Overview: Any group contains a range of experiences and views that can come into conflict. Conflict can be found behind competition or resentment and communication breakdowns. Conflict can be used to fuel dialog, new ideas, and learning--if supported by norms that permit conflict, avoid emotional instincts to blame or defend, and promote useful solutions.

How Conflict Transformation Works: Conflict transformation asks people to review beliefs, values, and norms-and to either change them or use them with re-newed awareness and commitment. Change can involve issues of power (power with not power over), social or system change (skill development), and relationship building (cooperate, collaborate). Attention over time to values and norms, language choices, and ideas about the future can all support positive transformation of conflict-and create conditions that tend to prevent the growth of new conflicts.

The Payoff: Can frame issues in ways to promote cooperation and useful action where common ground is discovered to exist. Can create conditions to hear and understand, where differing world views and values prevent full agreement.

How to Make It Happen: Conflict transformation can be a facilitated process that involves organizational culture, dialog, normative change, electronic survey, future search, and learning organizations. One session can strengthen awareness and organizational effectiveness. Several, over time, tend to produce more lasting results.

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