At Weave we want to do conflict well. We want tensions between members to be generative, healthy and productive. We want a culture of robust debate, honesty, and care - all in service of our mission. In this document you will find the principles, practice and process to take to safely and appropriately resolve conflict.

Note : If you've contemplated the experience and have decided it feels like it may be harassment or abuse, please consult our Harassment and Abuse Policy.

Principles

• Resolve conflicts as close as possible to the people involved. Begin with the people directly involved, and escalate from there as needed.
• We have mutual responsibility and care for each other. We act in good faith and work to be constructive, empathetic, and honest. We resolve conflicts with both our individual needs and the needs of the collective in mind.
• When disagreement becomes conflicted and is blocking progress, is hurtful or harmful, a resolution needs to be found. We engage to the best of our ability to resolve conflict, and seek help when needed.
• Anyone affected by a conflict can escalate an issue that is not being resolved at the current level of engagement.
• Resolution means the parties involved feel heard, the agreed outcome or change is clear, and normal decision-making and activity within Weave is possible. If a conflict continues to negatively impact an individual or the team, it is not resolved.

Practice

how we encourage effective communication within our collective

• An introduction to our communication systems, culture and conflict resolution process are part of our weavership onboarding.
• Regular team processes to reflect on our systems and raise any issues, such as sprint standups and retrospectives, check-in rounds at meetings.
• Prompts in stewardship sessions to work through any conflicts or problems between individuals, or between an individual and the collective as a whole.
• Continuous focus on smooth, effective, empathetic communication online and offline within the team. A culture of giving direct constructive feedback, listening to one another, and asking for help when needed.

Conflict Resolution Process

We endeavor to resolve conflicts at the lowest possible escalation step, but agree to escalate conflicts if they are not resolved. We ask all Weave participants to recognize these network safety guidelines for resolving serious conflicts. If you are in conflict with someone else consider taking these four steps :

1. Personal reflection & individual support : Think through what happened. Take time and space to process and clarify your thinking if you feel confused, overwhelmed, or are experiencing strong emotions. Talk to a trusted friend, colleague, or your steward to work through your own perspective and experience. Ask yourself what part you played in it, what you could have done different, and what your needs are to improve the situation. If you feel you need to go beyond individual work to resolve the problem, escalate to the next step.
2. Direct communication : As long as you feel safe and the power balance and tone is conducive to constructive discussion, approach the person in question and talk it out. Be mindful of picking a good time and place (privacy, lack of time pressure, mutually agreed location). If you don’t feel like you can work it out one-on-one for any reason, escalate to the next step.
3. Supported communication : Bring in your steward to host a conversation with the people involved. The other party might want to bring their steward, too. If the stewards feel insufficiently resourced, or you’ve tried and it didn’t resolve the conflict, escalate to the next step.