Constructive Confrontation: Handling Conflict More Constructively from an Advocacy as well as an Intermediary Perspective

6. Civic Knowledge and Skills

Constructive Confrontation has been a concept we have been developing since the early days of the Consortium, when we discovered that many of our advocate friends had little interest in "conflict resolution," but they had a great deal of interest in learning how to engage in conflicts constructively. We argued then, and continue to point out now, that there is a great deal of overlap between those two approaches. Constructive Confrontation is a way of applying the fundamental insights from the conflict resolution and peacebuilding fields to the realm of advocacy. Doing, so most, often makes advocacy more effective, as it doesn't create that backlash that adversarial advocacy tends to create.

Constructive confrontation has five principle steps (and a number of sub-steps), all drawn from conflict resolution (and conflict transformation, and dispute resolution) theory and practice.

1. Figure out what is really going on. It’s never just “their fault.” We advocate separating out "core issues" from "overlaying factors," and considering one's own "contribution" to the problem.

2. Determine your goals, interests, values and needs. And for those value differences, consider how you might be able to set up a situation where everyone will be able to live their life according to their own values. Also consider changes that need to be made to assure that everyone's fundamental needs (particularly identity, security, and recognition) can be met. Short of that, destructive conflict is likely to continue.

3. Envision your desired future and decide if there is a place in it for “them.” If there isn't a place for "them," you are again setting yourself up for a protracted, destructive conflict that might well pose a serious threat to your well being too. Far better to figure out a future in which everyone would want to live.

4. Plan your strategy — What approach(es) are most likely to help you attain your goals and your desired future? This is where the sub-steps come in.

Effective strategies will figure out how to reduce escalation, mis- and disinformation, and other overlaying factors.
They will use interest-based processes to address the core as much as possible, turning to rights-based, and then power-based approaches only when the earlier approaches have failed.
When turning to power-based approaches, constructive confrontation stresses the use of an optimal "power-strategy mix," using first integrative power, then exchange power, and coercive power only as a last resort, and doing so in legitimate ways.
We also suggest "looking at your strategy in the mirror." If there other side used that strategy against you, would you be angry? If so, the strategy you are planning needs a re-do.

5. Implement your plan, monitoring responses as you go, and modifying your actions accordingly.

6. Set up a means to monitor and encourage compliance with agreements, and have a plan if agreements aren’t followed. Make sure that you live up to any commitments that you make also.