- case study #1
The Family Business
After the CEO passed away, this multi-million dollar family-owned company went into crisis. On the edge of insolvency and after...
Each of these cases required a specific High Conflict Institute solution.
After the CEO passed away, this multi-million dollar family-owned company went into crisis. On the edge of insolvency and after...
This multinational law firm was looking to maximize profit and increase efficiency. HCI came in and trained workers on how...
This corporation suffered from open hostility between and within departments, creating a toxic environment that infected every level of the...
These battling parents were headed to trial for divorce and parenting orders, and a guaranteed 18 years of high conflict...
A professional mediation organization wanted cutting-edge mediation training to give their mediators skills to increase settlements in high-conflict cases.
...A professional mediation organization wanted cutting-edge mediation training to give their mediators skills to increase settlements in high-conflict cases.
Mediators were struggling to reach successful outcomes in high-conflict cases, including family, elder law, guardianship, and other areas. They felt deflated and unexpectedly overwhelmed, under-confident, and stressed. A high attrition rate was observed with high-conflict cases as the identified issue—their skills weren’t working.
HCI provided New Ways for Mediation℠ training to the group, which included both new and seasoned mediators, to learn our structured, proposal-focused high-conflict mediation method, including simple skills for the mediator and simple skills for the parties to augment—not replace—their existing mediation skills.
Their confidence increased
Settlement rates increased, thereby helping more parties
Their stress decreased
Within a year of their child’s birth, the relationship between these parents rapidly disintegrated. Soon, a court battle for custody commenced. HCI provided coaching to the father to teach him the necessary co-parenting skills in a high-conflict case.
Within a year of their child’s birth, the relationship between these parents rapidly disintegrated. Soon, a court battle for custody commenced. The mother refused to engage in any non-court-ordered parenting improvement classes, while the father sought many educational resources to improve his parenting.
On his attorney’s recommendation, the father contacted HCI for a 1-hour Live lab. In that single hour, HCI’s coach taught the father how to stop engaging in ways that don’t work, and instead to communicate verbally using EAR Statements and in writing using BIFF Responses. We also helped him get emotionally unhooked and handle the co-parenting relationship like a business partnership.
The court noticed his reasonable behavior and ruled in his favor
The co-parenting
relationship calmed
Their son’s chance at a calmer life increased exponentially
This corporation wanted to create a positive and effective culture while identifying potential leaders throughout their workforce.
The entire organization was suffering from toxicity. There was open hostility between and within departments, and there were numerous claims of unfairness and sexism. Employees were focused on conflicts, not on their work, so productivity suffered company-wide.
HCI arrived to eliminate the high conflict environment. We trained everyone on our Conflict Communication skills (BIFF and EAR), and we met individually with 10 company-identified employees who were involved in most of the conflict. Afterward, we worked with their HR department to develop an organization-wide BIFF communication policy.
Employee cooperation increased
Respectful and civil communication increased
High-achieving trainees rose as leaders within their departments
This multinational law firm wanted to maximize profits while securing a competitive advantage.
The firm suffered from both internal and external pressures. Internally, high conflict employees were consuming time, threatening morale, and causing stress in coworkers. Externally, the firm was struggling with the high conflict behaviors that emerge in any legal environment. Certain clients were damaging efficiency because workers were not trained on how to handle high conflict.
HCI was brought in to provide training on identifying and thwarting high conflict behaviors. We taught them our WEB Method, our Hiring Radar protocol, and Conflict Communication methods for verbal and written communication. We also helped them close loopholes in their policies, so that some high conflict situations could be avoided completely.
Employees reported decreased stress and a calmer workplace within 30 days
Attorneys reported a gain in confidence in dealing with both clients and opposing counsel
Out of court settlement rates went up
This large, multi-state, family-owned company was in business for 60 years and employed thousands in small communities.
After the parent CEO’s passing, another family member took control of the company and eliminated all other family members from the board and from their roles as top executives. Intense and expensive litigation ensued. After prevailing in court, the fired family members were reinstated on the board of directors and had the CEO demoted. The tensions made a $100 million company nearly bankrupt.
HCI was brought in to teach the family members how to work together. We held a retreat and training for the entire board of directors and led them through a mission statement exercise to get them used to making joint decisions and seeing the possibility of working together. Using newly learned EAR statements and BIFF emails, the family was able to resolve corporate issues and come up with solutions that they were all proud of.
The first time family board members agreed without animosity
Family members enthusiastically shared new mission statement with employees
The company’s revenues were eventually restored