Page 330 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Managing Conflict in the Small Group 313

Negotiating Principled Agreement
Most task-oriented groups must resolve conflict for the group’s goals to be met.
A variety of techniques designed help groups manage conflict. We especially like the
principled negotiation procedure because it is consistent with all the ethical principles
we have outlined earlier, is extremely effective, and emphasizes good communication
skills, especially listening. Principled negotiation is an all-purpose strategy that encour- Principled Negotiation
ages all participants in a conflict situation to collaborate by expressing their needs A general strategy
and searching for alternatives that meet those needs. It is called “principled” because that enables parties
70
it is based on ethical principles that encourage users to remain decent individuals and in a conflict to
not act in ways that will damage the relationship among them. express their needs
The guidelines in the principled negotiation procedure are consistent with com- openly and search
71
munication behaviors that produce integrative outcomes. Exchanging information, for alternatives to
asking questions instead of making demands, and foregoing rigid, inflated positions meet the needs of all
help bargainers attain integrative outcomes. Appropriate communication techniques parties without
alone help bargainers attain integrative outcomes regardless of their initial damaging their
relationships.
orientations. In addition, this type of negotiation will not harm the relationship
among participants and frequently improves it. We particularly like it because it recog-
nizes the major elements that enter into conflict—perceptions, emotions, behaviors,
and interaction among individuals—and acknowledges that each must be considered.
The group leader, an outside consultant, or members themselves can use the
procedure. Here are the four steps:
1. Separate the people from the problem.
In most conflicts, the content of the disagreement becomes tangled with the rela-
tionship among the participants. Each should be dealt with directly and separately.
Give all parties the opportunity to explain, without interference, how they perceive
the conflict and how they feel about it. Parties should share perceptions as they
try to put themselves into each other’s shoes. If emotions run high, allow them to
be vented. Do not overreact to emotional outbursts, but listen actively and show
by your actions as well as your words that you care about the needs of the other
members with whom your interests conflict. The goal is not to become bosom
buddies with the other party to a conflict (although that may happen) but to
develop a good working relationship characterized by mutual respect. 72
2. Focus on interests, not positions.
When group members stake out certain positions (“I insist that we have an
educational speaker!”), they become attached to those positions rather than the
original needs the positions were designed to meet. However, rigidly adhering to
73
initial positions prevents discovery of a solution. When group members stick
to their positions, decision quality is impaired, but when they exchange facts
and reasons why, decision quality improves. For example, we discussed earlier
the committee that debated closing the food service facility at 5 pm. One side’s
position was that the snack bar must be closed, but the other side’s position was
that the snack bar must be kept open. These two positions are incompatible,
and there is no way to reconcile them—in their present form, one must win and
one must lose. However, when group members started to explore the interests
behind the positions (the desire to save money and the desire to meet needs of

gal37018_ch11_291_320.indd 313 3/28/18 12:38 PM