in South Africa.

More information on Rooftops Canada:  http://www.rooftops.ca/english/index.asp

More about NASHO: http://www.nasho.org.za/

image source: Gawad Kalinga Pilipinas (http://gk1world.com/ph)

In late October, I was fortunate to attend a roundtable entitled: Building Integrated Communities: Lessons Learned from the Philippines, presented by the Canadian Urban Institute in collaboration with Gawad Kalinga (GK) Canada and Ryerson University School of Urban & Regional Planning. The keynote speaker at the event, Tony Meloto, discussed how ordinary citizens can effect profound and lasting change in both their local community and country.

Tony himself is a model of this. In 1995, he founded the GK to address the issues of urban poverty and lack of affordable housing in the Philippines. Inspired to help the urban poor in his own community, Tony petitioned landowners to donate their land to create more housing for the poor. The first community supported by the GK built 300 homes on donated land, now there are over half a million homes in over 2,000 communities throughout the country.

Not only has the GK provided “land for the landless, homes for the homeless, and food for the hungry,” they found that investing in the community has financial rewards as well. As a result of the new homes, land value in the neighbourhood and surrounding areas has increased with landowners eagerly donating their land. With support from community agencies, governments and private sector, the GK has established a land banking system and community mortgage program to provide security and sustainability to their projects. In addition, land recipients are encouraged to work for their land creating employment and a better life for their families.

What we can learn from GK

The GK movement is successful because it takes a holistic approach integrating housing, education, volunteerism, sustainability, food sufficiency and livelihood training. It encourages community members to be active agents of change and designers of their own community. Whether we are trying out participatory budgeting in a small municipality or collaborating in the design of a new housing complex to be universally accessible, the GK example teaches us that individuals have power to create change and bring affordable housing to their community.

For us in the housing sector, this example also raises suggestive questions: in what ways can we work to be more integrated, sustainable and participatory? How can we be active agents of change in our own communities?

• More information on Gawad Kalinga
• More about Canadian Urban Institute events
• Tony blogs on his time in Canada