Information to help new team members appropriately respond to confrontational situations.

Questions to ask your accreditation agency:

• What situations or issues are considered "controversial" by your agency?
• What is your agency's policy for dealing with controversial situations?
• What common problems are not covered by the standards?
• What is your agency's policy for reviewing complaint files?
• What is your agency's policy regarding minority opinions from team members?
• How does your agency evaluate or review the performance and behavior of team members?

Sometimes, people at the institution under review become frustrated or angry with evaluation team members and vice versa. Nevertheless, team members are invited guests of the institution, so a professional demeanor is needed and a confrontational style should be avoided. If the team is approached in a confrontational manner, team members should do whatever is possible to resolve the situation collegially. When individuals or groups approach the site team angry, upset, or just to complain, be prepared to document the facts and respond professionally:

• show appropriate, professional concern and probe to discover underlying issues
  
• ask for the facts of the situation
  
  • What is the issue or event?
  • When did it happen?
  • Where did it happen?
  • Who was involved?
  • Why did it happen?
    
• ask for a suggestion to resolve the situation
  
• listen attentively, without interrupting or reacting, looking individuals in the eye
  
• take notes and ask for clarification only if needed until you have a good grasp of the situation
  
• confirm by summarizing key issues or repeating the entire story if necessary
  
• describe the team's procedure for addressing such issues, but offer no promises that the situation will be fixed
  
• emphasize the agency's general support, but if the issue is not within standards, make it known
  
• end on a positive note, thanking them for taking the time to speak with you

Avoid showing impatience, arguing, or stating facts with people who are angry. This will only escalate the situation. Always inform the team of emotionally charged interactions regardless of the issue. When dealing with a potentially volatile situation:

• debrief all team members
  
• know your agency's policies regarding controversial issues
  
• request assistance from representatives from the agency if necessary
  
• only address situations where accreditation standards apply
  
• get consensus among team members about a strategy
  
• schedule special meetings with school representatives if needed to validate the information
  
• review complaint files and ask about current and past policies and practices if needed
  
• present the team's findings logically and rationally to appropriate representatives of the institution

The team is at the institution to improve and address problems related to the standards. No institution will be perfect, therefore team members should not be so critical that they forget or dismiss its strengths. The team must strive to be positive, constructive, practical and assist the school even when it finds faults.

On rare occasions, team members, themselves, may disagree with each other. Under no circumstances should team members make disagreements public to the institution. If consensus cannot be reached on decisions about the institution, individuals should follow the agency's policies and procedures for expressing minority opinions and allow the team leader to decide how to present findings to the institution. Whether problems arise between team members or the institution, the best strategy for avoiding confrontation is to treat everyone in a facilitative and constructive manner.