Controlling the Costs of Conflict

KARL A. SLAIKEU is president of Chorda Conflict Management, a consulting and training company that specializes in conflict management systems. He has taught in the psychology departments of the University of South Carolina at Columbia and the University of Texas at Austin, and is the author of When Push Comes to Shove: A Practical Guide to Mediating Disputes (Jossey-Bass, 1996). RALPH H. HASSON is vice president of Chorda Conflict Management. He also serves in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches negotiation.

• Introduction. The Hidden Culprit of High Costs: Weak Systems. First Principle: Acknowledge Four Ways to Resolve Conflict. Defining Four Options. Weighing Costs and Risks of Each Method. Choosing an Approach to Conflict Management. The Preferred Path for Cost Control. Second Principle: Create Options for Prevention and EarlyIntervention. A Template for All Organizations. Applying the Template: Real Stories. Third Principle: Build Collaborative Strength Through SevenCheckpoints. Seven Checkpoints. Clarify Policy. Define Roles and Responsibilities. Revise Documents. Establish Selection Criteria. Provide Education and Training.Strengthen Support Systems. Evaluate the System. Fourth Principle: Use the Mediation Model to Build Cosensus AmongDecision Makers and Users. Assumptions About Change. Phase One: Draft a Blueprint. Phase Two: Implement the Plan. Phase Three: Review the System Annually. Conclusion. Conclusion: A Vision for Your Organization. Resource A: Glossary. Resource B: Ombudsman Code of Ethics and Standard Practices. Resource C: Skills Courses.

"Slaikeu and Hasson have outlined a thoughtful and accessibleconflict resolution blueprint for those companies that seek to beamong the employers of choice in the next century." --Wilbur Hicks,ombudsman, Shell Oil Company "Slaikeu and Hasson, who are practitioners as well as researchers,are for real. This systems-design book--finally--is about the nutsand bolts of what really has to be in a system. The checklists andbest-practice summaries will be helpful to all managers, and toeveryong who thinks about organizations in a systematic way."--Mary Rowe, MIT ombudsperson, and adjunct professor of negotiationand conflict management, MIT Sloan School of Management "Anyone interested in better understanding how to control the costsof conflict will find this book of significant value." --BenjaminW. Heineman Jr., senior vice president, general counsel andsecretary, General Electric