Part II: The Collaborative Approach to Conflict
Beliefs Underlying the Collaborative Approach
- Conflict is part of an ongoing cycle of change; it is to be expected as a part of human interaction.
- Conflict itself is neither good nor bad. How people interact in conflict influences whether it leads to desirable or undesirable outcomes.
- Conflicts develop from a variety of situations and interactions.
- Specific disputes are often symbols of deeper, underlying conflicts.
- Humans tend to defend their own perception of a conflict situation, and adversarial dynamics tend to develop.
- It is best to establish a cooperative approach to conflict resolution before the conflict has developed into an adversarial pattern.
- Many conflicts that are avoided, battled out, or stalemated may be resolved by a collaborative approach.
- Relationships between people are influenced by their interactions. Cooperative approaches improve the quality of interactions and relationships.
- The awareness of conflict dynamics, shifts in thinking, and the use of collaborative skills and strategies enhances a person’s abilities to set a conflict in a cooperative direction.
Goals of the collaborative approach
Conflicts involve relationships, issues, and individuals. The collaborative approach to conflict resolution aims to:
- Improve or repair relationships by increasing understanding between the parties, thereby diminishing or eradicating the tension between them.
- Provide outcomes to issues that result in gains to both parties.
- Provide parties with a positive experience of the conflict engagement process.
Conditions that support collaboration
The collaborative approach to conflict resolution will work best when the following conditions exist:
- Recognition by the parties that a conflict exists.
- Desire to resolve the conflict.
- Willingness to try a collaborative approach.
- Willingness to depersonalize the conflict and to work together on issues.
- Collaborative conflict resolution competencies gained through education.