Agenda
1. Review questions from day 1
2. Completion of styles of conflict
management
3. Diagnosing causes-the Moore Circle of
Conflict and some interventions
4. The interest triangle
Conflict Types and Their
Management
See,
Christopher Moore, The Mediation Process.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1986, pages 26 to
39
Gary Furlong, The Conflict Resolution Toolbox.
Mississauga: John Wiley and Sons, 2005.
Moore's Circle of Conflict
• Five central causes of conflict
1. Problems with peoples' relationships
2. Problems with data
3. Differing values
4. Structural factors
5. Perceived or actual incompatible interests
THERE IS NOTHING SO MUCH
ABUSED AS MANAGERS'
PERCEPTIONS THAT EVERY
DISPUTE/CONFLICT OR
DISAGREEMENT CAN BE SOLVED
BY NEGOTIATION!!
MOORE’S causes of conflict
RELATION
INTERESTS
STRUCTURE
VALUE
DATA
The Moore Model
• The Moore model suggests that you can
'contain’ or manage relationship conflicts
and you can work around value conflicts
but you cannot directly solve either.
• It argues you should contain those two
first then focus the conflict into the
remaining three areas where solutions
are possible.
Moore - Relationship Conflicts
• Occur because of the presence of strong
negative emotions, misperceptions or
stereotypes, poor or miscommunication or
repetitive negative behaviours
Moore - Relationship Conflicts
• Occur because of the presence of strong
negative emotions, misperceptions or
stereotypes, poor or miscommunication or
repetitive negative behaviours
Managing Relationship Conflicts
• Control expressions of emotion through
procedures and ground rules
• Promote expression of emotions by
legitimizing feelings
• Improve communication
• Block negative, repetitive behaviour by
changing structure
Data Conflicts
• Occur when people lack the information
necessary to make decisions, are misinformed,
disagree over what data are relevant or, have
competing assessment procedures
• May result from poor communication
• People may have used, OR ASSUMED,
different or incompatible data collection
procedures
Data Conflicts - Interventions
• Bring the parties together to explain, challenge and
correct erroneous data.
• Surface assumptions about the parties’ assessment of
data
• Reach agreement on what data are important
• Agree on joint process to collect data
• Develop common criteria to assess data
• Use third-party experts
Some questions re data conflicts
• What data are different between the parties?
• What data can be collected jointly?
• What assumptions or interpretations are the
parties making about the data
• What assumptions about parties’ motives are
being made?
• What data substantiates or contradicts these
G. Furlong, the Conflict
assumptions?
Resolution Toolbox, pg 47
Value Conflicts
• Are caused by perceived or actual incompatible belief
systems
• Values are beliefs that people use to give meaning to
their lives. Values explain what is good/bad,
just/unjust or, right/wrong
• Different values need not always cause conflict.
Conflicts arise when someone tries to impose a set of
values on someone else
Management of Value
Conflicts
• Have the parties share information about their
values
• Do not define the problem in terms of value
• Allow parties to agree to disagree on some matters
• Search for super-ordinate goal shared by all parties
Structural Conflicts…
• Are caused by 'oppressive' patterns of human
relationships - may be external to those involved in
the dispute
• Are structural properties of the situation imposed
on you
–Examples - limited resources or authority,
geographic constraints, time (too little or too
much), the structure of the organization, or a
lack of clear role descriptions. Often happens
when different departments have to work
together but have divergent priorities for their
respective tasks
Structural Conflicts - Interventions
• Be sure to define and clarify roles
• Modify external pressures
• Reallocate control of resources
• Change time constraints
• Negotiate a ratification process if authority at the table
is a problem
• Negotiate who needs to be present to effectively resolve
the issue
Some questions re structural
issues
• What limited resource problems face us?
• Where is lack of authority a problem?
• How divergent are the departments priorities?
G. Furlong, the Conflict Resolution
Toolbox, pg 47
Williams' Third Rule of
Conflict Management
The time to pre-empt conflict
is before it arises Proactive Conflict Management
Moore - Interest Conflicts
• Caused by competition over perceived or actual
incompatible needs or wants
• Can occur over substantive issues such as: $$$$,
procedural issues (the way in which the dispute is to
be resolved), psychological or ego type issues
(perceptions of trust, fairness, respect, status)
Moore - Interest Conflicts
(continued…)
• For an interest-based conflict to be resolved, all
parties must have a significant number of their
interests of all types addressed
The process used to try to address all interests is
called negotiation
Interest Conflicts - Interventions
• Negotiate by:
1. Focus on integration
•Focus on interests not positions
•Develop integrative solutions
•Search for ways to expand options
OR
2. Focus on distributing the pie
•Bargain in a win/ lose or compromise
seeking fashion
Moore's Interest Triangle
Procedural
interests
Psychological
interests
Substantive interests
Another view of the triangle-the
interest iceberg
SUBSTANTIVE INTERESTS
PROCESS INTERESTS
PSYCHOLOGICAL
INTERESTS
If we work only with what we see on the surface, we may
‘run aground’ on the parts of the problem that are not readily
visible but ‘lurking’ for the individual who has not fully
diagnosed the problem
Substantive interests
• This is the ‘ what’, the result, the most
tangible part of a conflict
Procedural interests
• This is “the how”, the process used to
resolve a dispute
• Questions such as;
– How fair is it?
– Is it inclusive?
– Is it transparent?
– Who is in charge?
Psychological interests
• This is what is going on emotionally as we
try to resolve a conflict
– Wanting to ‘win’ as opposed to
‘resolve’
– Needing to save face
– Issues of status or self worth
– Need for an apology or, revenge