Conflict Management

Sustainable sanitation and water management issues are complex and political systems often involve a great number of stakeholders (see stakeholder identification and stakeholder importance and influence) with different, often conflicting agendas (MORIARTY et al. 2007). Also, change almost always brings about conflicts between the needs and wishes of different groups or individuals. Conflict prevention by consensus building and when applicable by conflict resolution, are needed to win the support of a maximum of stakeholders in order to optimise your local water and sanitation system (CDI 2010). Conflict management offers approaches that help in preventing or resolving conflicts.

Conflict is often seen as a purely negative element in a change process – or at least one with a strong negative potential. Conflict management however recognises that conflicts are a normal part of life and if well managed they can be an important force for positive change (CDI 2010).

Anyone is potentially capable of learning how to constructively deal with conflicts. But you have to keep in mind that conflict situations should not be taken lightly. In difficult cases, you should consider appointing a mediator - a neutral facilitator who understands conflict management and develops a thorough knowledge of the interests and perceptions of stakeholders. It is important that someone that is seen to have no stake in the original disagreement manages conflict resolution. You cannot expect a member of local government staff to mediate a conflict between villagers and local government!

(Adapted from OHRD 2010)

One key element of conflict resolution is the idea that each party may have a different perception of any given situation. People filter their perceptions and reactions through their values, culture, beliefs, information, experience, gender, and other variables. This means that we can anticipate that in many conflicts there will be significant misunderstanding of each other's perceptions, needs and feelings. We can anticipate having such differences due to a number of factors that create "perceptual filters" that influence our responses to the situation:

Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (see water sanitation and culture):

Our different cultural backgrounds influence us in holding certain beliefs about the social structure of our world, as well as the role of conflict in that experience. We may have learned to value certain needs differently as a result, thus influencing our willingness to engage in various modes of negotiation and efforts to manage the conflict.

Gender and Sexuality (see water sanitation and gender):

Men and women often perceive situations somewhat differently, based on both their experiences in the world and socialisation patterns that reinforce the importance of relationships vs. task, substance vs. process, immediacy vs. long-term outcomes. As a result, men and women will often approach conflictive situations with differing mindsets about the desired outcomes from the situation, as well as the set of possible solutions that may exist.

Knowledge:

Parties respond to given conflicts on the basis of the knowledge they may have about the issue at hand. Such information can influence the person's willingness to engage in efforts to manage the conflict, either reinforcing confidence to deal with the dilemma or undermining one's willingness to flexibly consider alternatives.

(Adapted from MORIARTY et al. 2007)

Although the following series of steps is designed to help you manage potential conflict situations, you have to keep in mind that resolving conflict is not a mechanical process in which applying steps “A” through “Z” guarantees a positive outcome (NRCS 2005).

Step 1: Diagnose the situation. Determine the conflict’s content and history. Evaluate personalities and positions. If defined objectively, conflict can lead people to agree: “We need a new way of doing things, the old way has failed.” If two sides can define what they are fighting about, the chances of clarifying any misperceptions increase.

Step 2: Involve all parties. Be a skilful questioner by asking open-ended questions. Use processes that solicit discussion, opinions, information, priorities, etc. from all people.

Step 3: Depersonalise the conflict.Try to move “you against me” towards “you and me against the problem”. For example, not irrigators versus livestock keepers; but water users facing a problem of lack of water. Often win-win solutions can be identified through re-examining the problem. Even if there are no perfect solutions, understanding the “it is the problem that is the problem” can lead to a greater acceptance of relative losses and gains.

Step 4: Collect all information. There are many ways to gather information; e.g. use facts, historical records, data, maps, ideas from around the table, unbiased experts, and interviews. Remember, people’s feelings are just as real to them as facts.

Step 5: Reinforce agreements. Focus on commonalities – not differences. Identify shared concerns of parties to the conflict, rather than focusing on the disagreements.

People who disagree often share some common goals and common values. Discover these common concerns and reinforce agreements. Write these agreements so that everyone can see them.

Step 6: Negotiate disagreements. Disagreements are not negotiated until everyone understands the facts and feelings that caused the conflict. Review steps 1 through 5; list important disagreements; have everyone rank order their disagreements; begin with the smallest issue and work toward the largest.

Step 7: Solidify agreements. Identify agreed upon solutions and offer compromises for unresolved issues. If a compromise cannot be reached, table the issue and move to the next issue; review any proposed agreements carefully so you are sure that everyone understands them.Remember, ending conflict cannot always be done quickly. If it took a long time for the dispute to begin, it will take time to end it. Work on one small doable problem rather than on many large currently irresolvable issues.

(Adapted from NRCS 2005)

There are knowledge, tips and skills you can learn that will enable you to manage conflict more effectively.

Knowledge in Organisational Settings:

• Identify neutral spaces. When conflict has occurred, particularly linked to a specific environment (office, district etc.), it is important that conflict management takes place somewhere that is felt to be neutral by both sides and away from the environment of conflict.
• Be observant of physical conditions of the meeting site; e.g. confined, hot areas can intensify conflicts; outdoor meetings can reduce tensions.
• Round tables or sitting in a circle give everyone equal seating status.
• Rectangular tables have two dominant seats – the head and foot of the table. Try not to allow antagonists to sit in these seats. Sit in one of these seats, yourself, if you are facilitating a meeting.
• If possible, sit potential antagonists side by side, not across from one another.
• Call breaks if a situation gets heated.

Communication Tips:

• An effective communicator is a good speaker, keen observer, smiles at appropriate times, provides feedback, and can use humour to diffuse a situation and keep everyone at ease.
• Establish ground rules and verbalise or display them: e.g. everyone has the opportunity to talk uninterruptedly; discuss one topic or problem at a time; everyone needs to treat each other with respect.
• Verify that you understand what a speaker says by summarising their statement (e.g. “...so it’s the inflexibility of the rules that bother you.”).

Listening Skills:

Look for nonverbal messages and their meaning. Some are listed below:

• Alert and agreeable: sitting upright, good eye contact, quick to respond, arms open.
• Signs of aggression: leaning forward, pointing, standing/sitting close, rapid or loud speech, glaring, interrupting others.
• Disagreement with the message: arms folded, turned away from speaker, poor eye contact.