Conflict Resolution

We explain what conflict resolution is, what techniques it uses and with what steps. In addition, we tell you what types of conflicts exist.

What is conflict resolution?

Conflict resolution is a term that encompasses different tools, knowledge and procedures applicable to the understanding, prevention and peaceful resolution of confrontations and disagreements between two or more people, groups of people or even countries. It is a discipline also known as conflictology or conflict transformation, close to very varied areas of knowledge such as psychology, law, international relations, administration and social work.

It is generally accepted that conflicts are an inevitable part of human life, and that their materialization is, as the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (c. 540-c. 480 BC) stated, the cause and consequence of changes. in societies. Although they cannot be avoided, it is possible to minimize their consequences and turn them into a positive force. However, throughout history different cultural and social traditions understood conflict as a negative aspect of existence, which requires rapid neutralization, at the risk of leading to social or individual disorders.

The great military conflicts of the 20th century, such as World War II, reinforced the idea that conflicts deserve greater understanding and approach. through different mechanisms, such as negotiation, conciliation and arbitrationmore than sanction or simple persuasion. This turned sociology, anthropology, economics and politics into gateways to the study of conflict, and thus different possible theories and procedures were born to prevent a conflict from becoming a major problem.

In this way, conflict resolution constitutes one of the three possible responses to the imminence of conflict, along with the legal-moral approach (that is, normative, of laws) and coercive bargaining (negotiation and partial agreement ). In this sense, the task of conflict resolution is to eliminate the risk of structural violence and aim for a scenario in which both parties can be more or less satisfied.

Types of conflicts

There are different ways to classify conflicts, depending on what criteria are followed. From a psychological point of view, the following categories are distinguished:

• Relationship conflicts. They are those derived from the relationships between people, and are especially linked to essential differences in perceptions, biases and vital positions, or to poor communication. That is, they are conflicts derived from poor or poorly planned relationships.
• Information conflicts. They are those derived from the lack of information or the handling of unreliable information, which lends itself to erroneous or false interpretations. The resolution of these types of problems generally tends towards dialogue and understanding, but a neutral and reliable source of information is required to put both sides on the same page.
• Conflicts of interest. They are those derived from the impossibility of satisfying the expectations of both sides, which forces the struggle to defend one's own conveniences or needs, in a “him or me” scenario. Often this does not prevent there from being a shared vision of the problem, but a common method for its resolution is needed.
• Structural conflicts. They are those derived from the general arrangement of things, at a macro level that exceeds the decision-making capacity of the individuals involved. That is, these conflicts are due to characteristics of the prevailing system, so their resolution also merits deep, structural actions.
• Value conflicts. They are those derived from the incompatibility of the moral, religious or transcendental precepts of individuals, which makes their discussion and resolution much more arduous, since these types of values ​​are not usually negotiable and usually have a metaphysical character, that is, they are based on on base beliefs and not on logical arguments.

Conflict resolution techniques

In general, there are five fundamental methods for resolving a conflict:

• Avoidance. It consists of avoiding the conflictive situation, either physically or as a topic in a discussion, to prevent the conflict from growing and reaching greater limits. It is not usually a very effective technique in the definitive resolution of conflicts, but it can work as a temporary measure, as a prelude to other types of negotiations and agreements. However, avoidance should not be confused with abandonment: most conflicts will spread and infiltrate other areas if they are not taken into account.
• Accommodation. It consists of the search for intermediate positions for the parties in conflict, maintaining a general vision of the problem and promoting points of contact. It can be understood as the opposite of avoidance, since this mechanism delves into the nature of the problem, to explore it from a neutral point of view. It is governed by the logic that based on the meeting points it will be much simpler to find a consensual solution, but often it only allows for reharmonizing and redirecting the debate, that is, returning it to a neutral point to try to negotiate again.
• Commitment. It consists of the establishment of mutual agreements between the parties, which allow a more lasting understanding to be sustained, given that it gives all those involved the opportunity to give in and win mutually. That is, through compromise, both sides lose and both sides win, which allows the establishment of new negotiations and sets a positive precedent, although it also allows disagreements and dissatisfactions to persist on both sides, something that, unfortunately, is usually inevitable.
• Collaboration. It consists of the construction of joint objectives and tasks of mutual approach between the parties, in such a way that both are involved in a common project and are forced to collaborate with each other. This objective is usually very difficult to achieve, but in general it is one of the best solutions to a conflict, since it fosters mutual understanding and allows the parties to continue their negotiation as, over time, they begin to need each other. .
• Mediation or conciliation. It consists of the intervention of a neutral third party mutually accepted by the parties in conflict, to mediate the matter in dispute. This third element must make proposals and provide a point of view that overcomes bipolarity, that is, it must unblock the negotiation, and never impose agreements using the authority that has been given to it. The mediator or conciliator, thus, must get involved in the conflict and investigate both parties equally to know their motives and needs, their expectations and their willingness to give in.

Steps for conflict resolution

Although each method or technique to resolve a conflict is different and starts from a different approach to the problem, it is possible to identify a series of elementary steps, more or less common to all, which consist of:

• Identify the conflict. It is impossible to find an ideal solution in a scenario that is unknown or half known. So the first step should always involve exploring the conflict and identifying its participants, the motivations of each one, the common and individual complications, and the context.
• Evaluate possible strategies. Once the conflict is understood, it is possible to make a compilation of possible solutions and proceed to evaluate them one by one, to consider the possible consequences and each probable scenario. In this way, one can also foresee future complications and, in general, better understand the proposed strategies themselves, which is also essential.
• Make a proposal / make a decision. Whether a decision can be made or whether it is appropriate to make a proposal to the other side (or to both, if it is a mediator), the third point involves taking a firm step towards negotiation. In any real strategy there will be losses and gains, and the task is not to triumph over the other, but to establish a scenario convenient enough to reach a compromise on both sides.
• Evaluate the decision made. Once the decision has been made, it is necessary to understand if everything went according to plan and have feedback that allows the plan to be adapted to new scenarios, and thus return to the beginning for a new round of conflict resolution. In this way, and little by little, progress is made towards the definitive solution.

Examples of conflict resolution

Some examples of conflict resolution are:

• Marital disputes over parental rights of childrenwhich are attended to by the judicial authority and resolved keeping in mind the interests of the descendants above all.
• Diplomatic and military confrontations between neighboring countries in which an international commission intervenes, acting as guarantor for the dialogue.
• Labor conflicts between the employers and the workers unionwhich are resolved through negotiations that have the State as guarantor.
• Legal claims that are resolved through binding mediation to avoid going to trial and thus reach a faster and less costly agreement.

Continue with: Peace

References

• “Conflict resolution” on Wikipedia.
• “Conflict resolution and decision making” at the University of Buenaventura (Colombia).
• “How to solve conflicts” in the Government of the Canary Islands (Spain).
• “What is conflict resolution, and how can you use it to settle disputes in your workplace?” in Program On Negotiation from Harvard Law School.