Goals
The Conflict Management Expert Centre's goals are:
Dealing with conflict constructively
For conflict managers it is important to know when conflict is useful.
Many people regard conflict as mainly unpleasant. Conflicts have a large
impact on people and require lots of energy and negative emotions. Both
employers and employees prefer a workplace atmosphere with little conflict
and harmonious relationships between workers. For many people 'conflict'
is synonymous with 'problem' and the fewer problems you have, the better
it is.
However, much research has been carried out in order to find out if conflict
may have positive effects as well. As early as in 1956 Lewis Coser wrote
The Functions of Social Conflict in which he makes a distinction
between realistic and non-realistic conflicts. Realistic conflicts are
about means to reach a goal and about the goals themselves, non-realistic
conflicts are characterized by agressive behaviour that is solely aimed
at hurting each other. It goes without saying that Coser considers realistic
conflict more positively than non-realistic conflict.
Coser's distinction shows similarities with the distinction between cognitive
and affective conflict. Cognitive or task conflicts are conflicts about
the way people want to reach goals. There are situations in which people
agree on the goals they want to achieve, but differ on the way this should
be done. The effects of cognitive conflict are mainly positive:
- better decision quality
- more creativity
- higher productivity.
Whereas cognitive conflict may be seen as useful, affective conflict
is anything but useful. Affective conflict is not directed at specific
ideas of how to reach a certain goal but at specific individuals. It provokes
hostility, distrust, cynicism and apathy among team members and is harmful
to team effectiveness. The results are exactly the opposite of those of
cognitive conflict:
- poor decision quality
- less creativity
- lower productivity.
Of course affective conflict is not limited to organizational contexts.
These conflicts may arise between neighbours, spouses, friends, et cetera.
Sometimes they have escalated to a degree that the conflicting parties
are no longer able to handle the conflict. Interventions such as coaching,
training and mediation may help people to deal with their conflict.The
Conflict Management Expert Centre carries out research into the effects
of interventions like these. The viewpoint we take is that conflict should
not be considered from a purely legal perspective, but rather from a psychological,
philosophical and sociological perspective.
Research
The Conflict Management Expert Centre wants to promote research in the
field of conflict management and mediation. The conflict management field,
of which mediation is a part, is a relatively young field that has the
potential to grow and become more important if its scientific basis is
sound. Research into relatively new approaches to mediation, into roles
conflict management professionals could play in conflict situations (other
than the third party role) and reflections on the interventions professionals
make may all contribute to developing the conflict management field.
In 2004-2005 our research will focus on two subjects: narrative
mediation and restorative justice.
Professionalisation
Within the conflict management field most attention has been drawn by
mediation. In a short period of time the number of mediators in the Nethelands
has increased tenfold. Such a dramatic increase calls for strict professional
standards. Fortunately the Dutch Mediation Institute (NMI) recognizes
this and since May 2003 prospective mediators are required to take both
theoretical and practical tests. Registered and certified mediators need
to keep up with developments in the field of mediation by following continuing-education
courses.
The Conflict Management Expert Centre thinks this might not be enough.
In the Netherlands it is possible to become a mediator by following a
six-day training programme. We believe that a professional mediator needs
a more extensive training and should not only be able to apply mediation
techniques and skills, but should also be an expert in the field of conflict.
Since this is a multidisciplinary field, mediators should be aware of
what disciplines such as psychology, sociology, organizational theory
and philosophy have to offer as far as conflict is concerned. We believe
that a firmer scientific basis for both mediation and conflict management
will broaden the choices mediators have when mediating conflicts. After
all mediation and conflict management is not only a matter of using some
well-tried recipes. It is our view that it is about making well-founded
choices and being able to account for these choices.
Dealing with conflict constructively | Research
| Professionalisation