Move forward with common ground

Facilitating productive conflict management for organizations stuck in a stalemate.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

Move forward with common ground

Facilitating productive conflict management for organizations stuck in a stalemate.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

Land Use Planning & Mediation

Natural Resource Management

Organizational Change Management

Conflict and contentious situations can sidetrack any project.

Situations like:

  • External conflict with another group.
  • Internal feuds between leaders or departments.
  • Disagreements around strategy and big decisions.

Challenges like these waste resources, drain team members, and leave everyone involved feeling frustrated. At Confluence Collaboration, we believe it doesn’t have to be that way.

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Conflict

What We Do

We create a safe space for constructive dialogue, listen carefully, and ask good questions.
Then we support you in crafting solutions to conflicts that meet your interests.

Our Practice Areas

Land Use Planning

Land Use Planning

Create consensus on agricultural, residential, or commercial land use options or plans.

Natural Resource Management

Natural Resource Management

Find clarity on how to preserve and steward precious natural resources including forests, rangelands and watersheds in multiple use contexts.

Organizational Change Management

Organizational Change Management

Build a common understanding around major organizational changes with a clear plan and implementation strategy.

“I understand how disrupting it can be when conflict hits your organization.

As mediators, we aim to build bridges between parties with new perspectives, structured negotiation, and unbiased facilitation.”

“I understand how disrupting it can be when conflict hits your organization.

As mediators, we aim to build bridges between parties with new perspectives, structured negotiation, and unbiased facilitation.”

Richard Alper
Founder, Confluence Collaboration

Richard Alper
Founder, Confluence Collaboration

Talk with Richard
Talk with Richard
Richard Alper

Recent Mediation Successes:

  • Helped two contending nonprofits for the arts clarify leadership roles and responsibilities in a strategic partnership.
  • Facilitated dialogue to help residents, builders, and government officials avoid excessive regulation and litigation and preserve the character of a residential neighborhood.
  • Guided city stakeholders to an agreement on relocating a highway access ramp.
Farmers

Our 3-Step Process

While every situation is different, we use a hands-on facilitation process that generally follows three steps.

1. Listen to Learn About Your Conflict

First, we actively listen to understand your unique situation, asking questions designed to clarify and synthesize what we are hearing.

2. Facilitate Discussions

Next, we invite key stakeholders to the table to make progress through structured dialogue and inviting new perspectives.

3. Find a Way Forward

After learning, listening, and facilitating, we work toward solutions or next steps that make sense for all.

“Rich is a wonderful and wise thought partner who helps individuals and communities look at issues from many sides and perspectives. He has an incredible ability to constructively point out strengths and blind spots, asking motivating questions and centering relationships and connections.”

Joy Sullivan, President and CEO of United Way of Larimer County

“I have known Richard for a number of years and have had the opportunity to work with him on several initiatives to promote and support collaborative approaches to natural resources and environmental policy. He is passionate, thoughtful, effective, and easy to work with.”

Matthew McKinney, Ph.D., Former Director, Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Studies / Co-chair, Natural Resources Conflict Resolution Program

“Our work together included land use, county policy and organizational disputes. Richard always brought passion for the work, attention to detail and process design, and genuine appreciation for the people we assisted. Needless to say, this made for quality projects that were fun to do.”

Mary Jacksteit, Senior Associate, Essential Partners, Former federal labor arbitrator and mediator and public/community conflict resolution practitioner for Search for Common Ground and Justice and Sustainability Associates, LLC

Conflict and indecision can cause long-term problems.

But it’s possible to move forward on common ground.

With unbiased, productive facilitation, you can put delays and distracting disagreements in the past and move forward with confidence and clarity.