# Presentation: 230507

## Integrated Conflict Management 

**Lynda O’Sullivan**
**Ken Lechter**
**Office of the Air Force General Counsel**
**(Dispute Resolution Division)**

**25 June 2008**

## Conflict

- Is conflict bad ?
- Is conflict inevitable?
- Can good things come out of conflict?

## 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".

## 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

## 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.

## 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

## 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

## 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

**Notes:**
Gore Vidal:  “It’s not enough that I win!  Others must lose!”
Note that in approximately 80-90 percent of our workplace disputes, the issues are not really legal—they are issues of belonging, of respect, of basic human needs/interests not being met

## 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

## What is an Integrated Conflict Management System?

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

## 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

## 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

## Questions?

## Contact Information

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