Ombudsman

Profile

Ombudsman

Duties: Provide impartial and confidential conflict resolution services to members of the community who are aggrieved or concerned about an issue. Remain independent, neutral and impartial, and exercise good judgment. Assist inquirers in obtaining and providing relevant information regarding policies and procedures. Assist inquirers in clarifying issues and generating options for resolution. Facilitate the inquirer’s assessment of the pros and cons of possible options. Obtain the inquirer’s agreement and permission before proceeding. Maintaining confidentiality, engage in informal information gathering in order to better understand an issue from all perspectives. Consult with departmental leaders and appropriate individuals to develop cooperative strategies for resolving concerns and complaints. With the inquirer’s permission, consult with all parties to clarify and analyze problems, focus discussions, and develop a mutually-satisfactory process for resolution. Facilitate group meetings, use shuttle diplomacy, or negotiation skills to facilitate communication among parties in conflict. Encourage flexible administrative practices to maximize the institution’s ability to meet the needs of all members of the community equitability. Whenever possible and appropriate, provide inquirer with referrals to other resources, such as Human Resources, Peer Counseling, Campus Safety, and the like. Follow up with inquirers as appropriate to determine outcome and further need of assistance. Policy Analysis and Feedback Serve as a campus resource for officials in formulating or modifying policy and procedures, raising issues that might surface as a result of a gap between the stated goals of the institution and actual practice. Act as a liaison between individuals or groups and the campus administrative structure, serving as a communicator or informal facilitator, as appropriate, and providing upward feedback. Function as a sensor within the campus community to identify problems or trends that affect the entire campus or significant parts of the community; if appropriate, recommend creative ways to address these concerns. Provide early warning of new areas of organizational concern, upward feedback, critical analysis of systemic needs for improvement, and make systems change recommendations. Responsible for ongoing education and communication about the office’s role to all potential inquirers as well as to campus leadership. Design and conduct training programs for the campus community in dispute/conflict resolution, negotiation skills and theory, civility, and related topics. Establish/Maintain Office of Supervise office staff, as necessary. Formulate, manage and monitor the overall goals, direction, programs and budget of the office. Ensure that the integrity of the office is maintained by all office staff through independence, fair process, neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality, and timely attention to the resolution of issues while treating people with dignity and respect. Maintain active membership in relevant professional associations, such as the International Ombudsman Association, in order to stay on the leading edge of critical ombudsman issues, such as confidentiality and privilege. Facilitating the resolution of conflict between parties. Assist inquirers to resolve their conflicts include: Helping people learn how to deal with the matter directly if they wish to do so. Serving as a facilitator between the parties via shuttle diplomacy. Informally bringing the parties together and serving as a facilitator or mediator. Approaching the conflict issue generically within the larger environment (especially when the inquirer is afraid of retaliation). Influencing systems change which could obviate the individual problem. Help the inquirer determine which conflict resolution method would be appropriate for the specific situation.

Additional Information

Tracking Code 484-402

Company info

Meharry Medical College
1005-D B Todd Boulevard
Nashville
Tennessee
United States 37208
Website : http://www.mmc.edu/