Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute
 Project: United States Department of Agriculture











 

 
Projects: Employment Arbitration Indiana Dept. of Env. Management Indiana ADR Providers Shared Neutrals Program U.S. Dept. of Justice

U.S. Env. Protection Agency

 Environmental Conflict Resolution Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission

National Institutes of Health

 Focus Groups Sessions U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Other
 
United States Department of Agriculture

In the fall of 2001, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC), retained the Institute to design and implement a longitudinal evaluation of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs in the USDA.  USDA agencies use conflict resolution processes for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints at the informal and formal stages, and to resolve non-EEO workplace disputes.  CPRC is responsible for setting ADR standards, monitoring ADR practices, and otherwise assisting ADR programs.  The goals of this evaluation are to provide information to individual agency programs so they may understand and improve their ADR program performance and to provide overall performance and cost-benefit information to USDA leaders and ADR program managers.   This evaluation project is extremely unique; it is the first to ever attempt such a large-scale evaluation of numerous and different ADR programs within a single organization.  Its findings will be helpful to not only the USDA, but to researchers and practitioners everywhere.

The evaluation project consists of three parts.  The first part involved collecting and analyzing information from USDA employees engaged in the administration of ADR programs.  This first step has been completed, and the findings were used to construct and design an evaluation that utilizes feedback from participants, neutrals, and USDA archival data sources.   

The second part of the evaluation design involves the collection of information from ADR participants and neutrals.  Several survey instruments have been designed for this purpose.  These instruments have been disseminated throughout the USDA and data collection began on April 1, 2003.  ICRI has designed databases in which to store all incoming data, but has subcontracted the actual collection and entering of data to Dr. John Conbere at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.  ICRI researchers will work closely with Dr. Conbere to analyze the data and provide reports to the USDA in the coming months. 

The final part of the evaluation design is a cost-benefit analysis of ADR at the USDA.  Currently, no other large-scale cost-benefit research of ADR in the federal government exists.  ICRI has partnered with Dr. Jim Brown at the University of Minnesota to conduct this ground-breaking research. Survey instruments have been designed, and data collection will begin soon.

Publications generated from this research:

Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute (2003). Evaluation Design of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Programs at the United States Department of Agriculture. Report to the USDA .

Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute
Last updated: July 30, 2004
Comments: ICRI Administrator
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