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

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

3 What is Conflict? 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".

4 Some Causes of Conflict 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

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

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

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

8 Rights-Based Conflict Resolution Example: Litigation in the courts, by-the-rules managers 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

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

10 What is an Integrated Conflict Management System? It is an organizational strategy With two main components:  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

11 Integrated Conflict Management System 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

12 Integrated Conflict Management System 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

13 Questions?

14 Contact Information R. Philip Deavel, Deputy General Counsel for Dispute Resolution, USAF--(703) , Lynda T. O’Sullivan, Assistant Deputy General Counsel for Dispute Resolution, USAF—(703) , Kenneth Lechter, Associate General Counsel, USAF— (703) ,