Managing conflicts
What are the procedures, who are the people to contact?
In the event of relational difficulties between the doctoral student and his/her supervisor, various successive discussion/mediation procedures are provided for, and involve: the management of the research unit; the management of the doctoral school; the Graduate Doctoral School; the relevant department of the institution.
Each body defines its procedures for reporting, resolving and monitoring conflicts based on three main points:
- Disagreements and conflicts are not exceptions. Discussion/mediation should be initiated as soon as possible, before difficulties become too complex to resolve;
- A fair balance must be found between the time of the procedure and the time of the solution so that everyone can then reorganise their activity;
- The best solutions are those that the people in conflict will have been able to find themselves, or that in any case will receive the approval of all the parties.
The director of the research unit, the thesis director and the doctoral student are competent to report conflicts. They may initially attempt to resolve them directly.
When the conflict is not resolved, one of the parties or the monitoring committee informs the doctoral school office.
The ED Board is the management body for mediation procedures. This body's mission is to hear the parties in conflict, to bring them together if possible to allow them to confront their points of view and to help them reach a solution.
If mediation fails, the case may be referred to the management of the College of EDs.
As a last resort, a mediation procedure is initiated at the level of the doctoral student's enrolment institution by referring the matter to the ombudsperson as provided for in the doctoral charter. The ombudsperson receives all requests from persons dependent on the University who, in the context of their academic activities, are in a conflict situation. While respecting confidentiality during the process, the ombudsperson may suggest any method of resolution that seems most appropriate.
