WHILE WE ARE KEEPING SOCIAL DISTANCE AND HAVE A LOT OF TIME ON OUR HANDS, LET’S DO SOME CONFLICT RESOLUTION…
CONFLICT COMPONENTS - POWER
Power in conflict resolution
Much below is excerpted/derived from Dissecting Power and How it Influences Conflict by Ellen Kandell
Power is the ability to influence an outcome or get a task completed. To understand power, it is vital to know the context in which it is being exerted and the other forces and influences in play. In the context of conflict, power is defined as the ability to get one’s needs met. For a conflict to exist each of those involved must have some degree of power and the ability to influence the outcome of the conflict.
Understanding Structural and Personal Power
Power is an elusive concept because it has so many manifestations. Everyone has many potential sources of power, most of which he or she is often unaware. Some are independent of the conflict while others can be enhanced or diminished by the process of conflict. Structural power is derived from the situation. One form of structural power is formal authority. Changes in structural power usually require systemic fixes. Personal power is inherent in the individual, their personal characteristics and traits. Personal power may come from communication skills, training or experience.
Key Types of Power
Formal: The authority given by an institution, by a set of laws or policies or by virtue of one’s position, such as school principal, board president or city council member.
Legal: Rights and choices defined by law or policy. Related are the resources a person has to pursue legal action.
Information: Data and knowledge. If one party to a conflict has information that the other doesn’t then they may have power in a conflict.
Association: This kind of power comes from the connection with other people or groups, such as political entities, trade associations or any other organization.
Resources: The ability to control resources whether tangible in the form of money, labor or time, or intangible, such as reputation and stamina, is a significant source of power
Rewards and sanctions: The ability to confer benefits or rewards and impose sanctions or penalties.
Morals: Power can flow from an appeal to the values, beliefs and ethics or from an attack on the values of those with whom you are in conflict.
Personal characteristics: This kind of power derives from an individual’s inherent make up, such as their perseverance, endurance, intelligence, communication skills, determination, and emotional and physical strength.
Some of these types of power are compatible with each other while others are not. For example:
A person with tangible resources may be effectively able to use the threat of a lawsuit to negotiate a settlement.
The use of an appeal to morals may not be effective if one doesn’t have personal characteristics to evoke this use of power.
In the workplace context, a manager may have formal authority based on her position which was obtained by virtue of her intellect but her power may be diminished if she doesn’t have the skills to manage people on her team.
The amount of power an individual has is less important than how effectively it is marshaled. According to Bernard Mayer in his book, The Dynamics of Conflict Resolution, “Sometimes it is important to use power to change a situation, and sometimes it is necessary to show a willingness to use power.” And sometimes is important to put clear power differences aside and create a more even playing field.
