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#39 Dr. Semmelweis: The Power of Political Norms to Tilt the Outcome of Conflict

/ Leave a Comment / The Nature of Conflict / By

In the previous post I wrote about Dr. Ignaz Philip Semmelweis (1818 – 1865) a medical doctor who lost two of his residency positions in hospitals for directing his doctors to wash their hands before assisting women in childbirth. Semmelweis formulated the equivalent of a germ theory of disease, from inferences alone, a full two […]

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#38 Dr. Semmelweis And How Being Right Can Cause Conflict

/ Leave a Comment / The Nature of Conflict / By

This post and the next are derived from the professional and life circumstance of Dr. Ignaz Philip Semmelweis (1818 – 1865).  Semmelweis’ story illustrates several features of both ideological factors in the development of conflict and the complexity of conflict. By ideology I mean a way of believing that takes on a life of its

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#37 Alternatives To Mediation In The Workplace

/ 2 Comments / Conflict Engagement, Negotiation / By

In the previous blog I explained how having an alternative to negotiation is empowering. Here I am going to talk about alternatives to mediation. In the case of workplace conflict, I find that helping the parties to explore their alternatives to mediation is an effective preparation for mediation. Frequently the alternatives are not as secure

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#36 How To Come Up With Your BATNA

/ 4 Comments / Conflict Engagement, Negotiation / By

In their groundbreaking book on negotiation, Getting to Yes, Fisher and Ury introduced the concept of Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). The authors present the BATNA, which is also applicable to conflict situations, as a more useful and powerful concept than having a ‘bottom line’. The bottom line is the worst deal that is still

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#35 Peaceweaving in Organizations – What It Means to Me

/ Leave a Comment / Organizational Development / By

The title of Canadian mediator Ben Hoffman‘s new book is Peaceweaving.  I find the word ‘peaceweaving’ descriptive of work I sometimes do inside large organizations. Destructive conflict creates a hole in the organizational fabric and mediation between the parties is not enough to repair the hole. Peaceweaving entails working more broadly in the organization, particularly within

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#33 Use A Policy Of Joint Escalation To Shift Organizational Culture

/ 2 Comments / Organizational Development / By

  Regarding a joint escalation policy, there are two central aspects to what I mean. Firstly, conflict is generally held at the level where it originates in the organizational hierarchy. Secondly, if it is moved up the authority chain, it is done so in a collaborative manner. This blog further explains joint escalation using two

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#31 Shift Attention To Yourself To Break An Impasse

/ Leave a Comment / Conflict Engagement / By

Conflict has a distracting quality. It may draw all our attention to the other party. We should direct considerable attention towards the other party – the person we have a conflict with – but not all of our attention. In attempting to alleviate discomfort and resolve a dispute, parties may look only externally.  Fixated on

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