Conflict resolution term paper

When conflict occurs, however, people cannot achieve individual and common goals and the need to resolve the conflict arises. Negotiation is the process of resolving conflicting among parties to restore harmony for the achievement of common goals. This paper examines the key elements for consideration for successful negotiation in resolving conflict. It discusses information (on interests and power relationships), communication, options, alternatives, legitimacy, time and strategy as the critical elements of successful negotiation. Information The most important element of a successful negotiation process is information regarding the conflict between the parties. From the individual interests, the negotiator should then identify and share the shared interests between the parties to create common ground. The shared interests inform the options available in resolving the conflict in a manner satisfactory to all the parties.

The availability and identification of several options increase the successful resolution of the conflict. (Power) Relationships The relationship between the conflicting parties plays a critical role in negotiating the solution. According to Meerts (2015), the power relationships, in particular, determine the rigidity or flexibility of positions, the extent of aggressiveness and the negotiation technique itself. The negotiator should acknowledge and paraphrase what has been said by the conflicting parties to build trust and enhance common understanding. Tsay and Bazerman (2009) advise that negotiators need to develop the habit of listening not to respond but to understand and to speak to be understood not to be accepted. That understanding requires the choice of appropriate words and the use of the appropriate tone at the right time.

When the negotiator is part of the conflict, the negotiator should for themselves and avoid imputing motives and opinions on the other party. Last, the negotiator should speak with a purpose in mind. For instance, a stranger cannot have any credibility in negotiating a solution between two employees of an organization. The negotiator should be an employee of equal or senior cadre to the feuding parties for legitimacy. In establishing credibility in the role of negotiator, Khakhar and Ahmed (2017) assert that the negotiator should demonstrate fairness in equity in dealing with the parties. In other circumstances, the historical reputation of the negotiator can affect his or her credibility irrespective of the manner they can handle the particular negotiation. For instance, selecting a person known to profess one particular faith to negotiate between an inter-faith conflict denies the negotiator some credibility.

Brainstorming allows both parties to explore the choices they have to meet their interests. Each party should suggest as many options as possible without the input of the negotiator. At the initial phase of generation of options, the negotiator should not evaluate them but encourage many suggestions. The negotiator can then assess the options in a fair manner to assist the development of collective options that meet the interests of all parties. An evaluation of the options by all the parties to select the most appropriate leads to a high likelihood of reaching a consensus. Overall, an understanding of the available alternatives gives a negotiator confidence in pushing for their interests during the negotiations. Time The element of time in negotiation can swing the outcome and strategies involved drastically.

According to Dinnar and Susskind (2019), most negotiation settlements are reached in the last 20 per cent of the time available. The author, therefore, advises the negotiator to be patient and to keep his options and alternatives tight until the final period. In so doing, the other party lacks the luxury to manipulate the negotiator. Strategy (Style) The consideration of all the above elements presents the negotiator with the appropriate negotiating strategy or style. According to Malhotra (2015), approaching the negotiation without a strategy is the strategy for failure. The parties, situation, nature of the conflict, the time available, the options and alternatives available for all the parties are determinants of the negotiation strategy. According to Rich (2011), the common negotiation strategies are the competitive model and the collaborative model even though different authors assign them varying names.

The competitive strategy sets the parties n opposition with each other to maximize one party’s gains while maximizing the other party’s losses. Conclusion The successful negotiation process is a product of careful consideration of the elements of information, communication, legitimacy, options, alternatives, time and strategy. These elements are interrelated and they do not operate in isolation. The collection of information on the interests and power relationships of the parties influences the choice of the most appropriate negotiator for legitimacy. The options and alternatives inform the extent the negotiator will go in pushing for options. In the end, all the elements and other factors determine the strategy the negotiator chooses to employ. A proposed model for effective negotiation skill development.