Conflict is better viewed as "value-neutral," even though the concept of conflict for many individuals carries negative connotations. The management of the conflict will determine whether outcomes are favourable or unfavourable. Conflict can lead to adverse outcomes. It can exacerbate differences in opinion and even spark violent conflict. It can also breed suspicion and mistrust, hinder cooperation and harm relationships. Conflict, however, occasionally has a benefit. It can make problems more accessible for examination, resulting in improved clarity and raising the standard of problem-solving.
The goal of conflict resolution is not to prevent conflict but rather to deal with it in a way that reduces its adverse effects and maximizes its good potential within the parameters of principles that promote peace. In other words, the criteria of being against violence, dominance, oppression, and exploitation, as well as the satisfaction of human needs for security, identity, self-determination, and quality of life for all people, are used to evaluate both the solutions that are sought and the methods by which they are sought.
The theory of peacemaking and peacebuilding serves as the foundation for conflict resolution, which also includes the practice of resolving conflicts on multiple levels. The macro level of conflict resolution necessitates the intervention of larger democratic institutions like the UN, representatives, and input from outside parties. Macro-level conflicts can result from disparities in values, colonial interests, and disagreements about who has the most power, profit, and control over resource distribution.
Conflict is overt, coercive interaction in which two or more disputing parties endeavour to force their will on one another. Fights, aggression, and antagonism are common adjectives characterising a problematic relationship. However, the range of conflict phenomena is much broader than implied by its physical connection; it is used to describe inconsistencies and the process of attempting to resolve them; it has physical and moral implications; it encompasses opinions, situations, and a wide range of behaviour. The term's traditional meaning encompasses the entire spectrum of conflict occurrences.
When attempting to analyse conflict occurrences, special attention must be paid to the word itself, the explicit judgements made about it (e.g., is it 'good' or 'bad'), and the endeavour to separate it from similar if distinct, events (e.g. tension, war, hostility, etc.). Most viewpoints on social conflict are etymological or may be classed as 'actor-oriented' or system-oriented. Conflicts are essential, if not unavoidable, from an actor's viewpoint; from a system perspective, conflicts may be undesirable since they interfere with the purpose of system maintenance.
A conflict occurs when a person is motivated to engage in two or more mutually incompatible activities. Motives are crucial in conflict, which is why motivational conflict is frequently used. Every culture has conflict. It can happen on a variety of levels
On the overt behavioural levels.
On the verbal level.
On the system level.
Conflict arises only when the overt, verbal, symbolic, or emotional reactions necessary to achieve one motivation are incompatible with those required to accomplish another. A big deal of tension exists in social existence. Individuals in society frequently face personal conflict due to the pressures of the many groups they belong to and the expectations of the various roles they must perform.
The child socialisation process has been considered a battle between individuals and society. Conflict is the primary type of oppositional relationship and dissociated connection. Every culture is in the midst of a conflicting process. The desire for social status, economic profit, power, and the defeat or annihilation of an opponent all contribute to conflict among individuals and organisations; often, people respond to conflict resolution through confrontation or conciliation.
It can be studied under the following sub-headings
Cooperation − The emphasis on cooperation over competition is a crucial component of conflict resolution. The parties believe they can work together to solve their current issue in a way that benefits them both. Our scenario clearly shows that the students must work together to make their living arrangements function. If Mark employs confrontational tactics in his rage, he may well incite enmity from the others.
Integrative Solutions − Follett used a personal tale to introduce the concept of integrative solutions that satisfy all parties' requirements and interests. She and the other women could not decide whether to open or shut a window. Leaving it partially open as a compromise would not satisfy any of them. They eventually came to the cooperative, integrative, or "win-win" solution of opening a window in an adjacent room because one wanted the window open to maximize the fresh air. In contrast, the other wanted it closed to prevent a draught. The two ways that integrative bargaining most frequently occurs are through direct negotiations between the parties involved or mediation, where an impartial third party mediates the process. Conflict resolution typically only refers to negotiations if the objective is an integrative (or win-win) solution. Of course, negotiators are frequently driven to reach a solution where they "win", and the other side "loses" (win-lose, zero-sum, or distributive negotiations).
Building a Cooperative Orientation − The pursuit of integrative solutions is incompatible with an individualistic orientation (only concerned with one's outcomes), an altruistic orientation (sole concern for the outcomes of others), or a competitive orientation (marked by a drive to outperform others). Having a cooperative mindset is necessary (caring about both outcomes). Most negotiators attend the table with the mindset that one party will prevail and the other will lose, and they need to consider integrative options (Thompson, 1990). Negotiators are encouraged to consider conflict as usual, unavoidable, and solvable with the idea that it is possible and preferable for all parties to "win" to create win-win expectations.
Active Listening − Both sides must be willing and able to understand the other party's viewpoint for an interest-based approach to work, which necessitates attentive listening. To aid the "listening" party in helping the other party explain the interests involved and in helping them understand that they have been heard, good active listening skills involving empathy, reflection, summarising, and attentive body language, are required.
Brainstorming − A fundamental tenet of conflict resolution strategies is that taking into account the interests of both parties will result in the best solution. Additionally, shared ownership of the solution increases satisfaction with it. Therefore, a group creative problem-solving approach is advised. After identifying and listing each party's interests, participants are encouraged to brainstorm as many original solutions as possible to resolve the conflict. This calls for imagination, adaptability, and mental openness.
Creating Solutions − The final step entails merging the options that best serve the parties' primary interests to create integrative or win-win solutions. Finding a solution that works for everyone is more likely when there are several possible ones. A more methodical and systematic approach to problem-solving is necessary at this stage. Researchers have all proposed different tactics for locating integrative solutions, such as bridging solutions, which move past the original positions of the parties to find new approaches, "expanding the pie," where the ostensibly constrained resource "pie" can be "expanded" by incorporating other previously unconsidered resources; cost-cutting to reduce the costs of the party who is achieving.
These are some of the effective ways in which one can respond to conflicts. At all levels, systematic research has been done on conflict and how to resolve it. However, most of it has been on organizational settings (especially those that involve labour relations), international conflicts, and, more lately, interpersonal conflicts and disagreements (e.g., neighbourhood disputes and marital conflict). Additional studies will be required as these distinct streams of research advance in order to verify the assumption of process invariance across areas
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