Conflict and the rising threat to peace, safety, and security are the greatest preoccupation of individuals and nations in the crucible of the twenty-first century. Conflict has gone global in ways that no one would have imagined in an era of “sophisticated learning.” How does humanity shield itself against global conflict and unhappiness? Humanity has searched for answers for six thousand years of recorded human history.
Our twenty-first century has not ushered in international peace and harmony, nor has it achieved universal social and economic equity goals engendered by nations. Conflict is often a pre-cursor to war, genocide, hopelessness, poverty, hunger, depression, and other forms of suffering in the crucible of our postmodern world. Human problems grow more complex with each passing decade, such as trade wars, territorial wars, international terrorism, cyber wars, and wars for scarce resources. Listed below are fifteen general strategies to help avoid, mitigate, and manage conflict.
FIFTEEN GENERAL STRATEGIES TO HELP AVOID, MITIGATE, AND MANAGE CONFLICT
- Call upon a higher “Spiritual” power for guidance.
- Begin with a positive resolution to the conflict in mind.
- Know that you will learn a valuable lesson from the conflict.
- Mutually agree on the essential elements of the conflict.
- Consult with proven expertise to present your position.
- Approach the situation with a sociable predisposition.
- Maintain a positive conflict management mindset.
- Produce empirical data to validate your position.
- Maintain a positive conflict avoidance mindset.
- Know that conflict can have positive outcomes.
- Avoid making unsubstantiated assumptions.
- Dismiss any concept of winners and losers.
- Negotiate with fairness and transparency.
- Strive for calmness, openness, and objectivity.
- Strive for a mutually agreeable conflict resolution.
The above fifteen general strategies have the potency to resolve any conflict when the parties in the conflict are predisposed to an amicable resolution. They are not essential elements of the conflict, but they help to create a “potent” environment upon which to predicate a solution. Additionally, we provide the following seven steps depicted in the Generic Process Flow Chart 1. It augments the fifteen general strategies to avoid, mitigate, and manage conflict.
The high value of the Seven Steps Process to Manage Conflict (SSPMC) is when all involved in the conflict resolution are familiar with each step at a detailed level. Political leaders, social scientists, religious leaders, philosophers, academics, counselors, and global human rights organizations have been unable to stem the tide of conflict in the world. Our great efforts over the centuries have not sufficiently produced gross measurable statistical progress regarding a quantifiable reduction of conflict in the world. Conflict begins with the individual, and it extends within the family, to society, nation, and the international community of nations.
¹Extracted from: “Discovering Your Optimum ‘Happiness Index’ (OHI)” —A Self-Directed Guide to Your “Happiness Index” (HI) (Including Questionnaire and Self-Improvement [SI] Templates). © 2016 Errol A. and Marjorie G. Gibbs. All rights reserved.