Engaging communication in conflict : systemic practice / Stephen W. Littlejohn, Kathy Domenici.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Littlejohn, Stephen W.

Contributor:

Domenici, Kathy.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conflict management.

Communication.

Interpersonal conflict.

Interpersonal communication.

Physical Description:

xv, 240 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Thousand Oaks : Sage Publications, [2001]

Summary:

Written from the authors' experience in conflict intervention in their private consulting practice, Engaging Communication in Conflict uses a communication perspective to address insights and methods in private mediation, small group facilitation, system design, large-scale interventions, and public-issue management. This book offers encouragement for a world sometimes overwhelmed by conflict and presents an expanded and pragmatic definition of peace.

Stephen Littlejohn and Kathy Domenici discuss numerous methods and principles in conflict resolution. They explore transformative mediation, the team mediation system, assessment and evaluation, systemic design, gaming methodology, issue framing and public deliberation, study circles, dialogue groups, and many other interventions. These methods and principles are adapted from a spectrum of theory and practice and include fresh and innovative approaches designed by the authors and their colleagues.

Contents:

Part I Basic Commitments

1. Constructing Conflict 3

How Conflicts Are Made 3

Talking About Difference 4

Why Talk Matters 5

Our Conflict Worlds 6

Living With It: The World of Avoidance 6

Working It Out: The World of Negotiation 7

Expanding the Conversation by Intervention 7

Going to Battle: The World of Litigation 7

Going to War: The World of Violence 9

A Conversation of Opportunity 9

Finding New Ways of Exploring Differences 11

Building Relationships 12

Creating Positive Futures 13

The Communication Perspective 14

Communication Is More Than a Tool 14

Thinking Systemically 16

Toward an Ethic of Conflict Management 23

2. Dialogue 25

What Is Dialogue? 25

Dialogue Honors Relationships 26

Risk and Safety in Dialogue 28

Dialogue as a Constructive Conversation 33

Treating People Like People 33

Taking Time to Explore 34

Taking Turns at Listening 35

Asking Questions 38

Speaking Dialogically 44

Being Profoundly Open 46

Outcomes of Dialogue in Conflict Management 48

Discovering the Heart of the Matter 48

Building Respect 49

Defusing Polarization 49

Building a Context for Collaboration 50

Using Dialogue Creatively 50

Part II Conflict in Small Systems

3. Mediating Private Disputes 55

Entering the System: Communication Goals 56

Thinking Relationally About Mediation 59

Mediation as Collaborative Communication 62

Introducing Mediation 64

Caucuses 66

Mediation: Hard or Soft 67

Thinking Systemically About Mediation 68

Working With Stories 68

Some Common Metastories of Mediation 70

The negative story of confusion and the positive story of empowerment 70

The negative story of disrespect and the positive story of recognition 71

The negative story of blame and the positive story of respect 71

The negative story of competition and the positive story of cooperation 71

The negative story of "being stuck" and the positive story of "moving forward" 72

The negative story of disorganization and the positive story of order 72

The negative story of indecision and the positive story of commitment 73

The negative story of rage and the positive story of passion 73

Working in Mediation: The Construction Triangle 74

Building Empowerment and Recognition 74

Helping People Talk So Others Will Listen 76

Helping People Listen So Others Will Talk 79

Building Community Consciousness 81

Raising Awareness of Connections 82

Constructing Community Through Appreciative Inquiry 83

Building Commitment 85

Issue Framing 85

Deliberation 86

4. Working With Groups and Teams 89

The Team Concept 89

Mediation and Teams 91

The Team Mediation System (TMS) 93

Creating an Environment for the Team Mediation System 94

Safe Environment 94

Collaborative Communication 96

Power Management 97

Process Management 98

Facework 101

Putting the Team Mediation System to Work 104

Listening 105

Acknowledging 108

Responding 112

Committing 113

Resources You Can Use 118

Part III Moving to More Complex Systems

5. Constructing Conflict Management Systems 121

Some Basic Approaches to System Design 122

A Systems Approach to Design 125

System Principles 125

Establishing a Systemic Mediation System: The Case of Advanced Micro Devices 127

Revisiting the Five Characteristics of Constructive Conflict Management 129

Collaboration 130

Power Management 130

Process Management 131

Face Management 133

Safe Environment 135

Five Characteristics in Action: Working in Argentina 136

A System in Formation 140

6. Large-Scale Interventions 147

A Gaming Metaphor 149

Games and Communication 150

Prosperity Games 152

How Prosperity Games Work 153

Designing a Game 154

Levels of Game Play 158

Playing a Prosperity Game 159

Evaluation 162

Other Prosperity Games 163

Beyond Prosperity Games: Advancing the Communication Perspective 166

7. Working With Public Issues 168

Camping Up and Striking Out 169

Community as System 171

Safety and Appreciation 173

Constructing Safe Environments 173

The Appreciative Turn 181

Making Spaces for Constructive Public Conversation 183

Gaining Ownership: Collaborative Issue Framing 183

Avoiding the Commonplace: Creative Public Meetings 185

Giving Careful Consideration: Public Deliberation 188

Getting Personal: Study Circles and Dialogue Groups 189

Building Capacity: Public Training Events 191

Part IV Toward Better Social Worlds

8. A Conversation With Friends 197

Expanding the Conversation 201

On Self-Insight 201

On Self-Trust 202

On Self and Other 203

On Coherence 204

On Human Potential 205

On Ordinary Experience 206

On Language and Action 207

On Democracy 208

On Time 209

On Openness 210

Joining the Conversation 211

Appendix Principled Practice: On Theory-Based Intervention 213.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-232) and index.

ISBN:

0761921869

0761921877

OCLC:

43894066