HOW TO RESOLVE AND MANAGE CONFLICT

DR ADALAT KHAN dradalat@gmail.com www.mina.edu.my

Conflict is part and parcel of human life and is inevitable to avoid. When people, groups, organizations, and nations interact there are chances that some form of a conflict may take place. Conflict in itself is neither good nor bad but its consequences determine whether it is useful or destructive. Individuals, organizations, and even nations must manage destructive or what are known as dysfunctional conflicts. Today if we look around, dysfunctional conflicts in the world is destroying human lives, resources, and in fact pose threat to the very existence of the world. Countries like the USA, Iraq, Afghanistan, Columbia, Sri Lanka and many others are conflict ridden and paying very heavy human and financial tolls. If these conflicts are properly managed the world will become like utopia and a better place to live in and the miserable suffering of humanity will be removed. However it must be noted that the total absence of conflict is also not good. Some degree of functional conflict is rather good for individuals, organizations and nations as it leads to creativity, vitality, and improved endeavors on the part of the parties thus resulting in better results. Conflict can be defined as "the perceived and/or actual incompatibilities of needs, interests, and/or goals between two [or more] interdependent parties". Conflict may also be defined as an "incompatibility of goals or values between two or more parties in a relationship, combined with attempts to control each other and antagonistic feelings toward each other" (Fisher, 1990).

SOURCES OF CONFLICT:

Conflict between and among the parties may occur due to various reasons. Early reviews in the field of conflict resolution identified a large number of schemes for describing sources or types of conflict (Fink, 1968; Mack & Snyder, 1958). One of the early theorists on conflict, Daniel Katz (1965), created a typology that distinguishes three main sources of conflict: economic, value, and power.

Economic conflict involves competing motives to attain scarce resources. At any given time the resources available to the parties are generally considered scarce. As such, each party wants to get the most that it can, and the behavior and emotions of each party are directed toward maximizing its gain. Union and management conflict and conflict between countries over disputed territory etc. often has as one of its sources the incompatible goals of how to slice up the "economic pie".

Value conflict involves incompatibility in ways of life, ideologies – the preferences, principles and practices that people believe in. International conflict (e.g., the Cold War) often has a strong value component, wherein each side asserts the rightness and superiority of its way of life and its political-economic system. Religious wars often tend to happen due to conflicting values of the opposing parties.

Power conflict occurs when each party wishes to maintain or maximize the amount of influence that it exerts in the relationship and the social setting. It is impossible for one party to be stronger without the other being weaker, at least in terms of direct influence over each other. Thus, a power struggle ensues which usually ends in a victory and defeat, or in a "stand-off" with a continuing state of tension. Power conflicts can occur between individuals, between groups or between nations, whenever one or both parties choose to take a power approach to the relationship. Power also enters into all conflict since the parties are attempting to control each other.

Goals conflict occurs when the parties have competing or incompatible goals. This type of conflict can be also equated to zero-sum games. In zero-sum games the total benefit to all players in the game, for every combination of strategies, always adds to zero (more informally, a player benefits only at the equal expense of others). Poker exemplifies a zero-sum game (ignoring the possibility of the house's cut), because one wins exactly the amount one's opponents lose.

Differing perceptions conflict takes place when the parties perceive the situation differently. For example faulty attribution about other´s behavior can be classified as perceptual conflict.

Multiple sources conflict is the combination of any of two or more of the above factors. It must be noted that most conflicts are not of a pure type, but involve a mixture of sources. For example, union-management conflict typically involves economic competition, but may also take the form of a power struggle and often involves different ideologies or political values. The more sources that are involved, the more intense and intractable the conflict usually is. Usually this type of conflict is also very complex and difficult to resolve.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT MODEL:

While conflict in itself is neither good nor bad rather it has the capacity to produce positive as well as negative effects. One fact about conflict is however clear; if allowed to continue, it will create disruptive circumstances and may lead to damaging consequences. As such good managers and leaders must manage conflicts when it crosses the line of positivity and become dysfunctional.

1. UNDERSTANDING PHASE:

Before conflict is managed or resolved we need to understand and analyze the key causes of conflict. The objective of the understanding is to identify all relevant conflict factors that have contributed to the occurrence of conflict in a given situation. In this phase we also need to understand the key stakeholders associated with the conflict, the likely sources of the conflict, as well needs to explore other aspects of the conflict. This understanding will help illuminate the way to new, more effective kinds of responses that can turn conflict from a problem into an opportunity. (Runde and Flanagan 2007) A very useful tool to understand conflict is the Circle of Conflict model. The Circle of Conflict model was originally developed by Christopher Moore at CDR Associates of Boulder, Colorado, and is a key model used by CDR in the training of mediators. The Circle of Conflict, as a model or map of conflict, attempts to categorize the underlying causes, or "drivers," of the conflict situation that the practitioner is facing, offering a framework to diagnose and understand the factors that are creating or fuelling the conflict. After offering a way to diagnose the causes of the conflict, the Circle then offers some strategic direction on ways the practitioner can move the conflict toward resolution.

The various aspects of the above model are explained as follows:

Values

The Values slice includes all the values and beliefs held by the parties that are contributing to or causing the conflict. These include terminal or life-defining values (such as religious beliefs, ethics, and morals), as well as simpler day-to-day values employed in business or work contexts (such as the value of customer service, of loyalty to the company, etc.). Value conflicts occur when the parties´ differing values clash, and either cause or exacerbate the situation. Because values, morals, and ethics are so important to human beings, value conflicts tend to be very heated and personal. Examples of disputes where values play a major role include religion, abortion, and gay marriage. (Furlong 2005)

Relationships

This identifies specific negative experiences in the past (past history, poor relationship) as a cause of conflict. Relationship conflict occurs when past history or experience with another party creates or drives the current negative situation. For example, if a customer had a problem with a bank over her bank account, and later finds charges on her Visa bill that she doesn´t remember making, she may blame the bank right off the bat, even before finding out that the bank had nothing to do with the incorrect charges and is perfectly willing to fix the problem. Relationship problems often lead to the forming of stereotypes, lead people to restrict or end communications with the other party, and frequently lead to tit-for-tat behaviour, where one party perceives unfair treatment and retaliates against the other party; the other party then perceives this as an unprovoked attack and retaliates against the first party in some way, leading to further retaliation and conflict without end. A classic example of Relationship conflict is the feud between the Israelis and Palestinians where members of these two nations have killed each other for generations. (Furlong 2005)

Externals/Moods

This covers external factors not directly a part of the situation, but that are still contributing to the conflict. It can be as simple as dealing with someone who "woke up on the wrong side of the bed," or who has a medical condition such as chronic back pain, which makes them cranky or difficult to deal with. It can be much more involved, such as attempting to negotiate labour contracts during a recession where neither party has caused or controls the recession, but both must deal with the negative impact of it, the negative "mood," in the negotiation. External or Mood conflict drivers occur when outside forces either cause part or the entire problem, or make a difficult situation worse. Examples include a worker with a substance abuse problem who is moody or emotional at work, or a lawyer going through his or her own divorce while trying to represent a client in a child-support lawsuit. (Furlong 2005)

Data

Data, or information, is identified as a key driver to conflict. Data conflict occurs when the information that the parties are working with is incorrect or incomplete, or there is an information differential—one party has important information the other party doesn´t have. These Data problems often lead to further negative assumptions and further Data problems. Another significant Data issue is the interpretation of the data, in which the parties interpret the same information in different ways. While culturally we tend to believe that "facts speak for themselves," in reality facts and information need to be interpreted, and this interpretation opens the door to significantly different views of the same information. A good analogy is a children´s connect-the-dots game. Numbered dots are printed on a page but form no obvious picture. By connecting the dots in the right order, a picture such as a dog or a house emerges. In reality, when we assess conflict situations we are presented with the same series of "dots" or data points, only in our case without the numbering. (Furlong 2005)

Structure

This covers a few different types of situations, all focused on problems with the very nature or structure of the systems we work within. Three common structural problems are limited resources, authority problems, and organizational structures. (Furlong 2005)

2. ARRANGEMENT PHASE.

Once we recognize that a conflict situation exists and we have identified the possible sources of the conflict and the parties involved, we should now prepare our strategies and responses. The standard responses to conflict tend to reflect an aggressive, a submissive, or a passive approach. This equates to the biological fight or flight reaction of human beings to stressful or threatening situations. This means that many of us react to conflict by being aggressive, i.e. fighting, or by being submissive, i.e. flying away from it. The aggressive/fighting approach (accompanied by high levels of energy) involves rivalry and competition, the exertion of power, and other tactics to force the other party into submission. In contrast, the submissive/flight approach (with low levels of energy) involves ignoring or avoiding the conflict or hoping it will disappear, or else completely conceding to the other party. (Team Publications 2002) With the repertoire of responses and strategies available one could then make arrangement for possible resolution. It must be noted that to choose appropriate strategic approaches, one must guard against being rigid, intrusive or aloof rather be determined and prepared to find a solution. It must also be noted that after listing the possible options for resolution, the parties need to evaluate the viability of each option. Criteria should be developed against which each of the options can be assessed.

The criteria can include:

 the extent to which the option satisfies the needs of each party and addresses their concerns

 the ease with which the option can be implemented

 the physical, human, and financial resources required for implementation of the option

 the barriers that might impede implementation of the option

 the barriers that might impede the effectiveness of the option, once it has been implemented.

To test the acceptability and effectiveness of each option, each side of the conflict could also:

 walk in the shoes of the other party

 consider "what if " scenarios

 talk to other people who have experienced similar conflict and resolved it successfully (and comparing their solutions with the ones that you have identified).

Once you have jointly decided on the best option for resolving the conflict, you can enter into a verbal or written agreement. The need for a written agreement will depend on the nature of the conflict, the parties involved, and the terms of the agreement.

3. INTERVENTION PHASE.

Perhaps the most critical part of conflict resolution is the intervention phase. It is here that what has been agreed upon are put in place and put to the test. As we said at the outset, conflict can be a healthy process in which individuals and teams identify better long-term solutions for themselves and the organization. However, this depends on the parties being willing to work at their differences and being able to ultimately implement steps upon which the agreement has been reached. The whole process at phase 1 and 2 are useless unless actual implementation take place.

4. EVALUTAION PHASE.

Conflict resolution is a noble process and the whole process needs to be evaluated so the parties are satisfied with the outcome as well valuable insights derived for future reference. At this stage the parties must determine how effectively the disagreement was resolved. If needed technical, economic, socio-psychological, ethical-legal and political evaluation criteria should be used to measure the outcome of the process. Evaluation is also important to determine whether mutual objectives are realized and if not needed corrections should be made to reach common goals.

Each of us experiences innumerable miscommunications and conflicts in the course of our lives that affect us deeply and daily. It is impossible to grow up in a family, live in a neighbourhood, attend school, work at a job, have an intimate relationship, raise children, or actively participate in the world without experiencing frequent conflicts. In the words of Cloke and Goldsmith (2000) each and every conflict we experience in life contains two truths—the truth of impasse, that we are stuck in a problem from which we would like to escape; and the truth of transformation, that it is possible to become unstuck and move on to a higher order of conflict by understanding at a deep level what got us stuck in the first place. (Cloke and Goldsmith 2000). However understanding alone is not sufficient, rather its resolution and management is. The Conflict Resolution model presented here is intended as a guide for practitioners to learn, apply, test and practice the key skills of conflict resolution leading to the levels of competence and true artistry of the subject. You can make a difference by managing and resolving intra-personal, inter-personal, organizational and even global conflicts and make the world a happy, productive, and peaceful place to live in.

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