Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution
The Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution serves to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department’s operations, enhance communication, and strengthen relationships within the Department and with all customers, constituents, private organizations and businesses, Federal, State, Tribal and local government entities, and local communities with which the Department interacts to accomplish its work. CADR is committed to building and modeling conflict management competencies and integrating the appropriate use of public participation, collaborative problem-solving and alternative dispute resolution processes in all areas of the Department’s work.
Through training and processes such as:
- Mediation
- Facilitation
- Consultation
- Conflict and Executive Coaching
- Negotiated Rulemakings
- Climate Assessment
- Consultation
- Conciliation
CADR provides a fair, impartial, and confidential resource to discuss your concerns and explore different options to help you anticipate and resolve conflicts and disputes, build stronger relationships and achieve more effective and lasting results.
The Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution (CADR) is located within the Office of the Secretary under the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget (PMB) and serves to promote, coordinate and facilitate greater use of collaboration tools, alternative dispute resolution and consensus-building processes throughout the bureaus and offices of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
CADR oversees the integration and operation of the Department’s Integrated Conflict Management System, CORE PLUS. The Director of the Office serves as the Department’s Dispute Resolution Specialist responsible for ensuring implementation of the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, and the Department’s policy on the use of ADR and consensus-building processes to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts that may arise in any area of the Department’s work. The CADR office is also responsible for assisting with and reporting on the Department’s experiences with negotiated rulemaking consistent with the Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990.
The CADR office works in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources, Office of Civil Rights, Office of Strategic Employee and Organizational Development, Solicitor’s Office Division of General Law and members of the Interior Dispute Resolution Council (IDRC) comprised of designated representatives from each Bureau, other offices within PMB, and the Office of the Solicitor.
About Our Website
This website serves as a basic resource to the public and Federal employees interested in the Department’s efforts and policies related to alternative dispute resolution processes, conflict management systems, negotiated rulemaking, environmental conflict resolution (ECR) and public participation and engagement. For more information, please contact the CADR office. DOI employees are invited to access the CADR Sharepoint site (https://portal.doi.net/cadr) for more information on CADR and CORE PLUS.