SpatzAI: Micro-conflict Pre-reporting Toolkit

SpatzAI has been designed as a micro-conflict pre-reporting toolkit specifically aimed at addressing minor spats or micro-conflicts within workplace teams before they can escalate into reportable conflict incidents.

Interestingly enough…
“Safe Work Australia will work with the Parliamentary Counsel’s Committee to draft amendments to the model WHS Act, with the aim of finalizing these amendments by early 2025. It is important to note that any changes will not take effect in a jurisdiction until implemented in the WHS laws of the jurisdiction.”

“Safe Work Australia will also develop detailed guidance to help duty holders understand what is and is not notifiable once the new requirements have been implemented. Read Safe Work Australia’s current guidance on incident notification.”

We believe that minor spats are not notifiable incidents at the moment but still are important and should be included as some sort of pre-conflict incident reporting initiative, as they can lead to more serious conflicts later. It is our hypothesis that every major conflict had its origin as a minor spat.

Here’s a concise overview of how SpatzAI functions to achieve this:

1. Early Detection and Intervention: SpatzAI helps participating team members address problematic behavior or interactions at their onset, one-on-one, using a verbal caution to ensure that minor spats are resolved promptly and with respect.
   
2. Structured Intervention Process: SpatzAI provides a three-step intervention app process to document and resolve micro-conflicts in real-time and one-on-one, promoting accountability and prompt resolution.
   1. Caution (ref’s whistle) – Spat – Acknowledgment
   2. Objection (yellow card) – Dispute – Simple Apology
   3. Stop – Conflict (red card) – Acceptable Apology
      
3. Clear Communication Protocols: By following the SpatzAI protocols, team members can communicate their concerns early and respectfully, preventing misunderstandings and escalation.
   
4. Data-Driven Insights: SpatzAI collects and analyzes team interaction data, providing insights into conflict patterns and helping teams understand and improve their dynamics.
   
5. Psychological Safety: The system emphasizes creating an environment where team members feel safe to express concerns and address issues, creating an environment of open communication and mutual respect.
   
6. Accountability and Transparency: SpatzAI promotes a culture of accountability and transparency, ensuring that conflicts are resolved openly and constructively using the team-assist platform to assess any unresolved conflicts and make an incident report recommendation.

By focusing on these aspects, SpatzAI aims to maintain team productivity and harmony by resolving minor conflicts before they grow into larger, reportable incidents.

We are looking forward to early 2025 when the amendments are revealed and hope they include some recommendations for pre-conflict incident reporting.

“Managers, don’t feed your team fish give them a fishing rod”