Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a dispute or a conflict by meeting at least some of each side’s needs and addressing their interests. Conflict resolution sometimes requires both a power-based and an interest-based approach, such as the simultaneous pursuit of litigation (the use of legal power) and negotiation (attempts to reconcile each party’s interests). There are a number of powerful strategies for conflict resolution.

Knowing how to manage and resolve conflict is essential for having a productive work life, and it is important for community and family life as well. Dispute resolution, to use another common term, is a relatively new field, emerging after World War II. Scholars from the Program on Negotiation were leaders in establishing the field.

Strategies include maintaining open lines of communication, asking other parties to mediate, and keeping sight of your underlying interests. In addition, negotiators can try to resolve conflict by creating value out of conflict, in which you try to capitalize on shared interests; explore differences in preferences, priorities, and resources; capitalize on differences in forecasts and risk preferences; and address potential implementation problems up front.

These skills are useful in crisis negotiation situations and in handling cultural differences in negotiations, and can be invaluable when dealing with difficult people, helping you to “build a golden bridge” and listen to learn, in which you acknowledge the other person’s points before asking him or her to acknowledge yours.

Articles offer numerous examples of dispute resolution and explore various aspects of it, including international dispute resolution, how it can be useful in your personal life, skills needed to achieve it, and training that hones those skills.

See full description

Questioning Compromises

Max Bazerman   •  10/09/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

People often wonder if they should constantly monitor their decisions to avoid bias. The answer is no. Social heuristics serve a useful function, allowing our social interactions to run more smoothly. When it comes to minor decisions, go ahead and compromise.

But when your organization is negotiating over important decisions and strategies, you must question the … Read Questioning Compromises

The Deal is Done – Now What?

PON Staff   •  10/08/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

At last, the deal is done. After 18 months of negotiation, eight trips across the country, and countless meetings, you’ve finally signed a contract creating a joint venture with a Silicon Valley firm to manufacture imaging devices using your technology and their engineering.

The contract is clear and precise. It covers all the contingencies and has … Read The Deal is Done – Now What?

Program on Negotiation Faculty On How To End the US Government Shutdown

PON Staff   •  10/04/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

The Washington Post’s “On Leadership” column by Jenna McGregor asked renowned negotiation experts on how the government shutdown in Washington, DC could be ended at the bargaining table.

Among the experts interviewed were Robert Mnookin, Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) and author of Bargaining With The Devil: When To Negotiate, … Learn More About This Program

PON Chair Robert Mnookin Discusses the Stalemate Between President Obama and Congressional Republicans

PON Staff   •  10/03/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

Program on Negotiation Chair and “Bargaining with the Devil” author Robert Mnookin was recently asked by CNN Fortune’s Claire Zillman about the strategies that Obama could employ in bringing congressional Republicans to the bargaining table in order to end the three-day old government shutdown. … Learn More About This Program

How Inadmissible Evidence Leads to Misjudging

PON Staff   •  10/02/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

Throughout the litigation process, judges gain new information at settlement conferences, motion hearings, discovery disputes, and the trial itself.

Inevitably, some of this information, though relevant to the case at hand, will be inadmissible under the rules of evidence.

Unfortunately, informational blinders can prevent judges from disregarding this information when making decisions. … Read How Inadmissible Evidence Leads to Misjudging

How Nervous Energy Affects Negotiators and Conflict Management

Katie Shonk   •  10/01/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

Negotiation is often characterized as a physiologically arousing event marked by pounding heart, queasy stomachs, and flushed faces. We might assume that heightened physiological arousal would mar our negotiation performance, but this is only true for some, researchers Ashley D. Brown and Jared R. Curhan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found in a new … Learn More About This Program

“Confronting Evil” Panel Videos Now Available Online

PON Staff   •  06/07/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution, Events, Videos

On Saturday, April 20, 2013, the Program on Negotiation co-hosted a conference on “Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” in partnership with the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University and the Volkswagen Foundation.

Originally scheduled to commence on Friday, April 19th, the conference had to be condensed to a single day due to the lock-down of the Boston … Learn More About This Program

PON co-sponsored conference addresses the challenges of “Confronting Evil”

PON Staff   •  04/26/2013   •  Filed in Conflict Resolution

On Saturday, April 20th more than a hundred people came out to Harvard to attend the PON co-sponsored conference “Confronting Evil: Interdisciplinary Perspectives.”  Held just six days after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, and one day after many area residents were asked to “shelter in place” by the police during their search for the … Learn More About This Program

Would you like us to inform you when new posts become available?

We hate spam as much as you do. You have our promise not to sell or share your email address — ever! Please read our privacy policy.