Professional Ethics course

1. Conflict Management

2. Conflict
What is it?

3. What is Conflict?
“Conflict is a relationship
between two or more
parties (individuals or
groups) who have, or
think they have,
incompatible goals and
who act on the basis of
those perceived
incompatibilities”,
Schneider et al, 2016
Schneider et al
2016, p144

4. What is Conflict?
• Conflict is not the same as violence
– conflict is not always violent, or
even immediately obvious
• Conflict often accompanies change;
of course this means it occurs
around conservation interventions,
especially where resource access
or availability is impacted
• Generally seen as negative, but this need not be the case, provided the
conflict is acknowledged, understood, and transformed into a positive
force for change

5. Types of conflict
Compatible goals Incompatible goals
Incompatible
behaviour
Compatible
behaviour
No conflict Latent conflict
Surface
conflict
Open
conflict
From Tearfund
(no date)

6. Types of conflict
Compatible goals Incompatible goals
Incompatible
behaviour
Compatible
behaviour
No conflict Latent conflict
Surface
conflict
Open
conflict
From Tearfund
(no date)
When goals and behaviour are compatible,
there is no conflict

7. Types of conflict
Compatible goals Incompatible goals
Incompatible
behaviour
Compatible
behaviour
No conflict Latent conflict
Surface
conflict
Open
conflict
From Tearfund
(no date)
Latent conflict is when behaviour is apparently
compatible, but goals are not. The latent conflict
may need to be brought to the surface to be
resolved

8. Types of conflict
Compatible goals Incompatible goals
Incompatible
behaviour
Compatible
behaviour
No conflict Latent conflict
Surface
conflict
Open
conflict
From Tearfund
(no date)
When goals are compatible but behaviour is
not, this results in surface conflict. This kind of
shallow conflict can often be resolved with
good communication

9. Types of conflict
Compatible goals Incompatible goals
Incompatible
behaviour
Compatible
behaviour
No conflict Latent conflict
Surface
conflict
Open
conflict
From Tearfund
(no date)
Open conflict is both visible and deep-rooted,
emerging from incompatible goals and
behaviour

10. Conflict
Why do we
do it?

11. Conflict
Why do we
care?

12. 3. Conflict analysis
Learning objective 3: Gain a foundational knowledge
of stakeholder analysis and representation, and
common conflict analysis tools; and learn the basic
steps of conflict management

13. Identifying the source of conflict
Thinking about what kind of conflict you are dealing with, and identifying the
source(s) of the conflict, is an important first step in conflict analysis. The
more information you have about the cause of the conflict, the more easily you can
help to resolve it.
 What kind of conflict is it?
– Open?
– Latent?
– Surface?
 What is the problem?
– Sources and triggers?
– Direct and underlying causes?

14. Group Activity: Types of Conflict
In groups, identify one example of conflict from the
brainstorming exercise on Slide 13, and think about:
– What type of conflict is it? (latent, surface, open)
– What were the sources of conflict?
– Were there any particular triggers that shifted latent
conflict into open conflict…..
or
– Are there triggers that transformed surface or open
conflict into no or latent conflict?

15. Group Activity: Types of Conflict
Possible sources of conflict might be:
• Conflicting interests or values
• Difficult relationships or behaviours (historical or new)
• Actual or perceived inequality or injustice
• Lack of clarity over rules, regulations, rights or
responsibilities

16. Goals for Today
 Understand the nature of conflict in
human relationships
 Identify ways that conflict can be positive
or negative
 Examine a framework for analyzing
conflict situations
 Analyze a personal conflict

17. What we know….
 Conflict is a naturally occurring
phenomenon for human beings
 People do not get involved in conflict
situations unless they have some stake in
the relationship or outcome or both

18. What we know….
 One can never truly resolve conflict, one
can only manage conflict
 The costs of unmanaged conflict can be
high, but the gains from using differences
creatively can also be great
 Conflict can either be productive or
dysfunctional

19. First Trick for Conflict
Management

20. Know Yourself

21. What feelings do you
have when you are in
conflict situation?

22. Common Feelings
Associated with Conflict
Anger
Frustration
Fear
Excitement

23. Common Actions
Associated with Conflict
Fight Flight

24. Your History with Conflict
 How was conflict perceived in your
family/community?
 How did your family/community
deal with conflict?

25. You can decide...
 Understanding the impact of your
family and community on your ideas
about conflict can allow you to make
decisions about how you deal with
conflict now
 We are our history
 We make our history

26. What is your conflict
style?

27. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3 5
1 2
4

28. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3 5
1--Turtle 2
4

29. Turtle--Withdrawing
 Avoid conflict as all costs
 Give up their personal goals &
relationships
 Believe it is hopeless to try to resolve
conflict
 Feel helpless
 Easier to withdraw than face conflict

30. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3 5
1 2--Shark
4

31. Shark--Forcing
 Try to overpower opponents by forcing
them to accept their solutions
 Not concerned with needs of others
 Do not care about how others perceive
them
 Believe in winning and losing
 Winning gives them a sense of pride
 Try to win by attacking, overwhelming,
& intimidating others

32. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3--Teddy Bear 5
1 2
4

33. Teddy Bear--Smoothing
 Relationships most important, goals of
little importance
 Want to be accepted and liked by other
people
 Believe conflict should be avoided in
favor of harmony
 Fearful that conflict will hurt someone

34. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3 5
1 2
4--Fox

35. Fox--Compromising
 Moderately concerned with relationships
and goals
 Willing to sacrifice part of their goals and
relationships in order to find agreement
for the common good

36. Conflict Styles
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
High Importance
Low Importance
High
Importance
GOALS
3 5--Owl
1 2
4

37. Owl--Confronting
 Value their own goals and relationships
 View conflicts as problems to be solved
 See conflicts as improving relationships
by reducing tension
 Seek solutions that satisfy both parties
 Not satisfied until solution is found and
tension is reduced

38. Which style is better?

39. Some styles are more
useful than others
when...

40. Uses of the “Turtle”
 When issue is trivial
 When potential damage of confrontation
outweighs the benefits
 To let people cool down & reduce tension
 When gathering information
 When others can resolve the conflict
more effectively

41. Uses of the “Shark”
 When quick, decisive action is vital
 On important issues where unpopular
actions need to be implemented
 To protect yourself against people who
take advantage of noncompetitive
behavior

42. Uses of “Teddy Bear”
 When you realize you are wrong
 To learn from others
 When issue is more important to the
other person than to yourself
 As a goodwill gesture to maintain
cooperative relationship
 To allow others to experiment

43. Uses of “Fox”
 When goals are important, but not worth
the effort or disruption
 When opponents with equal power are
strongly committed
 To achieve temporary settlements to
complex issues

44. Uses of “Owl”
 To find an integrative solution when both
sides are too important to compromise
 When your objective is to learn
 To work through hard feelings which
have been interfering with a relationship

45. Second Trick for Conflict
Management

46. Understand Process of
Conflict
Expectations (explicit)
Anticipation (implicit)
Experience Unfulfilled
Expectations
Resentments
Build
Gather
evidence for
a case
Give up
intervene

47. Why & how do we get in
conflict situations?

48. The issues
 The facts: present situation, problems
 The goals: how things ought to be, the
future conditions sought
 The methods: the best, the easiest, the
quickest, the most ethical
 The values: the beliefs about priorities
that should be observed in choosing goals
& methods
 The history: what has gone on before

49. Components of a Conflict
Situation
 Frustration--when you feel blocked.
 Conceptualization of problem-- “What’s
going on?”
 Conceptualization of behaviors &
intentions-- “What does that mean?”
 Outcome--emotional, cognitive,
behavioral

50. Types of Conflict
Positive Dysfunctional
Productive Unproductive
Depersonalized Personalized
Focused on Issues Focused on Feelings
Cooperative Competitive

51. What can we do???
How do we intervene???
 Accept that you will have conflict
 Work toward having positive vs.
dysfunctional conflict
 Use conflict management skills
– De-escalation
– “I”- Messages

52. Indicators of Escalation
 Competition
 Righteousness
 Not Listening
 Spreading to new
issues
 Dealing in
personalities
 Threats
 Intentional Hurt
 Violating Social
Rules

53. Indicators of De-escalation
 Listening. Trying
to understand.
 Showing Tact.
Concern for
other’s feelings.
 Goodwill gestures.
 Appeals to De-
escalate.
 Airing feelings.
 Finding
alternatives.

54. “I”-Messages
Describe:
 Behavior
 Feelings
 Consequence
Beware of war words!!

55. Analyzing a Conflict
Situation
 Conflict was between________
 It centered around_________
 I wanted___________
 and felt frustrated because __________
 In my view, the key issue was _______
 The other person probably thought the
key issue was ___________

56. Analyzing a Conflict
Situation
 Predominant conflict style I used_____
 Escalation behaviors I used________
 De-escalation behaviors I used______
 Major outcomes_____________
 Differences over: facts, goals, methods,
values, history___________
 What would I do differently next time?

57. Small Group
 Break into small groups
 Take 7 minutes to fill out sheet. Write
about problem that you are willing to
share with group. (Could be something
that has happened in your group!)
 Share worksheet with group
 Get feedback about possible alternative
ways of viewing and/or handling conflict
 Discuss common themes

58. Large Class
 Each group share their common themes
 Questions, comments

59. Conflict management strategies
1) avoiding,
2) defeating,
3) compromising,
4) accommodating, and
5) collaborating
Which of these strategies are suitable and not suitable for you?

60. Conflict management: checklist of basic
steps
1. Conflict analysis
– Problem and causes or sources of conflict
– Stakeholder identification
– Identification and understanding, PINS
2. Identify solutions; engage stakeholders, sensitization,
awareness
– Identify solutions both disputants can support
3. Agreement
4. Execute agreement
We have covered the
components of Step
1 earlier in this
section

61. Conflict management: Step 2 of 4
Identify solutions
Processes which can support conflict resolution include:
• Consultation – decision-makers meet with interested stakeholder
representatives to receive views on an issue
• Dialogue – stakeholders are supported in direct communication with
each other to achieve better understanding of each others’ respective
perspectives
• Negotiation – two or more parties have a structured dialogue about a
conflict, to identify possible options for resolution together
• Mediation – Like negotiations, but with a dedicated third party acting as
a mediator to help parties clarify the problem and identify potential
resolutions
These processes can be conducted in e.g. one-off dedicated workshops, or
regular committee meetings.
IISD 2009, p52

62. When identifying solutions remember these strategic
considerations
1)Motivation
Benefits/incentives
i. Reduced costs
ii. Improved livelihoods
iii. Removal of negative impact
iv. New opportunities
2) Interests and needs (think about tools for conflict analysis)
Conflict management: Step 2 of 4
Identify solutions

63. The agreement is where parties involved in the conflict will
formalize their commitments to resolving the conflict
 The mediator should aim for parties to shake hands and agree to an
alternative identified in Step 2: Identify Solutions
 The mediator then writes up a contract in which necessary actions
and agreed time frames are specified for the conflicting parties
 The contract could take the form of e.g. a set of resource use
agreements, or water user committee rules
Conflict management: Step 3 of 4
Execute agreement

64. Resources needed:
i. Financial
ii. Human
iii. Logistics
iv. Knowledge of local context
v. Interpersonal and communication skills
Conflict management: Step 4 of 4
Execute agreement