The Organisation Development Company
Conflict and Differences - A Key Concept
Key concepts — Conflict and Differences
Recent world events; in the USA, Afghanistan, upsets and fracturing with the airline industry, and the recently published history of unresolved differences between the chairman and CEO of the Fletcher group of companies, have prompted us to focus this Newsletter on conflict, and the painful outcomes which emerge when we are unable to adequately resolve conflicts.
At the base of our company's work, is a commitment to enable people in organisations, to establish, develop and maintain good working relationships. These require certain values, belief systems and perceptions alongside range of abilities. There are many ways to work with differences. We include on page 2 of the December 2001 newsletter, 2 models of conflict: one relating to the roles needed to resolve conflicts, the second a step by step process to approach conflict resolution. Underlying both models is a requirement to have a shared vision, or goal with the person or people you are in conflict with. Without the willingness to define a shared outcome, there is likely to be little progress.
Conflict emerges when there is dissonance in perception, or values. In itself this is healthy however when we use parameters of black and white, right and wrong, we immobilise ourselves, views become entrenched, negativity and hate emerge, alongside impatience and arrogance. And we get the solutions we have recently seen in local and world events.
In our work, we have discovered when working with interpersonal and inter group conflicts, we remind people of the positive aspects they are aware of in the other, and acknowledge areas of difference. We teach people something of the nature of personality and different perceptions, we coach people to expand their capacities to develop different perceptions, we coach in interpersonal skills, and we coach people to bring out their feelings and their thinking alongside their actions.
So what can one person do? Be willing to expand your perceptions, and learn conflict resolution concepts, methods and skills, and accept that good things take time. It is not always possible to rebuild bridges quickly. Real foundations need to be discovered, all the elements considered and expressed, and a greater consciousness of the future being created and accepted. Without constructively resolving conflicts, outcomes are divisiveness, and fragmentation — within ourselves, within our work groups and organisations.
We hope you enjoy this issue and recognise the areas you are managing difficult situations well, and let us know where we can help you.
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