Large Belgian university college — Turning Team Breakdown into a Practical Recovery Plan

1. Client question
A large Belgian university college asked Pasas to help restore trust in a department of 60 employees, starting with a core group of 12 people where tensions had escalated the most. Because the issues involved vulnerable relationships, leadership dynamics and reputational sensitivity, confidentiality was essential throughout the process. The initial request was framed as mediation, but the real need was broader: understanding what had broken down in the department and identifying what would be needed to restore workable collaboration.

2. Pasas approach
We started with a group introduction on what mediation can and cannot do in a team context. We then organised a full off-site working day with a dual-track design. In one track, Pascal worked with the group on purpose, roles and procedures, using Ron Fry’s model to make structural issues visible and discussable. In the parallel track, Saskia facilitated one-to-one mediation conversations in which participants could raise conflicts, give overdue feedback or address long-avoided tensions in a safer setting. This combination allowed us to distinguish between what required systemic intervention and what needed interpersonal repair.

3. Impact

• The intervention produced an actionable conflict analysis instead of a superficial peace exercise.
• It confirmed that the group setting alone was too threatening for people to speak openly, while the parallel one-to-one conversations allowed key issues to surface.
• It made clear that the individuals were not just in conflict with each other, but were operating inside a system that had made healthy collaboration increasingly difficult.
• Based on that diagnosis, the client could move forward with targeted next steps: clarifying roles, strengthening leadership, following up on basic working agreements, continuing mediation where needed, and addressing deeper cultural patterns in the organisation.