Cultivating positive supervisee/trainee relationships

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Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Supervision Essentials for Behavior Analysts With Shannon Biagi, MS, BCBA (she/her)

Note: This training program is based on the BACB® Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0) but is offered independent of the BACB®.

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Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Relationships, Feedback, and Conflict in

Supervision

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Objectives

The goals of this lesson are to: • Identify the difference between rapport

building and positive feedback delivery

• Select strategies to establish cultural competency and humility in supervision

• Determine the differences between appreciation, coaching, and evaluative feedback

• Identify issues in feedback delivery that can impact relationships with supervisees/trainees

• Select examples of high-quality feedback receipt

• Determine effective strategies for mitigating and managing conflicts in supervision

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Building Supportive Relationships in

Supervision

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Why Establish Positive Relationships Leblanc, Sellers, and Ala’i, in their 2020 publication, Building and Sustaining Meaningful and

Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor, posit that supervision is not simply a process that we go through, but as a ________________ we create with others.

Thinking about supervision as a ____________, instead of just a series of tasks and to-dos, result in a different approach to supervision – one that takes into account the long-term impacts of supervisory

behavior and the influence of their actions on other people and the relationship itself.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

We will discuss 4 factors of building and maintaining relationships in supervision:

Rapport Culture Feedback Conflict

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Developing Positive Rapport

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Building Rapport Establishing positive relationships, or building rapport, has been identified as a critical component of

supervision (Eubanks, et al, 1990; Taylor, LeBlanc, and Nosik, 2018).

Developing these relationships must go beyond simply providing positive _______________ on the supervisees/trainees work and contributions to the organization. Providing positive ___________ is often

confused for developing ____________, but these are two distinct behavior classes.

Rapport acts as a ”_______________” – an antecedent for much of what needs to occur in a supervisory relationship.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Example: Naomi is a newly-hired BCBA supervisor who is working with August, a highly-skilled trainee. As Naomi is still working to get a grip on her new caseload, she has been focusing on case-related tasks much more than supervision-related tasks. This has included repeatedly cancelling August’s meetings, and trusting them to “hold down the fort” while Naomi takes time to get familiar with her cases.

August feels abandoned and unsupported. Even when Naomi sends an email with positive feedback for August, because the relationship is stressed and on shaky foundations from the start, August discounts the feedback because of Naomi’s absence and lack of understanding of who August is and their preferences for feedback.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Curry et al. (2019)

• Asking open-ended questions to learn about the person’s experiences and MOs

• Making positive statements related to the person (not just _________________)

• Indicating general ___________ in the person through statements

• Eye contact*

• Sitting up

• Orienting or leaning towards the individual

• Nodding

• Smiling

*Caution, the necessity of eye contact is rightfully debated, but is cited in this reference

Non-VerbalVerbal

Types of Rapport-Building Behaviors Verbal and Non-verbal

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Does the Research Support Rapport? Curry et al. (2019)

In a lab-based study, the difference in performance (check processing tasks) between groups with whom the lab assistant spent time building relationships with the participants vs. those who

did not were analyzed.

Additionally, they tested for increased _________________ – participation in tasks that weren’t required (completing an optional survey afterward).

Rapport group was _____% more productive on required tasks and significantly more likely to engage in discretionary tasks!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

• Take time to learn about your supervisees/ trainees • Ask about their pets/children/partners, and

remember their __________ when you check in again

• Learn about their ____________ and passions

• Share about yourself as well (appropriate disclosure, and don’t dominate the discussion)

• Provide ____________________________ • I set aside between 5-10 minutes at the beginning

of supervision meeting specifically for building rapport and learning about the supervisee/trainee as a person

Rapport Practices in Supervision

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

The Marble Jar From Dr. Brene Brown

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

True or false: Providing positive feedback and building rapport are the same

behaviors.

Checking in:

a. True

b. False

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Cultural Considerations in Supervision

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

BACB® Ethics Code Cultural Responsiveness and Diversity

Behavior analysts actively engage in professional development activities to acquire knowledge and skills related to cultural

responsiveness and diversity. They evaluate their own biases and ability to address the needs of individuals with diverse needs/

backgrounds (e.g., age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression/identity, immigration status, marital/relationship status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic

status). Behavior analysts also evaluate biases of their supervisees and trainees, as well as their supervisees’ and trainees’ ability to

address the needs of individuals with diverse needs/backgrounds.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Cultural Competence As a field, we discuss our scope of competence frequently – determining whether we have the

___________, supervised __________, and practical _______________ to practice ABA with specific populations.

We need the same components in place when we work and supervise within and across ___________.

And it needs to be systemic – in the organizational and field values, policies, structures, administration… Cultural competence is not a solo sport.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Culture “The extent to which a group of individuals engage in overt and verbal behavior reflecting shared behavioral learning histories, serving to differentiate the group from other groups, and predicting how individuals within the group act in specific setting conditions”.

• We have to understand our own ___________, and understand that what is normal in our culture may be different than what is normal in another.

• Many tools used in our profession contain _________ and often do not integrate cultural variables, like the parenting styles or development patterns of other cultures.

Fong et al.

(2016)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Behavior Analysts’ Training and Practices Regarding Cultural Diversity: the Case for Culturally Competent Care

Beaulieu, Addington, & Almeida (2019)

Amount of Training vs. Perceived Competency

100

150

200

250

300

350

None at all A little A moderate amount

A lot A great deal

Master’s ABA Coursework on Diversity

Master’s ABA coursework on diversity

0 50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

Not skilled Slightly skilled

Neither skilled or unskilled

Moderately skilled

Extremely skilled

Skill Level Working with Individuals from Diverse Backgrounds

Skill level working with individuals from diverse backgrounds

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Developing Cultural Awareness • Start with self-awareness

• Our culture, monitoring how we react to behaviors that deviate from our culture, having ______________ about cultural issues

• Never assume your experience is the norm • Consider using a ___________________ tool to

gather data

• Learn about your trainees’ cultural systems • Think function, not form • Responses to ____________, for example • Communication norms

• Do not assume all members within one culture are _______________!

Fong et al.

(2016)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

• We also cannot simply engage in ____________________ and consider the hard work done

• “We have a policy against discrimination!” • “We have a value of inclusiveness here.” • “BUT THE CODE SAYS…”

• Each person must reflect on their own: • Biases • Responsible actions and research • Role in oppression of others • Role in power imbalance

• Doing that work is ______________________.

Cultural Humility

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Wright (2019)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Harvard’s Implicit Association Tests • After a short survey, these tests prompt folks to

sort members across various cultures and demographics VERY QUICKLY to determine any potential implicit biases towards a specific group

• Groups for evaluation include race, gender, sexuality, skin tone, religion, age, disability, weight, and more

• Data sets are freely available for analysis

• If biases are uncovered, this may act as a prompt for further professional development in competency with that group

Greenwald, Banaji, & Nosek

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Harvard’s Implicit Association Tests: Example Greenwald, Banaji, & Nosek

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

LeBlanc, Sellers, and Ala’i (2020)

Opportunities for Learning: Culture Supervisors should acknowledge that: • People have different ______________ and values

• There are ________ differences between people

• We make incorrect __________________ about people

• People respond differently to ______________

• People communicate in different ways

• There are different notions of _________

• People express ____________ differently

• Religious and moral practices are expressed differently

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Engaging in self-reflection and analysis of one’s role in power imbalances while

striving to make systemic change is known as:

Checking in:

a. Cultural awareness

b. Cultural humility

c. Cultural competence

d. Cultural sensitivity

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

In order for a supervisor to engage in opportunities for learning about culture of

their supervisees/trainees, they should:

Checking in:

a. Learn about their supervisee/trainee’s culture and treat them as the research indicates their group would like to be treated

b. Have the supervisee/trainee take assessments on bias and determine where they can further develop their cultural awareness

c. Observe the supervisee/trainee’s responses to authority, communication strategies, emotion expression, and adapt the supervision strategies as needed

d. Treat all supervisees/trainees the same, regardless of their cultural backgrounds

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Functional Feedback

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Why We Deliver Feedback Feedback is the process of providing a performer specific information about how they are doing, in an effort

to impact their behavior in the future.

With _____________ feedback, we reinforce the behavior of interest. With ____________ feedback, we decrease one behavior, while providing guidance on establishing

another.

Feedback is a highly effective tool to accelerate learning, help others succeed, and retain top performers… …when delivered in a skilled manner.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Feedback, in sum…

Less of what we don’t want

More of what we do want

Or Low performance

Quality performance

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Poor Feedback

Vague/ Non-specific

Subjective

Delivered after long delays

On issues that you can’t control

Negative/ Critical

Mixed MessagesNon-actionable

Comparing to others

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Many of these issues are a result of not fully determining the function of the feedback

you are attempting to provide, and planning what to say!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Stone & Heen (2014)

Thanks for the Feedback • From the author’s of Difficult Conversations, this book

approaches feedback from the receiver’s perspective

• However, the concepts are useful from both sides of the feedback equation, allowing us to put ourselves in the shoes of those receiving the feedback

• How can we deliver our feedback in a way that is more _______________ to the recipients?

• A section of this book served as the base of this lecture, and is highly recommended reading/listening!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Stone & Heen (2014)’s 3 Types of Feedback:

• Function: Maintain or increase performance, build rapport and relationships

• Often, this is what folks refer to when they say they don’t get enough feedback in the workplace – they want to feel seen, like they matter. “I know how hard you’ve been working.”

• Function: Establish new repertoires, often paired with ____________

• Designed to help staff learn and grow – staff will often request “more direction” in their work, and that often means making changes in current behaviors or building new ones.

• Function: Provide information related to _________________ and benchmarks

• This could be comparison to policies, comparison to standards, but often slips into judgements, “You aren’t very good at this.”

• Note: There is almost always some evaluation in coaching…

______________ ____________________________

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“I noticed an abnormal number of errors on your session documentation with your new client from last week, and I had to take extra time to proofread the submission before sending it on to the billing department. Reviewing the document more thoroughly next time will help save everyone on the admin team some effort in making those corrections.”

Scenario:

What type of feedback is

this? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“I was super impressed with how you conducted your caregiver training last week. You used caregiver-friendly language, provided clear and accurate models of the specific behaviors, and addressed all of their questions in full. I love how effectively you run your caregiver sessions!”

Scenario:

What type of feedback is

this? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“Given your excellent performance on your last session observation, you’re on track for promotion to lead technician!”

Scenario:

What type of feedback is

this? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“Hey, you forgot to retry the missed target during your last error correction procedure. It’s really important that we revisit the target that was missed after a couple mastered targets so the client has a chance to demonstrate the skill before we move on. Can we run a couple trials together in supervision today?”

Scenario:

What type of feedback is

this? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Common Issues in Feedback Delivery

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Appreciation Issues Stone & Heen (2014)

• Often perceived as the least ____________ of the 3 types of feedback – “You still have a job, that should be enough to let you know you’re doing ok.”

• This type sets the stage for the other two to land without being entirely _________, so especially early on in a relationship, you want to emphasize this!

• Must be ____________ – “Good job” is not sufficient

• Important: Does behavior __________? Just because you think it is a reinforcer doesn’t mean it is!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Coaching Issues • Some staff need more coaching than others –

let the ________ be your guide • Many folks get frustrated during coaching

feedback, especially as the performer establishes their skills and they’re looking for a different type of feedback – more on this momentarily

• Having issues in coaching feedback delivery can be incredibly detrimental to organizations, because it leads to _____________ and increased productivity

Stone & Heen (2014)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Evaluation Issues Stone & Heen (2014)

• People often want to know where they stand – in the absence of some kind of evaluative feedback, performers are often ___________

• “I need to know where I need to be. Should I be concerned about my job?”

• People will try to determine where they stand from the other two, which will not lead to a clear picture of their overall standings

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Feedback Mismatches Stone & Heen (2014)

Sometimes the people we work with want a different type of feedback than we provide. Sometimes our feedback is not clear enough and is

misinterpreted to be another type.

This is a huge source of conflict in relationship to feedback delivery!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Trainees request feedback from their supervisor, Jamie:

Arin requests feedback on their general work performance, and Jamie is happy to provide suggestions on how Arin can better manage their time, better organize the client stimuli on their team, and how to set more concrete boundaries.

Arin feels that they work incredibly hard, and leaves the conversation distressed.

Scenario:

What type of feedback did

Jamie deliver? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Why is Arin distressed?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Trainees request feedback from their supervisor, Jamie:

Dennis requests feedback on a specific behavior program, hoping for tips on how to select developmentally-appropriate targets as he struggled to select them.

Jamie looks over the report and says, “This looks great! You’re ready to move on to the next level of your supervision program!”

Dennis works on his next program, feeling lost about how he was selecting his targets.

Scenario:

What type of feedback did

Jamie deliver? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Why is Dennis lost?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Trainees request feedback from their supervisor, Jamie:

Evie is interested in moving into the next level of her supervision program, but doesn’t know where she stands. She reaches out to Jamie to get some feedback.

Jamie says, “Evie, it means a lot to me that you are proactive in your communication. Your team appreciates how open you are!”

This conversation makes Evie uncomfortable.

Scenario:

What type of feedback did

Jamie deliver? Appreciation, Coaching, or Evaluation

Why is Evie uncomfortable?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Using the Feedback Functions

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Using The Feedback Functions By discussing feedback in terms of function, instead of just as positive or constructive, we can

establish clearer expectations around how we give AND receive feedback.

If we can communicate as a team through these lenses, we can head off some miscommunication or mismatches in what folks want vs. receive/interpret.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Using the Feedback Functions How do we use these in our organization?

Early in relationships (and with strained relationships) emphasize appreciation.

Start with ___________

___ Getting people up to speed is critical before we compare

them to others/expectations.

Move into ___________

_ Set the stage – “What type of feedback are you looking

for?”

When People Seek It - ASK

Don’t send mixed-messages, and know your purpose before going in to the

conversation.

Be Clear

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When to Use Each Type of Feedback (Biagi, 2021)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“I have some coaching observations to share with you, would you like to chat about it now or in our next meeting?”

Give folks an opportunity to determine if they are in a good space to receive feedback.

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Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Feedback Myths Because feedback is one of the most critical tools in our supervision toolkit, there are countless methods

and strategies for feedback delivery. This also means there is a LOT of ______________ related to feedback out there as well.

When evaluating how we deliver feedback, we want to ensure we continue to be _______________________– referencing behavioral science literature and upholding basic behavioral

principles in our feedback delivery.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

• The ________________ Method – Proven ineffective empirically

• Henly & DiGennaro-Reed (2015)

• The _____ Ratio – No evidence, only a general guideline

• Daniels & Bailey (2014) says 4:1, Gottman (1994) says 5:1, The Center for Creative Leadership (2017) says 2:1 or 3:1

• There is a perfect ________________ – Not universal

• Alvero, Buckin, & Austin (2001) vary between daily and weekly, Center for Creative Leadership (2017) promotes weekly and monthly, Reid, Parsons, and Green (2012) advise daily

Feedback Myths

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Feedback Myths • Feedback ___________ performance –

Distracting! • Komaki (1986) and Johnson, et al (2015)

promote feedback delivered AFTER performance as highly effective. Exception – Unsafe behavior (Gellar, 2000)

• Giving both positive and constructive in the same interaction – Confusing!

• Many researchers have been testing empirically… check JOBM!

• Everyone has the same ______________ for feedback – Of course not!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Timing Feedback

B CA Antecedent Behavior __________

B CA ____________

__ Next Behavior Positive

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Being a Model for Receiving Feedback If you find that your supervisees/trainees are not receiving feedback well, despite your best efforts to

deliver it functionally and effectively, it may be frustrating.

However, remember that good ___________ for receiving feedback are rare in the lives of most people!

In order to help provide good models for receiving feedback, it is important to evaluate and reflect on how well we model feedback receipt for other people.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Target Behaviors for Receiving Feedback Erlich et al. (2020)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Receiving Feedback

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Receiving Feedback

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Which of the following behaviors are recommended when receiving feedback?

Checking in:

a. Arriving prepared for the meeting

b. Committing to make change, when warranted

c. Asking follow-up questions

d. Active listening behavior

e. All of these

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Mitigating and Managing Conflict

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Conflict (Campbell & Clark, 2015) Conflict is a state of opposition between two or more differing ideas or interests. Often associated with

definitions of conflict are escalations and words that typically have a negative connotation – clash, battle, struggle…

Think: Is conflict a “good” thing or a “bad” thing in the workplace?

Conflict is natural and _________, which leads to increased creativity and positive debates. When we don’t know how to positively __________ conflict is when things can get tricky.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Different Types of Conflict Gallo (2015)

What types of conflicts might we face in the workplace?

What needs to be done? What are our goals?

_________ How should it be done?

___________ Who is in charge?

Who is doing what?

_________ Perception of disrespect,

often starting with the other types of conflict

___________ _

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

An experienced clinical manager has been hired to work at a small in-home ABA agency. She inherits a caseload from a BCBA who recently left the organization, including the staff who this BCBA used to manage.

One day, one of the staff members called the new clinical manager with a question about the organization’s time off policy, with a situation very specific to the staff member. The clinical manager reviewed the policy quickly, and found that the specific situation wasn’t clearly covered in the policy (as is often the case), and answered the staff member’s questions based on what was written. This answer was, unfortunately, not what the staff member wanted to hear.

Later that day, the manager had her weekly meeting with the owner of the company, and the owner casually mentioned that they had received a call from the same staff member asking questions about the time off policy. The response given by the owner had been different from the clinical director, and more favorable to what the staff wanted to hear.

Scenario:

What type of conflict could this be?

Task, process, status, or relationship

What do you think the outcome might be?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi Who can be involved in conflict?

Conflict that occurs between _____________.

Example: Disagreements between the clinical team and finance teams related to billable hours.

Intergroup Conflict that occurs _________ a department.

Example: Disagreements between which staff members should be on which cases.

Intragroup Conflict that occurs between two specific ________.

Example: One technician is observed speaking poorly about another technician behind their back because of perceived favouritism.

Interpersonal

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“In conflict, people are just the part of the story that is

easiest to see.” -Liz Kislik,

TEDxBaylorSchool

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

The Conflict IcebergKislik (2017)

A B

Stru ctur

ValuesHistory

Norms

Habits

Loy altie

Fears Beliefs

Proce sses

Systems

Policies

Conflict is often not about the __________________ at all!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Mitigating Conflict Creating an Environment that Reduces (Unhealthy) Conflicts

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Wait… You said that conflict is healthy! Why do we want to prevent it??

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Addressing Conflict (Campbell & Clark, 2015) Positive conflict in the workplace can absolutely be healthy.

Conflict that results in contribution to the organization is great!

Even with conflict that is less useful, you and your teams can grow from the _____________ of working through the issues, and refusing to address conflict at all can be disastrous.

We need to be selective about which conflicts are worth preventing vs. which ones we ultimately engage with.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Campbell & Clark (2015)

Conflict and Learning History • Everyone has had different

_________________ around conflict, starting back from childhood

• Often, because folks don’t learn how to positively handle conflict, we are left with poor examples

• When conflict starts, we have different behavior patterns – fight, flight, freeze, or fawn

• NONE OF THESE RESOLVE CONFLICT! • Most people have poor skills in ____________

conflict, which is a good reason to be selective in what conflicts we encourage

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Example of Non-Productive Conflict: Gossip & Rumor

Supervision – Relationships Biagi Conflict Mitigation Example: Preventing Gossip (Houmonfar & Johnson, 2004)

Ensure that processes and __________ are clear

Share values and how the organization’s members behave in response to conflict

From top to bottom, share what people are doing and why

When changes are coming, be clear, objective, and open

Example: Why did Person A get a raise while Person B didn’t?

Why else do people gossip?

How can we reduce the ____ before it happens?

Example: Gossip for attention - prevent by increasing access to social reinforcement

Transparent Communication Consider the Function

Aligning Mission, Values, and Systems

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

The Role of Rapport Conflict Mitigation

• Having rapport, in brief, is building a positive relationship with others (Curry, et al. 2019)

• Turner, Fischer, and Luiselli (2016) report that staff who lack rapport with their supervisors may:

• Be unwilling to report _______ to their supervisors

• Seek ___________ from underqualified individuals instead

• These are the seeds of conflict!

• Take time to get to know the people you work with as people, and show interest in their lives

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Identifying Conflicts Before They Arise

Mitigating Conflict

• As an organization, and as individual leaders, we should have __________________ with our teams in which any issues can be discussed

• We should solicit frequent __________ about existing processes – what changes could we make to our systems proactively?

• Regular staff ____________ can provide a lot of insight, especially if anonymous

• _______________ people – can you see anything that may indicate there is an issue?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

A technician storms out of a team meeting. The clinical director catches the technician outside the clinic and asks what is going on. They say that they’ve been called in for evening coverage (a shift non-preferred by most of the staff) repeatedly over the last two weeks. “My BCBA has it in for me, that’s why they keep forcing me to working evenings.”

The clinical director meets with the BCBA and asks, “Why do you keep picking on this staff? They said they’ve been covering evenings repeatedly over the last few weeks, what’s going on?”

Surprised, the BCBA says, “They’re my highest performing technician, and I trust them to be able to run sessions with an unfamiliar or challenging client as if they had been working with the child for months. Lots of staff have been calling in sick lately. I never knew the staff didn’t like these shifts – I thought they liked the responsibility and opportunity for a little extra pay.”

Scenario:

What is the root of the issue here?

What could have been done to prevent this

situation?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Which of the following statements is true?

Checking in:

a. People usually have good models of conflict resolution in their lives.

b. Having positive rapport is essential for mitigating conflicts at work.

c. Sharing too much information can lead to more gossip and rumor.

d. Conflicts cannot ever be prevented through direct observation.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Managing Conflicts Handling Issues that Arise

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

So… We Have a Conflict. Despite all our best efforts, we’re likely going to end up in conflict at some point. Whether we’re

directly involved, or we are mediating the conflicts of others, we should have a strategy for handling these issues.

Using the work of Liz Kislik and Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, & Patton of the Harvard Negotiation Project, we will explore how we can navigate conflicts once they’ve begun.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Kislik (2017)

Step 1: Determine that it isn’t a “one person” issue • Sometimes, one person can be at the

root of an issue • They may be:

• _____________ others • Unqualified to do their job (aka the

_________________)

• Instead of taking time from the whole team for a “one person” issue, consider coaching, training, and otherwise assessing the behavior of the individual to determine an _________________ intervention

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 2: Separate the People from the Problem

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

• Remember: You are dealing with people, not ___________

• Human beings are prone to human reactions • The person is not the problem - the situation/

behavior is the problem • When we don’t separate behavior and

circumstance from the people involved, everything gets tangled together

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Shifting the View of Conflict

A B ________ A

Get to agreement on the substance of the argument, and manage the ”people” issues separately.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Three “People” Issues:

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

Perception, emotion, and communication.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

“People Issue”: Perception • We should try to understand the other

person’s internal verbal behavior and learning history

• _________ often don’t matter – people view data that agree with their perceptions as more valuable, so objective reality might not be as helpful as we’d like to believe

• Note: Just because you take time to understand someone’s view does not mean you have to ______________ with it

Supervision – Relationships Biagi Scenario: A BCBA and a business owner are in conflict about the BCBA’s potential salary.

Early Career BCBA Job Candidate Perception Hiring ABA Business Owner Perception

This work is going to be very challenging. This work is going to be a great professional development opportunity.

I know local BCBAs who are being paid more for less work. I know local BCBAs who are being paid less for more work.

The benefits package is lacking. Many companies around don’t offer benefits.

My cost of living is increasing; I need a higher paycheck. The cost of running a business is increasing, I need to control expenses to stay open.

I’m a BCBA, and the company can bill more for my time than when I was an RBT.

They’re a new BCBA who will need lots of supervision and support at a cost to the company.

My student loan payments force me to have low living expenses. Younger people don’t have very high living expenses.

I have responded to every communication from the company in a timely manner.

They’ve never proactively followed up with us; we always have to reach out first.

The owner doesn’t seem very warm, they didn’t ask me any personal questions. I like to be considerate of dual relationships and personal privacy.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

A clinical director decides to change from pencil-paper data to a new electronic data collection system. The leaders from the company say, “Let’s make sure all the kinks are worked out and we’re ready to launch before worrying our teams about it.”

The BCBAs and RBTs are finally looped in after all of the decisions have been made. The clinical director receives a ton of pushback from staff upon launch – the tablets are clunky, heavy, and difficult to carry around, the data collection tool selected doesn’t meet their needs and is difficult to navigate while working with the clients, and after just a few days of use, the staff corner the clinical director and say they do not want to use the system anymore.

Scenario:

What did the leaders perceive?

What did the staff perceive?

What could have been done to prevent this

situation?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

“People Issue”: Perception • Don’t assume the worst from others • ___________ others continues the

entanglement of person and situation • Discuss perceptions and concerns openly

• “The ________ I’m telling myself” – Dr. Brene Brown

• Just because you don’t think a situation is a _____________ doesn’t mean it should be dismissed

• Include people in changing processes that impact them

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“People” Issue: Emotions Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

• ________________ and emotions are real to the person experiencing them

• When emotion is involved, sometimes handling the emotional reaction is more valuable than talking about ___________ immediately

• Take time to observe your emotions, and theirs

• Determine the environmental factors that might be contributing to their emotions (and your’s)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

An RBT pushes back against an area of low performance on their recent session evaluation, which had been recently revised by other members of the clinical team. During the review of the feedback, the BCBA observes the RBT raising their voice, becoming red in the face, and gripping their fists.

Scenario:

What is the RBT likely feeling, and why?

Fear of losing their job or other aversive outcome?

Anger with perceived subjectivity or bias in the measurement?

Discomfort with acknowledging they didn’t do something well?

Shame if others were to see the low score?

Uncertainty with their choice of career and organizational fit?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Scenario:

What is the BCBA likely feeling, and why?

Defensive about their evaluation?

Uncertainty about the validity of the tool?

Uncomfortable with their authority being questioned?

Questioning their professional judgement?

Stress over the loss of productive time in dealing with this issue?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

An RBT is given feedback on using their personal cell phone while working with a client. The RBT has labeled themself in the past as a “hard worker”, and their supervisor pointing out this behavior (that isn’t consistent with the labels they’ve given themself) increases their emotional reaction (i.e. use of deflective language, denial).

Scenario:

What is the RBT likely feeling, and why?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

“People” Issue: Emotions Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

• Talk about the emotions you’re feeling in a conflict

• Allow people to vent (within reason) • Listen, don’t _________ or defend, especially if

personal attacks are mixed in • Emotionally-reactive venting can sometimes

become violent – this is unacceptable • Cut off the escalation early in the chain – observe

people closely

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

“People Issue”: Communication • Misunderstanding occurs every day and is

very difficult to prevent • In conflict, it is critical that communication

occurs, and is accurate and clear • People change their communication about

conflicts when there is an ___________ – why?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

A BCBA is reviewing a proposed treatment plan with a caregiver who has never had an ABA provider in their home before. The BCBA begins to discuss how technicians will be using “negative reinforcement” and will be conducting regular “probes” of the child’s behavior. The BCBA does not check for understanding or define these terms during the meeting, stating that they will go over the specifics during caregiver training once therapy starts. After the treatment plan meeting, the caregiver immediately contacts the company tells the provider that they’ve decided to utilize occupational therapy instead, because the caregivers weren’t comfortable with their child “being probed” and the use of “punishment” by the ABA team.

Scenario:

What did the the BCBA communicate? What did the

caregivers hear? What could have been done to prevent this

situation?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

“People Issue”: Communication • Listen actively, and prompt people to repeat

if there has been a misinterpretation, “Did I understand correctly that…”

• ___________ their points in a positive way when checking for understanding

• No __________, no name-calling • Speak about your experience, not about

them • “I’m feeling unsupported” vs. “You aren’t

supportive”

• This is not a debate or a trial, and you are not adversaries!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Perceptions, emotion and communication: Handle these first!

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 3: Define the Problem

What is each person looking for in the situation?

Why?

What are their MOs?

Which interests are shared between the people involved?

Which interests differ from one another?

What are the consequences for each person if their interests are met, vs. not met?

What are the consequences for the organization or the clients?

Addressing problems may involve additional assessment tools, like a Performance Diagnostic Checklist.

You’ll need more information to make a decision that best meets everyone’s needs, so take your time to learn.

Where are we trying to go?

There are often multiple ways to get where everyone is happy.

Dwelling on the past is not helpful, and we often end up back in the “people issues” when this happens.

Everyone needs to be open to a solution that is based on the needs of the group, not based on whether their position “wins”.

Determine Which Needs are Compatible/Opposing

Conduct a “Balance Sheet” or Consequence Analysis

Determine the ________ of Each Person

“Look _________, Not ________”

Encourage ____________Explore the Issue Before Presenting ______________

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

A client is selling candy for a school fundraiser, and brings their sales materials to the ABA clinic, which is located in a strip mall with a number of other businesses.

The clinicians are concerned about the client selling candy to certified and registered staff members, which may violate the BACB Ethics Code. They are working on number and money skills with the client and could see this as an opportunity to generalize those skills into the natural environment.

The client is upset when the clinicians tell them that they can’t buy the candy, and the clinicians don’t perceive this as a worthy battle for a $2 candy bar, and consider buying the bars.

Scenario:

What does each person want in this situation?

Which needs are compatible?

Which needs are opposing?

What could we do?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 4: Brainstorm Solutions Fisher, Ury, & Patton (2011)

1. Get the participants in the room, facing the issue together, with a neutral ____________

2. Set the rule that there will be no criticism or personal attacks

3. Work together to ____________ a list of solutions – no discussing yet!

4. Discuss each idea objectively and star the ones that are most promising

5. Improve upon each starred idea to determine the final action

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 5: Change the System Once the problem has been identified and agreed upon (sans ”people issues”), we need to make

positive changes to the systems that contributed to the issue.

This includes clarifying _________ and procedures, communication methods, role descriptions, and _____________ when situations arise.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

An in-home based BCBA is struggling to determine the best assessment to use with a specific client. They are unsure who to ask the question to, as the director of the program doesn’t work clinically anymore.

The BCBA tries to make time to speak with other analysts on the team, and finds there isn’t enough time in everyone’s day, between cases and supervision and administrative tasks. More and more similar issues come up as time goes by.

The BCBA becomes frustrated, feeling unsupported and uncomfortable with the quality of work they are doing, and eventually begins to burn out. They write a nasty letter of resignation to the director, criticizing the quality of clinical services of the organization, and their treatment of staff.

Scenario:

What systems issues are occurring here?

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 6: Determine Necessary Behavior Change for Next Time

• How can we teach people to better manage differences?

• How can we teach people to ______________ better?

• How can we get people to communicate issues before they become conflicts?

• How do we encourage the use of the updated/new systems we’ve implemented?

• The ______________ Card – Creating an SD that allows folks to speak their minds without fear of punishment

Kislik (2017)

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Step 7: Follow-up and Review • Once changes are made, there should be data

collected on the quality of the decision that was made.

• Number of similar issues experienced • Staff satisfaction with the outcomes • Staff satisfaction with the resolution process

• Without data, we will never know how effective the conflict has been mitigated or managed.

• Time frames vary based on the issue

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Conflict Management: In SumDetermine that it isn’t a “one person” issue

Separate the People from the Problem

Define the Problem

Brainstorm Solutions

Change the System

Change the Behavior

Follow-up and Review

• Resolving conflict involves a lot of different skills, and being vulnerable • In handling _____________ • In ______________

• Stay away from labeling others or yourself as the good or evil “side” – the situation is the problem, not the people!

• Be open, be kind.

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Conclusion

Supervision – Relationships Biagi

Establishing _______________________ will serve as the foundation for your supervision practices.

By taking time to develop ___________, consider _________________, and deliver high-quality

____________ of all kinds, you will be able to mitigate many of the conflicts that usually arise in supervisory

relationships.

And by having an established _____________ for when the _____________ inevitably occur, you’ll be able to

resolve them quickly and still maintain your relationships with your supervisees and trainees.

we create with others: relationship
instead of just a series of tasks and todos result in a: relationship
on the: commnets
is often: feedback
but these are two distinct behavior classes: rapport
an antecedent for much of what needs to occur in a supervisory: setting event
undefined: their work
in the person: interest
participation in tasks that werent: discretionary effort
more: 14
remember their: names
Learn about their: hobbies
Provide: undivided attention
supervised: education
and practical: training
to practice ABA with specific: experience
undefined_3: cultures
and: context
and often do not integrate cultural: biases
about cultural issues: discussions
tool to: self-assessment
for example: authority
undefined_6: the same
and consider the hard: verbal behavior
undefined_7: cultural humility
People have different: preferences
There are: power
We make incorrect: assumptions
People respond differently to: authority
There are different notions of: time
People express: emotions
With: positive
With_2: constructive
Text1: acceptable
Text2: Appreciation Feedback
Text3: Coaching Feedback
Text4: Evaluation Feedback
Text5: training
Text6: expectations
Check Box7: Off
Check Box8: Off
Check Box9: Yes
Check Box10: Yes
Check Box11: Off
Check Box12: Off
Check Box13: Off
Check Box14: Off
Check Box15: Yes
Check Box16: Off
Check Box17: Yes
Check Box18: Off
Text19: important
Text20: aversive
Text21: specific
Text22: increase
Text23: data
Text24: learning
Text25: anxious
Text26: She wanted appreciation feedback
Check Box27: Off
Check Box28: Yes
Check Box29: Off
Check Box30: Off
Check Box31: Off
Check Box32: Yes
Text33: He wanted Coaching feedback
Check Box34: Yes
Check Box35: Off
Check Box36: Off
Text37: She wanted Evaluation Feedback
Text38: Appreciation
Text39: Coaching
Text40: misinformation
Text41: conceptually systematic
Text42: Sandwhich
Text43: 4:1
Text44: frequency
Text45: DURING
Text46: preferences
Text47: Positive Feedback
Text48: Constructive Feedback
Text49: models
Check Box50: Off
Check Box51: Off
Check Box52: Off
Check Box53: Off
Check Box54: Yes
Text55: healthy
Text56: manage
Text57: Task Conflict
Text58: Process Conflict
Text59: Status Conflict
Text60: Relationship Conflict
Text62:
Check Box63: Yes
Check Box64: Yes
Check Box65: Yes
Check Box66: Yes
Text67: departments
Text68: within
Text69: people
Text70: individual people
Text71: process
Text72: learning history
Text73: handling
Text74: roles
Text75: MO
Text76: issues
Text77: feedback
Text78: regular touch points
Text79: feedback
Text80: surveys
Text81: Directly observe
Text82:
Check Box83: Off
Check Box84: Yes
Check Box85: Off
Check Box86: Off
Text87: Bullying
Text88: Peter Principle
Text89: individualized
Text90: robots
Text91: Situation
Text92: Facts
Text93: agree
Text94:
Text95: Blaming
Text96: story
Text97: big deal
Text98: Private events
Text99: solutions
Text100:
Text101: react
Text102: audience
Text103:
Text104: Rephrase
Text105: blame
Text106: Needs
Text107: Solutions
Text108: Forward
Text109: Back
Text110: Flexibility
Text111:
Text112: facilitator
Text113: brainstorm
Text114: policies
Text115: expectations
Text116:
Text117: communicate
Text118: Elephant
Text119: emotions
Text120: compromisibng
Text121: positive relationships
Text122: rapport
Text123: cultural factors
Text124: feedback
Text125: process
Text126: conflicts
Student Name: