Why should you resolve conflict?
The main goal of negotiation with your opposition is to come to an agreement that benefits all parties.
Some other good reasons to negotiate are:
- To understand more about those whose ideas, beliefs, and backgrounds may be different from your own. In order to resolve a conflict, you’ll need to look at the conflict from your opponent’s point of view and learn more about this person or group’s perspective and motivations.
- To ensure that your relationships with opponents continue and grow. If you make peace with your opponents, you increase your own allies personally or in the general community. Successful negotiations pave the way for smooth relationships in the future.
- To find peaceful solutions to difficult situations. Full-blown battles use up resources — time, energy, good reputation, and motivation. By negotiating, you avoid wasting these resources, and you may actually make new allies and find new resources!
Conflict resolution is appropriate for almost any disagreement. Our daily lives offer plenty of opportunities for negotiation – between parents and children, co-workers, friends, etc., and as a result, you probably already have a variety of effective strategies for resolving minor conflicts. But for more serious conflicts, and conflicts between groups rather than individuals, you may need some additional skills.
