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Constructive Conflict Guide >
Civic Knowledge and Skills That We All Need to Constructively Handle Intractable Conflict >
Constructive Confrontation: Handling Conflict More Constructively from an Advocacy Perspective
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BI Article
The Power Strategy Mix --- Empowering the Pursuit of the Common Good
Power is not just force. It is the ability to get things done. And that usually is maximized by using integrative as well as exchange power to encourage collaboration whenever possible. Force should be reserved for the most extreme cases only.
BI Article
Business As Usual-4: Power and the Power Strategy Mix
Power sources and power strategies are different--knowing what power sources you have and your optimal "power strategy mix" is key.
BI Article
Power
If power were one-dimensional, we could agree who has more and who has less. However, we are often surprised when a seemingly less powerful party holds a more powerful party at bay. This essay discusses both potential and actual power, the forms power can take, and its role in causing and solving intractable conflicts.
BI Article
Reprise: The Power Strategy Mix --- Empowering the Pursuit of the Common Good
Power takes three forms that can be mixed and matched: coercion, exchange, and integration. The "recipe" for the optimal "power strategy mix" changes depending on whom you are trying to influence.
Related Folders
The Complex Nature of Power
Power is not just the ability to force someone to do something against their will. It is also the ability to influence others through mutually beneficial exchanges and persuasion.
Related Folders
Constructive Confrontation: Handling Conflict More Constructively from an Advocacy Perspective
Fundamental conflict resolution strategies are useful for advocates, as well as for neutral third parties. To the extent you can advocate for your side more effectively, the more likely you will be successful in gaining what you want. The more you generate push back from destructive strategies, the less likely you are to succeed.
News and Opinion
Why Force Fails -- The Dismal Track Record of U.S. Military Interventions
A follow-up on our newsletter on the power strategy mix and the limited utility of force. This article on US military failures over the last 75 years