Root Causes​

Successful conflict resolution involves proper and thorough analysis of identifying what are the root causes and the true issues. Often in conflict, we may talk about one thing being the cause but there may be a deeper cause that is not being talked about. For example, a conflict over a piece of land may not be exactly about the dirt and rocks and location. It may be connected to pride, to security, to beliefs or values. If we can get to the root causes of the conflict, we understand that there are multiple ways to find solutions. Let’s take the classic conflict resolution  story tool of the orange. In this story, there is only one orange and another one cannot be bought. Two people say they need the orange and do not want anything else but the orange. What do they do? They can split the orange but each complains that they only got half of what they need so there is resentment because neither got what they wanted. If we dig deeper and ask the two WHY they need the orange, the root causes become clearer. One wants to eat the orange because she is hungry and the other needs the peel of the orange in a recipe. The focus changed from the orange (the issue) to what the orange does for each of them (the interests).  Roger Fisher and William Ury in their book Getting to Yes, recommend focusing on interests and not positions. The position is that I need the orange. The interest is what I need it for. Positions are almost never negotiable. Understanding the interests behind the position allows for negotiation and compromise. Interest based  conflict resolution  may not always result in pure win-win results but position based almost always results in win-lose results.

Understanding values
Another way to understand how a conflict arises is the issue of values. Values are the same from person to person and culture to culture. But the importance of each value differs for each person and for each culture.  Here is a short explanation that helps illustrate values and how they can contribute to conflict: