Implementation Design and Consulting

How we help you to implement restorative practices in your workplace.

Restorative training for everyone is life-altering, in our opinion. But to make lasting organizational change, training is not enough. In our experience, we’ve found that the training’s habits and interactive tools can dissipate, and sometimes quickly, unless the organization itself changes to acknowledge and support a restorative culture.

This requires revisiting rules, policies, handbooks, perhaps schedules and routines, to ensure that counter-productive, legacy protocols do not undermine the training’s good effects.

We work with groups:

Who are just getting started with Restorative Practices.

Who are underway, but want to expand, hone or re-ignite their efforts.

Who want to revisit their earlier implementation plan to make adjustments or add new features.

Who have experienced turn-over and want to add on-boarding as they revisit their old design plan.

Who want to deepen their community building or to develop more targeted accountability systems that reduce managing behavior, in both schools and business workplaces.

Step One: DISCOVERY

Discovery is an optional and sometimes stand-alone feature. But we strongly recommend conducting a comprehensive discovery process of your organization so you begin your work with a view through objective, outsiders’ eyes. Discovery often yields surprising revelations. We start by asking you for a variety of information – handbooks, absenteeism, turn-over, any data by which you measure your success, and if you have restorative practices already in place. Then we do a site visit for three to five hours.

We work with the client leadership to establish what it is you would like to know, if you have questions about your organization.

For the visit itself, you schedule interviews with key people as well as focus groups with whomever you feel represents diverse perspectives, which might include consumers. Input from RJP skeptics is hugely helpful. In schools we speak with students, staff, and sometimes community members such as parents, police or social services. We leave time to roam public areas for random, casual interactions. We want to understand your community’s issues, potential solutions, their current buy-in and so forth.

We then write up our observations and recommendations for the client leader who may or may not chose to share it with the staff. These reports are invaluable for implementation teams.

Step Two: GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

Creating an accountable, healing, and caring environment is a significant infrastructure challenge that requires strategic planning and commitment. The goal of an implementation plan is to provide a robust platform for all future restorative efforts.

This work presumes that you’ve had in-depth training – see training – with a group of between 10 – 20. From that group we recommend choosing a team of 7-9 people to make up the implementation team.

Prior to meeting, we ask for handbooks and protocol documents and whatever data you use to identify your own successes (and challenges).

The process itself consists of four 2½-hour sessions conducted over only a couple, three months, ideally. We send a few worksheets between sessions. The sessions are conducted in circle, always honing the skills in the service of writing the final plan. We record the thoughts and brainstorming on white boards or chart paper where everyone can see and evaluate them. A member of the team also captures them on google docs for general accessibility.

Session One: The first session focuses on who can be tapped for support, goals for implementation, potential pitfalls, available resources on which to build, measures of success.
Session Two: Get clear about the burning issues and begin the work of making restorative responses to that issue. How can the plan support accountability instead of merely managing behavior? What punitive practices are in place? Start to look at RJRI’s solutions resources gathered over the years.
Session Three: Envision the ideal organizational climate and culture; identify policies and procedures that would build that vision. Adapt any RJRI resources that are promising.
Session Four: The fourth session finalizes short-term decisions, long-term plans, and details of a rollout to the entire community. Small groups or individuals draft plans and then draft a final plan together.

When ready, we recommend additional training to expand the circle and consulting services to maintain the momentum and quality of your efforts.

In The Workplace

Implementation planning in the workplace is crucial for the successful introduction and adoption of new policies, systems, or practices, such as restorative practices. This process involves setting precise objectives, detailing a roadmap for actions to meet these goals, and designating roles and responsibilities.

Also essential is anticipating potential hurdles and designing strategies to counteract them. One such innovative practice is the integration of restorative methods, designed to foster an atmosphere of understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect. Implementing such practices can revolutionize your workplace culture, improving relationships and productivity. Regular plan reviews and adjustments, as circumstances dictate, ensure the approach remains effective.

We invite you to join us in a discussion on how we can implement restorative practices in your workplace, providing you with a tailored plan and support throughout its execution. Let’s transform your work environment together.