Future Directions

The Role of Technology

Technologies impact on interpersonal communications, data access, and expectations:

• Increasing use of internal communication mechanisms instead of public, including web
• Increasing time limits or role limits to access of information
• Issued caused when technical processes not in place that perhaps should be for process tracking or control
• Technology limitations (or technology person-power) forcing process change 
• Automating a broken process not fixing the process
• Confusion on contact points 
• Continuous integration

The challenges of above:

• Who decides--the power of administrative personality
• Cherry picking (sharing only the good stuff)
• System dependence
• Maintenance of both data and the custom systems
• Cost 
• Inclination toward generic help 
• Cross functionality

Conflict Analysis

As pointed out by Shonk (2021), there are three primary elements of conflict:

1. Interests. Conflicts often arise when we fail to carefully think through our own interests. For example, you may take offense after hearing through the grapevine that a coworker took full credit for a project you completed together. You certainly have a short-term interest in correcting that false impression, if it’s true. At the same time, you may be overlooking a greater long-term interest: contributing to a functional workplace where conflicts are handled productively and relationships grow stronger. 
2. Alternatives. Our alternatives are another one of the primary elements of conflict. Experienced negotiators understand the importance of identifying their best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) before talks get underway. When we have a strong sense of our BATNA, we will position ourselves to accept no less than we can get elsewhere and increase our bargaining power. Parties in conflict also need to consider their BATNA—that is, what they will do if they fail to resolve the dispute.
3. Identity. Conflicts often tap into our deepest sense of our own identity. To take a couple of examples of conflict situations, if your boss accuses you of doing a poor job on an assignment, you may feel as if your identity as a skilled, hard-working employee is under attack. And if you lose your temper when scolding your child for making a mess just after you’ve cleaned the house, you may question your identity as a reasonable, empathic parent. Because they lead us to question our essential competence and goodness, such “identity quakes” can knock us off-balance and worsen conflict.

If one considers international conflict, according to Kelman and Fisher (2003) there are four primary reasons:

1. international conflict is a process driven by collective needs and fears
2. international conflict is an intersocietal process
3. international conflict is a multifaceted process of mutual influence
4. international conflict is an iterative process with an escalatory self-perpetuating dynamic

Both normative and perceptual processes and promote conflict.  

To resolve conflict situations, here are some recommendations from University of Berkeley People and Culture (n.d.)

• Acknowledge that a difficult situation exists. Honesty and clear communication play an important role in the resolution process. Acquaint yourself with what's happening and be open about the problem.
• Let individuals express their feelings. Some feelings of anger and/or hurt usually accompany conflict situations. Before any kind of problem-solving can take place, these emotions should be expressed and acknowledged.
• Define the problem. What is the stated problem? What is the negative impact on the work or relationships? Are differing personality styles part of the problem? Meet with employees separately at first and question them about the situation.
• Determine underlying need. The goal of conflict resolution is not to decide which person is right or wrong; the goal is to reach a solution that everyone can live with. Looking first for needs, rather than solutions, is a powerful tool for generating win/win options. To discover needs, you must try to find out why people want the solutions they initially proposed. Once you understand the advantages their solutions have for them, you have discovered their needs.
• Find common areas of agreement, no matter how small:
  • Agree on the problem
  • Agree on the procedure to follow
  • Agree on worst fears
  • Agree on some small change to give an experience of success
• Find solutions to satisfy needs:
  • Problem-solve by generating multiple alternatives
  • Determine which actions will be taken
  • Make sure involved parties buy into actions. (Total silence may be a sign of passive resistance.) Be sure you get real agreement from everyone.
• Determine follow-up you will take to monitor actions. You may want to schedule a follow-up meeting in about two weeks to determine how the parties are doing.
• Determine what you'll do if the conflict goes unresolved. If the conflict is causing a disruption in the department and it remains unresolved, you may need to explore other avenues. 

Cultural Transformation

Cultural transformation often happens for one of a few reasons: increasing contact between societies, forces at work within a society, and changes in the natural environment.  It often involves not only invention and innovation but culture loss as old patterns replace new ones.  Envision, for example, the skills taught to children today as compared to a century ago. Cursive writing being just one example.  Here are some ways in which transformation might occur:

• Diffusion (see Everett Rogers) - the spreading of something more widely
• Acculturation - assimilation to a different culture, typically the dominant one (minority culture adopting some of the values, customs, or behaviors of the host culture)
• Transculturation - cultural transformation marked by the influx of new culture elements and the loss or alteration of existing ones (equal exchange, or two-way flow, of traits between two cultural groups)

Some Useful Skill Sets

• Cross-Sector Collaboration.  How can we approach effective multi-organization partnerships across sectors? How can we measure the impact of such efforts?
• Crisis Leadership.  How can we enhance human performance in times of crisis? How can we inspire our organizations to adapt to extreme events in a network world?
• Effective Negotiations.  How do we build a culture that promotes cooperation and manages emotions constructively in that process?
• Strategic Communications.  What core messages should leaders communicate to their various audiences in this fast-paced world?
• Policy Influence.  What are tactics for influencing policy discussions and decision makers in complex, dynamic conditions complicated by technology and global interconnectedness? (Buffett & Shapiro, 2019)

design thinking

Design thinking is a human-centered way of looking at innovation which focuses on the needs of people via empathy. The five steps in design thinking are: emphasize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

References

Berkeley People and Culture (n.d.).  Resolving Conflict Situations. Guide to Managing Human Resources. Retrieved April 12, 2021 from https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/interaction/conflict/resolving  (Links to an external site.)

Kelman, H. & Fisher, R. (2003).  Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  From Sears, Huddy, & Jarvis (Eds) Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology. Retrieved April 12, 2021 from https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/hckelman/files/Conflict_Analysis_and_Resolution_2003_Oxford_Handbook.pdf

Shonk, K. (2021).  Elements of Conflict: Diagnose What's Gone Wrong.  Harvard Law School Program of Negotiation.  Retrieved April 12, 2021 from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflict-resolution/elements-conflict-diagnose-whats-gone-wrong/

Buffett, H. & Shapiro, D. (2019). Leading with Impact: How Modern Leaders Can Overcome Complex Challenges.  Harvard University International Negotiation Program.  Retrieved April 1, 2021 from https://inp.harvard.edu/leading-impact-how-modern-leaders-can-overcome-complex-challenges

Harvard School of Public Health. (n.d.). Gap Analysis.  Retrieved April 4, 2021 from https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1678/2014/10/Gap_Analysis.pdf