Integrated Conflict Management 25 June 2008 Lynda O Sullivan

Integrated Conflict Management 25 June 2008 Lynda O’Sullivan Ken Lechter Office of the Air Force General Counsel (Dispute Resolution Division) 1

Conflict n Is conflict bad ? n Is conflict inevitable? n Can good things come out of conflict? 2

What is Conflict? n n Conflict is a state of discord caused by the actual or perceived opposition of needs, values, and interests. A conflict can be internal (within oneself) or external (between two or more individuals). Conflict as taught for graduate and professional work in conflict resolution commonly has the definition: "when two or more parties, with perceived incompatible goals, seek to undermine each other's goal-seeking capability". 3

Some Causes of Conflict n Organizational Factors ¨ Hierarchical relationships (supervisor/employee); allocation of resources; goal differences; interdependence (mission cannot be accomplished without cooperation among departments); jurisdictional and accountability ambiguities; specialization and territory Personal Factors ¨ Conflict management styles (avoidance, competition, compromise, collaboration); cultural differences (organizational, ethnic, religious, generational); emotions; perceptions; personalities; values and ethics 4

Another Way to Look at Conflict is neither good nor bad—it is an opportunity n If properly managed, conflict can be more productive than consensus. “Are we all in agreement here? That’s not good. ” n Good conflict management creates trust. Trust leads to collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation. n 5

Basic Principles of Conflict Resolution n From the beginning of time, there have been three basic approaches to resolving conflict: ¨Power-based ¨Rights-based ¨Interest-based 6

Power-Based Conflict Resolution Example: Military chain of command control—orders must be followed n Downsides in most organizations: n ¨ Communication is one way—can lead to bad decisions ¨ No buy-in/sabotage/conflict goes underground ¨ Bad morale, absenteeism, reduced productivity 7

Rights-Based Conflict Resolution n Example: Litigation in the courts, by-the-rules managers n Downsides in most organizations: ¨ Can only result in winners and losers—but in many conflicts there is no right or wrong ¨ Employees will evade the system if they feel their interests and needs are not being met 8

Interest-Based Conflict Resolution n Example: Any time the relationship is important ¨ Focus on interests, not positions ¨ Explore options for mutual gain ¨ Separate the people from the problem n Upsides: motivated workforce, superior productivity, culture of mutual respect and trust, innovation, progress 9

What is an Integrated Conflict Management System? It is an organizational strategy n With two main components: n ¨ 1 st component emphasizes conflict management and dispute prevention through interest-based dialogue and problem-solving ¨ 2 nd component is a robust ADR program to creatively and efficiently resolve disputes that haven’t been prevented 10

Integrated Conflict Management System n Elements of the ICMS: ¨ Choosing negotiation procedures based on interests ¨ Choosing procedures that will do no harm to (and hopefully improve) continuing relationships ¨ Ensuring that conflicts are resolved at the earliest possible stage and at the lowest possible organizational level 11

Integrated Conflict Management System n Elements (cont. ): ¨ Clear organizational statement of expected behavior engendering mutual respect and trust ¨ Systematic training and rewards ensuring that employees have the necessary communication and negotiation skills ¨ Conflict competence as a key element of the expected leadership skill set—leaders set the tone 12

Questions? 13

Contact Information n R. Philip Deavel, Deputy General Counsel for Dispute Resolution, USAF--(703) 588 -2211, richard. deavel@pentagon. af. mil n Lynda T. O’Sullivan, Assistant Deputy General Counsel for Dispute Resolution, USAF—(703)588 -2210, lynda. osullivan@pentagon. af. mil n Kenneth Lechter, Associate General Counsel, USAF— (703) 588 -2208, kenneth. lechter@pentagon. af. mil 14