General Approach

The basic elements of our approach are as follows:

Conflict is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has both constructive and destructive potential, depending on how it is managed. Engaging in conflict tends to generate anxiety in many people who associate it with negative or violent outcomes, which leads to fight or flight responses. In fact, conflict can provide a uniquely human opportunity to learn about ourselves and others, to motivate necessary changes in the status quo, to challenge obsolete ways of thinking, relating, working, and to innovate.

Conflict behavior is a function of the person x the environment. Behavior is determined by the interplay between certain characteristics of the person (such as their needs, motives, expectations, ability to control their impulses, knowledge, attitudes and skills) and the characteristics of the situation (the norms, roles, history of relations, task and reward structures, culture, availability of weapons, etc.).

Cooperation and competition between people and between groups have been shown to have profoundly different consequences. Competitive tasks or reward structures induce people to fight for perceived limited resources, be they tangible or intangible. Research has consistently shown that competition: induces the use of tactics of coercion, threat, or deception; attempts to enhance the power differences between oneself and the other; poor communication, minimization of the awareness of similarities in values and increased sensitivity to opposed interests; fosters suspicious and hostile attitudes; increases the importance, rigidity, and size of the issues in conflict. In contrast, cooperation and cooperative tasks or reward structures induce: a perceived similarity in beliefs and attitudes; a readiness to be helpful; openness in communication; trusting and friendly attitudes; sensitivity to common interests; a de-emphasis to opposed interests; an orientation to enhancing mutual power rather than power differences.

A constructive process of conflict resolution is similar to an effective, cooperative problem solving process (conflict is perceived as a mutual problem to be solved by both parties) while a destructive process is similar to a win-lose competitive struggle. Many of the conflicts that we face have the potential for satisfying, constructive outcomes for all. However, this potential is rarely realized because of our tendency to see most conflicts as win-lose. Good cooperative relations facilitate the constructive management of conflict and the ability to handle constructively the inevitable conflicts that occur during cooperation, which facilitates the survival and deepening of cooperative relations.

Competition begets competition, cooperation begets cooperation. A win-lose approach to conflict tends to escalate the conflict and rigidify the positions, leading to destructive processes and outcomes and negative expectations for future interactions. A win-win approach tends to open up the conflict for exploration of the root causes of the problems and leads to constructive, sustainable solutions and positive expectations for future encounters.

There is an intimate connection between conflict and justice. The relationship between conflict and justice is bi-directional. Injustice breeds conflict and destructive conflict gives rise to injustice. Societal issues such as racism, sexism and class conflict must be openly and effectively addressed as an ongoing concern in the functioning of the community. We must model inclusion, respect, and a commitment to social justice in order to demonstrate non-violent means of fostering social change and building a peaceful culture.

A systemic approach can facilitate change in a predominantly competitive culture. Systemic approaches to conceptualizing conflict processes and intervening in conflicts have been gaining increasing attention for conflicts at the individual, organizational, national, and global levels. This perspective views conflict management processes as an integral component in the overall functioning of a social system’s human, financial, informational, work, and reward sub-systems. This approach combines various strategies for fostering cooperation and constructive conflict resolution, which target transformation of the culture of systems that breed destructive conflicts. Such an approach involves everyone within the system, is aimed at both individual and systems-level change, and is centered on the values of empowerment, openness, positive social interdependence, non-violence, and social justice. Systematic evaluation research is valuable in tracking such individual and systems-level change.