Conflict is a natural part of our life. Since man appeared on Earth, he has faced conflict and has devised forms of solution from the most primitive to the most elaborate forms in modern times.
We could say that throughout history conflicts have typically been resolved in two ways: violent and peaceful or friendly. Between these two extremes there are intermediate shades that combine both forms.
As an example we cite the conflict that Adam and Eve faced in the Earthly Paradise, when Adam perceives that he is tempted by his partner and does not want to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, Eve wanted Adam to eat the fruit that was forbidden. Their interests were definitely opposite, which could have generated a certain level of disagreement. This conflictive situation involved four elements:
- More than one participant Opposing interests Feeling or perceiving the opposition An object of contention.
In this case, from what is known through the biblical texts, the natural solution used by the parties was the peaceful or friendly one, which was achieved thanks to the fact that Adam was convinced that by eating the forbidden fruit he was satisfying his most expensive desire: his immortality. This community of interests between Adam and Eve was what allowed us to find a peaceful or friendly way of solution: for Adam to eat the forbidden fruit.
It would seem that the first conflict was between a man and a woman. However, this is not always the case, and a peaceful solution is not always achieved, which in most cases means dire results for the parties.
When in primitive ages men organized themselves into families and later into clans - as a necessity for survival - they demarcated their territories, where only they could hunt, fish and gather. Any intruder paid with his life for the attempted invasion and possession. Thus, in a violent way, the conflict was resolved, whose object of contention was a desired territorial area in times of scarcity.
This circumstance meant that the confrontations were mainly between clans, which measured their power based on the number, the strength of their members and the defense elements they possessed , with the strongest triumphing.
In this last example we can see that, in addition to the four elements indicated above, there is a fifth, which clarifies the nature of the object of discord: the latter must be scarce, so that two or more parties compete for it.
The foregoing, with regard to the aforementioned elements, is valid for all times and for all conflicts, from the most subtle to the most serious. This is important to bear in mind to study and analyze the conflict.
WHAT IS THE CONFLICT?
Etymology
According to the Dictionary of the Language of the Royal Spanish Academy, the word CONFLICT comes from the Latin voice CONFLICTUS which means the strongest part of a fight. Point at which the outcome of a fight appears uncertain. Antagonism, struggle, opposition, combat. Anguish of mind, hurry, unhappy situation and difficult exit .
It implies antagonistic positions and opposition of interests.
Conflict Concept
In order to define the conflict, it is necessary to be clear that for a conflict to occur, the parties must perceive it, that is, feel that their interests are being affected or that there is a danger that they will be affected.
There are many definitions, however, for the purposes of our explanation we will take the one presented by Stephen Robbins, as it is a broad definition and at the same time quite clear for those who are beginning in the study of conflict.
Stephen Robbins defines conflict in these words:
"A process that begins when one party perceives that another has negatively affected or is about to negatively affect any of its interests"
Before continuing with our explanation, it is necessary to emphasize that all conflict necessarily involves two or more people or groups that interact, that is, they have a two-way relationship, where A communicates with B, and B communicates with A.
Another aspect that is also important to highlight is that any relationship between two people, between a person and a group or between groups, necessarily implies a communication process, which, as we will see later, can be verbal, written and above all bodily. In this process where two or more parties interact, is where the conflict occurs.
FUNCTIONAL AND DYSFUNCTIONAL CONFLICTS
Modern conflict theory holds that conflicts are neither good nor bad in themselves, but rather its effects or consequences that determine whether a conflict is good or bad.
Functional Conflicts
They are those conflicts that arise and are of moderate intensity, which maintain and, above all, improve the performance of the parties; for example, if they promote creativity, problem solving, decision-making, adaptation to change, stimulate teamwork, encourage the rethinking of goals, etc. Another example could be when a company decides to award an economic bonus to the best idea that is presented to solve a specific problem or to create a slogan for the Company's Quality Program. Only one worker or a group of workers will be able to obtain the bonus offered if the proposal is the most original and best represents the objectives of the Quality Program.
They belong to this group, the conflicts that allow a means to ventilate problems and release tension, promote an environment of evaluation of oneself and of change
IL Janis, in an investigation of six decisions made during four US administrations, observed that conflict reduced the possibility of group mentality dominating political decisions. She found that the conformism of the presidential advisers was related to bad decisions. On the contrary, an “environment of constructive conflict and critical thinking were related to well-made decisions”
Dysfunctional Conflicts
Contrary to the above, there are conflicts that stress the relationships of the parties to such a level that they can severely affect them, limiting or preventing a harmonious relationship in the future. They generate stress, discontent, mistrust, frustration, fears, aggression wishes, etc., all of which affect people's emotional and physical balance, reducing their creative capacity, and in general, their productivity and personal effectiveness. If this type of conflict affects a group, it generates harmful effects that can even lead to self-destruction.
As it is easy to conclude, dysfunctional or negative conflicts constitute the field of action of the conciliator.
From all of the above, we can reiterate that conflicts are distinguished from each other, fundamentally, by their effects and consequences, which determine that a conflict is good or bad, functional or dysfunctional, positive or negative.
CONCEPTIONS OF THE CONFLICT
Since the conflict was the object of systemic study and a subject of research to analyze its causes and nature, and fundamentally, its forms of resolution, until reaching the present time, there have been three currents or approaches: the traditional one, that of human relations and the interactive.
Traditional Approach:
It was in force in the 1930s and 1940s. It defended the idea that all conflict is bad, that it is synonymous with violence, destruction and irrationality, and that therefore it had to be avoided, because it negatively affected people, groups and organizations. To solve or prevent it, he suggests that it is only necessary to attack its causes, which according to this approach are poor communication, lack of frankness and trust, among others. This approach is what the vast majority of us have on conflict. However, we have already seen that this is not the case and that there is demonstrable evidence that the conflict is not always negative.
Human Relations Approach
This approach was in force from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. It maintains that its presence in human relationships is a natural process and that it is therefore inevitable and that we must accept it as such. However, it states that it is not always bad or negative and that it can be beneficial for the performance of individuals and groups. It meant an advance in the management or management of conflicts.
Interactive Approach
The interactive approach accepts conflict as natural, but also maintains that it is desirable to encourage it. He maintains "that a harmonious, peaceful, calm and cooperative group tends to be static, apathetic and not responding to the needs of change and innovation." It recommends stimulating conflict to a manageable degree that encourages creativity, reflection, the most efficient way of making decisions, teamwork, a willingness to change, and the setting of ambitious and achievable goals, contributing to a sense of achievement.
ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF A CONFLICT
From all that has been exposed so far, we can summarize the key elements and principles of a conflict, as follows:
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CONFLICT ANALYSIS
When analyzing a conflict, we must study its process taking into account each of its stages or phases, since individuals and groups go through them when they face the conflict. But this analysis must be carried out, seeing at each stage the opportunity for its resolution. The analysis of a conflict should not be carried out as an academic exercise and in a static way, but rather as something dynamic and with a practical sense to serve as a tool for the conciliator (and anyone who faces a problem and who has to see for its solution).
Roger Fisher argues that a key element in understanding why things happen is knowing why people make decisions the way they do. There the importance of analyzing a conflict, otherwise there is no information necessary for its solution. For this we must know the protagonists of the conflict, their culture to better understand them, the prevailing paradigms, the causes that originated it, the underlying communication problems, emotions, the perceptions of the parties, values and principles, ways of reacting., the influence of external factors, and above all, the positions, interests and needs of the protagonists.
Stages or Phases of a Conflict
Taking into consideration the aforementioned, we can point out six stages or phases that characterize the process of a conflict, and that should serve as the basis for analyzing each dispute, looking for possible solutions. For this purpose we will rely on S. Robbins and K. Girard / SJ Koch. These phases are as follows:
- The origins or protagonists Causes or sources Knowledge and personalization Types of conflict Resolution methods Positions: positions and interests.
- The Origins or Protagonists.
Analyze the conflict from the point of view of the people or groups facing a conflict or disagreement. Consider the levels at which the dispute occurs and the culture of each of the protagonists.
Levels
The conflict can occur on four levels:
- At the intra- personal level: it is experienced by a person with himself At the inter- personal level: between two or more people At the intra- level within a group At the inter- group level: between two or more groups.
The study of the first level obeys the need to determine possible causes of a personal nature (emotional imbalances, aspirations, desires, frustrations, fears, etc.) that can affect interpersonal relationships.
It is necessary to take into account that conflicts can cover one or more levels, for example, between the Production Manager and the Head of Assembly of a company (interpersonal and intragroup) that can then be extended to the Logistics Manager (intergroup) by the technical characteristics of equipment required for purchase.
Another example could be the problem that arises from the breakage of a window pane of a neighbor, caused by the son of a family. A disagreement will arise between the mother and the son (interpersonal) due to the latter's disobedience in not playing ball in front of the neighbor's house, which could be aggravated by the father's intervention (intergroup); and then expanded with the intervention of the neighbor when he angrily complains about the damage that has been caused, all of which could cause a greater relationship problem between the two families (intergroup).
Culture
It is the way a person sees the world and is determined by the set of experiences and values that he accumulates throughout his existence, which determines his way of feeling, thinking and acting. The analysis of the culture that establishes in a certain way the behavior of the protagonists of a conflict, is important not only to know it, but also to understand the way of acting of the protagonists, in order to find aspects that can serve to solve the conflict.
The analysis of the culture of the protagonists of a conflict is of particular importance and should be treated with special attention.
- Nakagawa, defines Culture in the following terms:
Culture is that part of human interactions and experiences that determines how one feels, acts and thinks. It is through one's own culture that one lays down guidelines to distinguish good from evil, beauty and truth and to make judgments about oneself as well as about others. The things and ideas that one values and appreciates, how one learns, believes, reacts, etc., are all immersed and impacted by one's own culture. It is the culture that determines the very sense of the vision that the individual has of reality.
It is necessary to bear in mind that the culture of the people can vary when changing their activity, workplace, area where they locate their residence. It can also change throughout your life by changing your basic interests and therefore your needs. For example: a boy who is educated in a peasant community and who later moves to a large city to continue his higher studies, where he achieves a profession standing out for his ability, which allows him to climb professional, labor and social positions. Throughout his life, initially, he will have been conditioned by the culture of his community, and later, his behavior, his values, the way of seeing the world and solving his problems will have a different approach due to the influence of the culture to which has been assimilated.
On the other hand, within a culture, subcultures can occur. Thus, for example, in a large company that has branches in Lima, Huancayo, Arequipa and Piura, it will have an organizational culture, defined by values, policies, work procedures, etc., within which all its workers are located regardless of the place. where they work. However, each of the branches will respond to the particular influences of the environment: greater or lesser adherence to discipline, greater or lesser vocation for group work, greater or lesser cohesion and ties of friendship, etc., which will make there are four sub cultures
Causes or Sources
It is everything that could have originated or motivated the conflict. For its determination, we could ask ourselves the following question: What is the reason for this conflict?
A conflict can be caused by a large number of factors, which can be classified in different ways. That is, for its simplicity and clarity, we will adopt the classification into three groups proposed by S. Robbins, in which he locates all the possible causes of a conflict:
- The personal Those derived from the communications The structural or the environment
Personal Causes
In this group are located individual value systems and personality characteristics that explain temperament, way of being and individual differences.
They belong to this group, fundamentally perceptions and emotions that are often the cause of negative reactions. We can cite in this group the unsatisfied desires and aspirations, frustrations, jealousy, envy, need for recognition, to be respected, desires for progress, belonging to a group (of acceptance), etc.
If there is no perception, that is, if a stimulus or cause is not personalized, there is no conflict.
Emotions help shape perceptions, and perceptions can trigger conflict.
Conciliation is a means of conflict resolution, by which a third party called conciliator assists the parties so that they can, through dialogue, resolve their differences, being able to propose alternative solutions, which can be accepted or rejected by the parties.
Dr. Iván Ormachea Choque, describes the conciliation in the following terms:
“Conciliation is a means of conflict resolution whose purpose is to reach a consensual agreement between the parties thanks to the active participation of a third party. This third conciliator has three central functions: facilitation, impulse and proposal. "
To fulfill its purpose, conciliation uses a series of techniques and procedures. In the first place, the conciliator must obtain information about the conflict he intends to resolve, that is, about the entire process that the conflict has followed in each of its phases. Without this information, there will be little the conciliator can do and the results of his or her efforts could be seriously affected.
The analysis methodology for each of the conflict stages is provided by the Conflict Theory. For this reason, it is important that the conciliator not only knows, but also masters this theory, because having to act between the parties to handle a conflict and solve it, it will be necessary to implement all possible information about each of the protagonists, of the causes or sources that originated it, of the type of conflict that it is managing, of the ways of acting or strategies that each of the parties could use to resolve the conflict, especially of the positions, interests and needs of the protagonists or actors of the conflict.
The techniques that the conciliator decides to use, in the practical field, will depend, for example, on cultural factors that could significantly affect the parties; or if the conflict is unreal or real; or if the parties can behave in a collaborative "Win-Win" scheme, or on the contrary, in a competitive "Win-Lose" scheme. The treatment that is given to a conflict, whose origin is in mistaken perceptions, fears and frustrations, will be very different, to that given to another conflict that is originated by the breach of an economic obligation derived from the lack of economic resources of the debtor.
We must be careful when we study conflict as a social phenomenon, since we must interpret this deeply human phenomenon, as a manifestation of the interrelation system in which the human person lives and develops. We must, therefore, when managing a conflict, study it as a whole, as a system, bearing in mind that what happens in one area affects the other parties and reciprocally. All the information that the Theory of Conflicts gives us, particularly in relation to the conflict process, must be managed or administered as part of a system. Thus, for example, cultural variables of a certain type could condition a person's behavior in the face of conflict, as competitive, with a “win-lose” solution scheme, which could make them feel more comfortable negotiating based on positions.
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