Conflict

Teaching Model: Nonviolent transformation of conflict

KMAadmin — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:08:16 -0600

This framework teaching model evolved from the curriculum development workshop ‘Developing Teaching Resources on the Nonviolent Transformation of Conflict’, held in response to requests from academicians and leaders of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) after visits by faculty and staff of the University for Peace (UPEACE) Africa Programme in 2002. The University of Natal’s Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies Programme hosted the workshop in Durban, South Africa, 27–31 October 2003. Its sponsors included the University for Peace, affiliated with the UN, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). It was the first of a series of activities aimed at developing materials and an institutional network for peace and conflict studies programmes throughout Africa. The forty-three conference participants included scholars and
administrators from various disciplines representing seventeen African universities and relevant NGOs.

The primary goal of this framework teaching model is to increase the teaching of peace and conflict studies across the African continent, in particular teaching the nonviolent transformation of conflict. This model can be used as the basis of a course within an existing peace studies programme, as the nucleus of a new peace programme, as a supplement to an existing course in history or political science, or as an independent subject. The topics discussed lend themselves to the development of additional courses. The readings and photographs presented here are copyrighted, but all other material may be freely reproduced.

KM for Conflict & Change Management

Conflict and Passive Aggression

KMAadmin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:51:56 -0600

In terms of aggressive behaviours, one could imagine a continuum between Active Aggression (which includes violence & brutality) and Passive Aggression. Passive-aggressive behaviour refers to passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to authoritative instructions in interpersonal or occupational situations. Sometimes a method of dealing with stress or frustration, it results in the person attacking other people in subtle, indirect, and seemingly passive ways. It can manifest itself as resentment, stubbornness, procrastination, sullenness, or intentional failure at doing requested tasks. For example, someone who is passive-aggressive might take so long to get ready for a party they do not wish to attend, that the party is nearly over by the time they arrive.

Someone who engages in passive-aggresive behavior typically won't confront others directly about problems, but instead will attempt to undermine their confidence or their success through comments and actions which, if challenged, can be explained away innocently so as not to place blame on the passive-aggressive person.

In some instances, the passive-aggressive may solicit the confidence of others as to their ability to perform duties, and then purposely sabotage those duties through procrastination or mishandling responsibility. Subsequent demands for performance are laid aside with claims of interference by the demanding parties or some other condition outside the control of the influence of the person who is engaging in passive-aggression, when in fact the delays and poor performance are due to the person's internal perception that to perform the task at another's demand is a demeaning insult to them. The omission of performance leaves the person in control of the situation, and allows that person to continue the aggressive behavior toward others. In cases where passive-aggression behaviors may indicate a personality disorder, these behaviours can persist even if it means personal loss to the passive-aggressive person, i.e. job loss or loss of esteem by others.

Some passive-aggressive behaviour may result from society's conditioning of individuals; direct confrontation can lead to harmful consequences. For example, confronting one's manager may lead to the loss of opportunities, such as being passed over for a promotion or even losing one's job. Not all passive-agressive behavior is problematic or a sign of a disorder.

Often passive-aggressive behavior manifests itself in individuals who view themselves as "peaceful." These individuals feel that expressing their anger through passive-aggressive behaviour is morally favorable to direct confrontation. Indeed, there are many cases where passive-agressive behavior may be more effective than direct confrontation, so many times individuals who are engaging in passive-aggresive behavior are acting rationally.

Passive-aggressive personality disorder is a controversial personality disorder proposal, said to be marked by a pervasive pattern of negative attitudes and passive resistance in interpersonal or occupational situations.

A passive-aggressive may not have all of these behaviours, and may have other non-passive-aggressive traits.

Ambiguity
Avoiding responsibility by claiming forgetfulness
Blaming others & not taking responsibility
Chronic lateness and forgetfulness
Complaining
Does not express hostility or anger openly
Fear of competition
Fear of dependency
Fear of intimacy
Fears authority
Fosters chaos
Intentional inefficiency
Making excuses and lying
Obstructionism
Not returning email or telephone messages
Avoiding eye contact
Using BCC: on email messages
Procrastination
Resentment
Resists suggestions from others
Sarcasm
Sullenness

"Merely being passive-aggressive isn't a disorder but a behaviour — sometimes a perfectly rational behavior, which lets you dodge unpleasant chores while avoiding confrontation. It's only pathological if it's a habitual, crippling response reflecting a pervasively pessimistic attitude". Cecil Adams

When the behavior is part of a disorder, the lack of repercussions resulting from passive-aggressive behaviour can lead to an unchecked continual attack, albeit passive, on one's acquaintances. The treatment of this disorder can be difficult, mostly because efforts to convince the person that they have this problem are met with resistance, and the passive-aggressive will frequently leave a treatment regimen claiming that it did no good. Since the effectiveness of various therapies have yet to be proven, these individuals may be correct.

In the psychoanalytic theory of transactional analysis, many types of passive-aggressive behavior are interpreted as "games" with a hidden psychological payoff, and are classified into stereotypical scenarios with names like "See What You Made Me Do" and "Look How Hard I've Tried".

Compiled using DSMIV and Wikipedia

KM for Conflict & Change Management

Using African knowledge to promote positive outcomes in conflict situations

DriesVelt — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:43:43 -0600

An overview of conflict using African conflict resolution initiatives as a case study of KM for conflict resolution, revealed that the methods used by African institutions are not adequate to manage knowledge to eradicate the causes of conflict, provide early warning of conflict, or produce a synthetic knowledge product for wise decisions and successful actions. However, the literature alerted the researcher to a few important themes related to the research problem that will serve as focus for field research to learn additional KM principles and practices that could be applied to conflict resolution. The following themes were identified to investigate how knowledge of Africa should be managed to promote positive outcomes for Africa:

Theme 1: The Use of African Knowledge Systems to Prevent Conflict. The indigenous knowledge systems of Africa present KM practices that could be used for conflict prevention and learning. Especially the value system of Ubuntu provides valuable principles to prevent and resolve conflict.
Theme 2: The Finding of Collective Middle Ground (CMG) through KM. In Africa, the collective middle ground between civil society, trans-national organisations and state structures implies the merging of global knowledge with indigenous knowledge in a horizontal power relationship of equal sharing and control, in the spirit of Ubuntu, to find solutions to and prevent conflicts in Africa. Especially the way in which African knowledge systems and knowledge systems from outside the continent develop an equal complementary relationship to resolve conflict, is of vital importance.
Theme 3: A Universal Network of Collective KM. The desired KM situation in Africa is a sphere of interactive networks, chains and formal centres of knowledge linking intellectual and social capital of global, continental structures, regional structures, state structures, civil society, traditional communities (with special emphasis on the empowerment of historically marginalised communities), community organisations and public citizens. The network is founded on the relationship of horizontal power equilibrium in the spirit of an "universal Ubuntu" The purpose is to blend knowledge, to learn from the new blend of indigenous knowledge as a method of self-empowerment to prevent conflict and overcome the other challenges of Africa. This includes equal participation in the dynamic trans-national environment to empower and restore the power equilibrium and convergence between the north and the historically marginalised Africa, maintaining the choice to collaborate or not, especially in ventures such as conflict prevention.
Theme 4: Constraints to Collective KM. In Africa, the constraints of collective KM that need to be removed are continued reluctance to share because of exclusive objectives, the notion to protect because of distrust, the persisting vertical power-relationship between major powers and Africa, lack of objectivity in the merging of insights, time management, limitations on enabling capacity and communication (including language differences). These challenges need to be addressed by the intervention of visionary leadership, capable managers and innovative experts, facilitating the timely blending of all resources (human and physical) to prevent conflict or to support longer-term peace plans.
Theme 5: Policy Frameworks, Strategy, Plans and KM. Policy frameworks, strategies, and action plans must be in place to enable KM in both society and business. KM is part of long-term visions such as Ubuntu, the African Renaissance philosophy, medium-term sector strategies of NEPAD and trans-national business, and the operational and business plans of all entities. The management of knowledge for specific programmes is monitored with suitable instruments to ensure timely and wise decisions for action. Consciousness of human rights and security, and conflict prevention, which is the podium for all other ventures that may lead to an African Renaissance, persists. These frameworks must provide for the protection of all knowledge including indigenous knowledge. Instruments must be developed to ensure a realistic trade-off between the responsibility for sharing and protection, ensuring tangible compensation or advantages for African society for participation in collective KM.
Theme 6: Knowledge Production. The ideal knowledge product contains a synthesis of indigenous African knowledge (including information that is the result of tacit knowledge in oral or symbolic format that was processed to be tangible) and tangible knowledge inputs from as many other participants in the network that reflect all possible worldviews. The new holistic product must be subjected to interpretation by a panel of wise people and disseminated to effect timely and defendable decisions and actions to change a situation, e.g. a conflict situation.
Theme 7: A Culture of Learning. In Africa, intellectual capital is developed through a culture of learning and reconstructing the approach to education, which develops wise leaders, capable managers, and facilitators as well as expert knowledge workers who understands the interrelatedness and interdependence of knowledge systems. Relevant learning empowers and enhances trans-disciplinary insight, cultural understanding, knowledge awareness and positive perceptions about others. Intellectual capital includes people who can work together in multi-disciplinary groups, COPs and knowledge centres and the creative utilization of ICT and traditional methods for effective communication to enhance networking, including communication with centres situated on the periphery of states and in historically marginalised communities. People must be able to gather data, process it into explicit information, analyse it and jointly interpret knowledge.
This work is (c)opyright to Dr Dries Velthuizen African Wisdom site and is used with permission.
- KM for Conflict & Change Management

Strategic Directions of Conflict

storytelling — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:11:13 -0600

A clear understanding of the strategies and tactics available in conflict situations is vital for both facilitators and participants in conflict. The ability to engage conflict in a proactive, measured and rational way is vital in helping achieve your objectives, and so it is important to understand some of the available strategies and tactics beforehand:

Avoidance this is a classic passive aggressive strategy and includes postponement, control process, resorting to formal rules , equivocation , ignoring the conflict , 'fogging' or misunderstanding the position and the argument
Maintain quid-pro-quo or eye-for-an-eye conflict that brings up the injustices of the past and the associated emotions, agreeing on rules for maintenance going forward
Reduce inquire , fragment , compromise, write research & position papers, compromise, develop “strategic ambiguity”, create partnerships, highlight common interest
Escalate expanding the issue, blaming, labelling & naming, attacking personalities, threats, formation of coalitions, “winner takes” all approach
Initiate useful to destract / attract attention as a 'red herring'
Reframe involves renaming or re-labelling the core issue, problem or the 'enemy', it is also useful to reframe what you understand by the word 'conflict' and where this comes from
Resolution a conflict situation resolved to the benefit of all is traditionally the goal of conflict management interventions but in reality conflict is a normal aspect of organisational and interpersonal relationships

Conflict is a characteristic of all situations where there are unequal distributions of power. Rather than being seen in a completely negative light, it is important to understand that groups cannot function effectively without conflict, that not all conflicts can be resolved and that conflicts don’t necessarily occur because people don’t understand - they understand perfectly but don’t agree with the position.

Based on the Creative Conflict Management workshop Trans4mation Blog (c) used with permission.

KM for Conflict & Change Management

Reframing Conflict

storytelling — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:09:13 -0600

The way in which we define something has a tremendous impact in our approach to that subject - this is as true for the term KM as it is for conflict. Here we present some ideas for facilitators that may stimulate a different and more creative experience of conflict:

Defining conflict

“An expressed struggle between at least 2 interdependent parties, who perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals.”
"a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns"
"state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war."
"A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.
"A psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or tendencies." (Psychology)
"Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.

There are many different definitions of conflict available to you - what is important to consider is that you need a definition of conflict that is empowering to yourself. I recall in a workshop for a financial services company some years ago, participants were invited to provide their own personal definitions of conflict and one particularly enthusiastic individual from the DRC immediately opined; "For me, I define conflict as success". When pressed further, he revealed that this definition came from his own personal experience and that whenever he found himself in a situation of conflict, he would 'get what he wanted'. Therefore for him, conflict equaled success. He admitted later that as he had realised this fact early on in his life, he would often stimulate a conflict situation so that he could 'get what he wanted'. He later became CEO of the company. This also hints that an unusual and productive attitude to conflict is an important tool for management and leadership for initiating change of a certain kind and getting things done. It also suggests why many people are conflict-averse; conflict always precedes change.

Behaviours related to conflict can be said to exist on a continuum and range between Passive Aggression to Active Aggression/Violence. Irrespective of how it manifests, a situation of unresolved conflict can have a profound and negative impact on participants. The words we use to frame conflict have much to do with our experience of conflict. It is likely that our earliest experiences of conflict and its emotional content came from our home of origin. Any subsequent experience of conflict and its emotions can evoke early childhood memories making a conflict situation difficult to handle for many people.

Steve Banhegyi steve@storytelling.co.za

Based on the Creative Conflict Management Workshop by Steve Banhegyi & Associates (c) used with permission.

The Continental Early Warning System

DriesVelt — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:23:06 -0600

The premise of conflict prevention is that conflict can be averted through the building of trust between role players, coalition formation and negotiated settlements. Conflict prevention mechanisms must be in place, supported by early warning and risk assessment systems. Perhaps the most important integrated project for creating a peaceful and secure environment for African development is the establishment of a CEWS of the AU. According to the Protocol of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), timely information collected through a CEWS will be used by the Peace and Security Council on potential conflicts and threats to peace and security in Africa. The CEWS will be linked to regional situation rooms. Decisions on the best course of action will be based on this intelligence, and should preventive diplomacy fail, peacekeepers may be deployed to prevent violence. At present, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (the most developed system), have plans in place for sub-regional early warning systems, in different stages of development. The CEWS is specifically mandated to collaborate with the United Nations, its agencies, other relevant international organisations, research centres, academic institutions and NGOs. Although the Protocol requires that meetings of the PSC be to be closed, the PSC may consult with civil society organisations in relating to conflict situations. A 'Draft Roadmap' is developed to establish the CEWS. The analytical and mediating capacity of the CEWS is increasing to culminate with the establishment of the Panel of the Wise. (AU 2005).

During an AU workshop on the CEWS in 2003, some concerns were expressed. Because the analytical dichotomy between intra-state and inter-state conflict is not clear in Africa, early warning tends to focus on intra-state conflicts. Furthermore, the concern was expressed that time constraints associated with early warning have policy implications, delimit the extent of knowledge on conflict and determine prospects of whether intervention will be successful or not. Therefore, an early warning mechanism must focus on both long-term aspects of conflicts and their prevention. Moreover, the importance of group thinking was identified. The homogeneity of a group can drive the use of the information, especially the interpretation of and action on the information. (AU 2003).

According to Schneider (2004) the capacity to prevent forms the core of early warning. Governments and intergovernmental organisations need all the help they can get. As budgets tend to shrink, there seems to be less capacity than ever to track and monitor fragile situations and conflicts in the making. As a result, there is a larger role to be played by non-governmental role players including the media and NGOs. NGOs can produce ground-level information and analysis and communicate instantly through laptops, satellite linkages and the internet. That information can be used to build a prevention strategy.

Anderini and Nyheim (1998) argue that there is a co-ordination problem between information gatherers, analysts, decision-makers, and field workers. Among organisations, there is still some reluctance to share information or act on the information gathered by others. Organisations cannot automatically trust every source, so unless the information comes from their own workers, or from reliable sources, little action will be taken. Priorities also differ. While one is warning about an impending crisis in one region, another organisation is active in a different area, and will not or cannot respond immediately to the warning. Even when there is a response, there may be conflicts of interest and little co-operation. Decision-makers and information analysts aim to maintain objectivity and may not know what the most appropriate responses are. Their counterparts in the region and the local population are best placed to identify the necessary responses but their perspective may not be entirely objective or impartial. Consequently, the action taken is often inadequate, of no benefit, or in the worst cases, actually serves to heighten a crisis.

During a meeting of governmental Experts on Early Warning and Conflict Prevention (2006) it was found that a number of African Community Service Organisations (CSOs) are active in the areas of analysis, research, publication and advocacy, with a huge potential to contribute in the conceptualization and designing of a new security architecture for the continent. If their analyses of conflicts derive from indigenous sources, it would be valuable tools for in-depth analysis of conflicts and the development of appropriate response mechanisms. CSOs could also alert the regional body of conflicts, the factors that encourage escalation and the trigger mechanisms that cause violence. Active collaboration with such CSOs would also assist in profiling and database management. A number of indigenous 'think-tanks' have actually made positive and practical contributions to policy development at both the regional and sub-regional levels, through active collaboration with the AU (and OAU before it) and other sub-regional bodies. Currently several African CSOs are building considerable capacity in this area. Such 'think- tanks' can be mobilized to conduct research for, and on behalf of, the AU in current and potential conflict zones. Importantly also, they can help to disseminate the work of the AU among key constituencies through their publications and other outreach activities.

An evaluation of the CEWS confirmed that global and regional interaction, and even networking with civil society and non-governmental entities is important to enable data gathering, including data from IKS, and a constant flow of information that can be shared in a spirit of willing collaboration and inputs from all role-players. Furthermore, the variable of time constraints is identified in the processing of data and information and the creation of new knowledge. To produce holistic knowledge takes time, and flexible procedure has to be implemented to allow for early dissemination of knowledge that prevents conflict or that can initiate a specific conflict resolution or management action. However, the reluctance to share and the absence of objectivity among analysts are variables to be managed by managers, who are made responsible for facilitating synergy and convergence. Again, the roles of visionary leaders, who must apply their 'higher minds' to ensure that insights from all stakeholders, including indigenous knowledge, are merged and used in time to prevent conflict, are confirmed. Leaders and 'wise people' must ensure that a horizontal equilibrium is maintained during interaction, preventing that the views of one region or institution dominates the whole, while preventing central control, aspects that would prevent early warning and effective action to resolve conflict.

This work is (c)opyright to Dr Dries Velthuizen African Wisdom site and is used with permission.

KM for Conflict & Change Management

Fluid Populations.Porous Borders: Can Regional Emergency Early Warning mechanisms mitigate impact of disasters? Miss H.N.Nyabola

KMAadmin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:25:29 -0600

TITLE: Fluid Populations. Porous Borders: Can a Regional Emergency Early Warning mechanism mitigate against the impact of disaster situations? (working title)

AUTHOR: Miss H. Nanjala Nyabola

ORGANISATION: The University of Oxford

POSTAL ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 61666
Nairobi 00200
KENYA

The goal of this paper is to make a case for the development of an integrated early warning mechanism for conflict and emergency situations (including flooding, droughts and cross-border aggression) in East Africa. Operating from a political economy approach, it will first give a political economic background of the town of Mandera in Kenya that will be used as the case study for the paper. Mandera is selected due to its location with porous borders to Ethiopia and Somalia on either side, a location that has made it not only the base for relief efforts into the two country, but also a gateway for arms and illegal substances into Kenya and from there, the rest of Africa. Thus to understand Mandera and its linkages to Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia is to understand the complex linkages between the three countries and their potential to either exacerbate or ameliorate conflict in the region.

Next, the paper will construct a theoretical framework to justify the creation of such an early warning mechanism and suggest a rudimentary theoretical and institutional constitution of such a mechanism. To do so, it will firstly emphasise the increasing awareness of the interconnectivity of conflicts as reflected by significant shifts in approaches to conflict in the United Nations System. Subsequently, it will highlight the critical indicators that should go into constructing such a mechanism. Finally, it will use this proposed mechanism to highlight the ways in which shortcomings existing responses to emergencies in Somalia and Ethiopia contributed to the current emergency in Mandera, and the ways in which this feeds into insecurity in Nairobi and beyond.

In this way, it will be argued that it is impossible to effectively manage the impact of conflicts on populations and economies, particularly in Africa, characterised by fluid populations and porous borders, without a knowledge collection and management framework. Without such a framework, the goal will continue to be managing versus ending conflicts, preventing East Africa from repositioning itself as a region of great potential but minimal realisation.

KM & Governance