Instead, the conflicts tend to swirl around values and beliefs, perceptions of who's in charge, and disagreements over how to reach decisions. Sometimes, the battles between adults are teacher versus teacher, or teachers versus principals, or educators versus the community. Conflict is any disagreement between two or more parties in which one party believes his, her, or their rights are deprived, suggests Joellen Killion, a staff developer with the Adams Twelve Five Star district in Northglenn, Colorado, who frequently teaches conflict resolution workshops. The first step in effectively resolving disputes is recognizing that conflict is a natural part of the change process, say experts in the subject. It is neither good nor bad, they say.
Conflict is an ordinary occurrence in life.
That's the number one thing that people don't understand. They think that if they're having conflicts that something is wrong. Since all groups can be expected to experience conflict at one time or another, developing a strategy for dealing with disputes can guide a group through the rough patches, say the experts. The following process is adapted from the work of Thomas Kayser, Joellen Killion, and Cindy Harrison. When the group defines the problem, there is a greater likelihood the entire group will understand the problem thoroughly.