Good Day IOA: Practice Survey
Watch as Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director, Mary Rowe, Hector Escalante, and Jennifer Schneider discuss the importance of the Practice Survey and why all practicing ombuds should take it.
Watch as Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director, Mary Rowe, Hector Escalante, and Jennifer Schneider discuss the importance of the Practice Survey and why all practicing ombuds should take it.
Director, PetrOmbudsman Department
On March 25th, my team and I officially celebrated the 10th anniversary since the establishment of our Ombuds department in OMV Petrom. The occasion was marked with a special celebration event in the headquarters of the organization, together with people who have been there with us during all this time. I can say that we embarked on a time machine journey, on the path of memories, but also of ambitious dreams, to new heights that we set out to conquer, now that we have reached the milestone of 10 years as PetrOmbudsman.
We had with us two of OMV Petrom’s Executive Board Members, Christina Verchere and Cristi Hubati, whom I would like to thank for the nice words they addressed to us on the occasion of our event.
By Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director
The Ombuds Community has a variety of channels within IOA and outside of IOA to publish content about the profession and field:
1. Within IOA:
The International Ombuds Association (IOA) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Trailblazer Award and President’s Awards.
The IOA Board of Directors established the Trailblazer Award in 2022 for individuals who have devoted significant contributions to the organizational ombuds field over an extended period of time. Award recipients may have served as an organizational ombuds, but is not required to have served as an organizational ombuds to receive this Award.
The 2024 recipient is:
By Shannon Burton,
Dear Colleagues,
This past year, the Journal of the International Ombuds Association (JIOA) placed two calls for papers in special issues. The editorial board wanted to send out a reminder about these special issues along with their end dates.
By Kenneth Cloke,
As I write, it is now the year of the 60th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement (FSM) at U.C. Berkeley, in which I was an active participant (I am at the far right in the photo.) It is also a time when free speech issues are again triggering campus conflicts, largely because of intense polarization over fighting in Gaza, and the mutually antagonistic activities of student supporters of Israel or Palestine.
Starting in the 1980’s, I began working as a mediator, conflict resolver, and dialogue facilitator, helping thousands of people and hundreds of organizations with vastly differing opinions, many mired in hatred and enmity, discover that they could somehow, unexpectedly, talk to each other, engage in open, honest, constructive dialogue, improve their understanding, and solve common problems.
By Liz Hill
The American Bar Association (ABA) has taken significant steps to enhance the ombuds profession by passing Resolution 500 at its recent Mid-Year Meeting. This resolution encourages the informed and voluntary use of Early Dispute Resolution (EDR), emphasizing its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Resolution 500 urges lawyers and stakeholders to employ party-directed, non-adjudicative methods such as direct negotiation, mediation, and ombuds services for conflict resolution.
The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates unanimously approved the resolution spearheaded and drafted by ABA Section of Dispute Resolution (ABA DR) EDR Committee’s current and former Co-Chairs Ellie Vilendrer, Felicia Harris Hoss, and Mary Cullen as well as our very own ombuds colleague Meg Willoughby, Co-Chair of the ABA DR Ombuds Committee.
By Kenneth Cloke,
Many political conflicts are taking place on campuses and in communities today over the war in Gaza between Israeli and Palestinian supporters. Here are a few possible opening questions mediators and dialogue facilitators can use to encourage colleges and universities, groups, communities, and people on both sides or in-between to engage in facilitated dialogue and mediated problem solving. They are suggestive, are likely to work best in small groups, and are only the beginning of a longer term process of discovering how to talk and learn from each other. For additional questions and techniques, see my chapter on “the art of asking questions” in The Magic in Mediation. There are thousands of potentially useful questions - please add a few of your own.
Questions about the Process
Learn about recent collaborations of the IOA and CO-OP® Boards of Directors, an exciting new Ombuds Program Certification proposal, and upcoming changes to the existing individual CO-OP® certification.
By Alexandre St-Jean (il, he), Ombuds
Office of the Ombuds | Bureau de l’ombuds | Shared Services Canada | Services partagés Canada
In April 2023, SSC Office of the Ombuds presented at the International Ombuds Association Annual Conference in Seattle. Their session entitled: “Being a Change Agent for Diversity and Inclusion Using Data and Change Management Methodology” looked at the experience of equity-seeking employees at SSC.
While the research report was not yet published during the IOA Conference, it is now available! In June 2023, SSC’s Ombuds published their report: “Uncovering the human experiences behind the numbers: Deep dive into diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Shared Services Canada”.
They received 1,060 responses to their anonymous questionnaire and heard stories from over 100 employees during their discussion series.
The report highlights positive experiences and inclusive practices. It also shines a light on instances of exclusion, discrimination, and harassment. It provides a well-rounded perspective that goes beyond counting answers and shares the personal stories of individuals who:
• Don’t fit the majority narrative
• Face barriers in a system that wasn’t built for them
• May unfairly be viewed as the problem
The office’s hope is that the report’s findings will serve as a foundation for meaningful dialogue and strategic planning. And ultimately that supports SSC in creating a more inclusive and welcoming work environment.
Executive Director Ellen Miller and CO-OP® Board President Mollie Berg discuss the CO-OP® certification process and updates for the certification program.
This essay by Mary Rowe describes a poignant concern brought to the ombuds office that helped me to understand how micro-affirmations are a major part of the scaffolding of “belonging.”
The Journal of the International Ombuds Association (JIOA) is a peer-reviewed online journal for scholarly articles and information relevant to the ombudsman profession. As members of a relatively new profession, we continually strive to understand, define and clarify the role and function of the professional organizational ombuds.
The JIOA will help foster recognition that what we do for our agencies, corporations, colleges, and universities is worthy of study. While we must vigorously protect the confidentiality of our interactions, we can still study and be studied to understand what we do and how we do it; what works well and what doesn't work; what our options are; how social, technical and legal changes may impact us; what the profile and career development of ombudsman professionals might be, and other matters of interest.
The JIOA can facilitate a greater interest in ombudsing, enhance our professional standing, and serve to give us a better understanding of our dynamic roles and the impact on our institutions and agencies. The Journal also will allow IOA members, other ombuds, and other professionals to reach out to their colleagues with their ideas, research findings, theories, and recommendations for best practices and to engage in ongoing discussions of critical issues.
Proposal window: 12 December 2023 - 12 January 2024
The Annual Symposium of the Centre for Informal Dispute Resolution (CIDR) at Saint Paul University — The Ombuds: Foundations, Best Practices, and Development — will be held on 6-7 May 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and simultaneously online. The 2024 symposium is organised in collaboration with the Office of the Ombudsperson at the University of Ottawa. This international event will bring together practitioners and researchers in conflict resolution and the ombuds field from many global regions to discuss the evolution of ombuds practice.
The Ombuds role is increasingly crucial amid growing organisational complexities, demands for inclusivity and diversity, and the need for early and more effective conflict mitigation. In an era emphasising fairness, transparency, and ethical conduct, ombuds act as an independent, impartial, and confidential resource in supporting all stakeholders. This event aims to offer meaningful discussions and opportunities for researcher-practitioner collaboration in all ombuds practice areas.
We invite panel and paper proposals in English or French on ombuds practice and related topics in Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR). Our goal is to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and to disseminate knowledge on the ombuds role and the value of ADR. Proposals from experienced professionals, new ombuds, other ADR professionals, and university students aspiring to pursue careers in practice are encouraged.
IOA Board of Directors held its October board meeting in Europe. Our strategic plan calls on IOA to identify ways to increase the participation and engagement of international members across IOA to bring more inclusion to our programs, leadership, and strategy. Watch as members of the international ombuds community report on this special event.
It’s been a noteworthy year for Mary P. Rowe, an Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a member of the faculty of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER). February 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of Rowe’s coming to work at MIT as the “Special Assistant to the President and Chancellor for Women and Work”—a role that soon evolved into being an early organizational ombuds, listening to all kinds of workplace concerns, from both men and women, throughout the Institute. Rowe ultimately served for 42 years as an MIT ombuds.
By Alicia Booker, PhD, IOA President & Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director
In the spirit of believing we are one humankind, and one global community, we must take time to pause and acknowledge the extreme devastation, pain, suffering, and grief that so many are experiencing in our community, our organizations, and in our world. As we move into the season of holidays and family celebrations, our hearts, and thoughts go to all who are suffering.
From Ellen Miller, Executive Director, and Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs Sarah Klaper and Mark Patterson
More good news for higher ed ombuds based in the U.S.
IOA was proud to sponsor the Clery Center’s 2023 September Summit, where we had the opportunity to introduce Jim Moore from the U.S. Department of Education and do a speed presentation on the role of ombuds prior to his session. Sarah Klaper “pulled back the curtain” to explain how ombuds handle Title IX and Clery issues, while Ellen Miller covered the basics of what OOs do and don’t do. Here is a link to the short slide deck we prepared.
By Ellen Miller, Executive Director
The Asian Development Bank’s Office of the Ombudsperson (ADB) issued its 2022 Annual Report in August. The ADB does a wonderful job turning data into stories and does not disappoint with its latest annual report using creative design, an engaging presentation format, and information offered through a variety of lenses. It can be found at www.adb.org/ombudsperson and I encourage you to check it out.
Many organizations opt to keep the annual report either on the organization’s intranet or confidential and just for the C-Suite. We understand that some organizations may not want recommendations to be public if included in your annual report. I would encourage you to post some kind of summary for public consumption about the kinds of issues you hear from visitors. Nothing demonstrates value more to possible visitors and other formal channels than an annual summary of the impact you made in your organization with stakeholders.