Brief #2 Conflict & Negotioation

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Brief: Conflict and Negotiation Assignment 1 Brief: Personal Conflict Style Assignment Dameon Robinson Liberty University, Masters in Communication COMS560: Communication and Conflict Dr. John Katsion 09/24/2023 Executive Summary All-out calamity has ensued in a conflict between Colorado homeowners. The peace between neighbors has been interrupted due to an increasing problem with the water system in the neighborhood. The issue stems from an ongoing problem with pollutants in the water of the residents' in the high mountains. A road built by elected officials to transport heavy machinery to contribute to the polluted water has sparked outrage in the community and three groups were formed as a result of the decision to run this road through private property. - Group one : This group is known as the water-first group. They want clean water and a completely new well system. This group has also been pillars of the community in efforts to solve this problem for months.Their main goal is to bring in clean water with brand-
Brief: Conflict and Negotiation Assignment 2 new equipment to better the lives of the community. - Group two : This group mainly consists of second-generation homeowners in the community whose property was affected by the roads being built. This group can be considered the "road has to-go" group and prefer any solution over the partial destruction of their homes and environment. - Group three: There is typically a neutral party in most conflicts such as this. This group is turned off by how hostile the neighborhood has grown with each other. They are upset that a seemingly illegal road was built to fix the water problems and the problems remained. This group's main concern is maintaining peace and not ruining relationships between those who inhabit the neighborhood The purpose of this brief is to discuss the case study and the points of discussion for each group. This brief will use studies and theories regarding conflict and negotiation to determine which solutions would be best for the residents of the neighborhood as the struggle for clean water and peace between neighbors continues. A. Analysis Each group involved in the conflict of neighbors has valid reasoning for their feelings towards decisions being made in their neighborhoods. A decision being made without a meeting between the entire neighborhood is the first thing that was wrong during this process. When making decisions, the least officials' can do is make the citizens aware of changes being made in the communities they have to live in. If the officials overseeing the decision-making had agreed to have a meeting with the homeowners, they could have shared their opinions on what the solution should be, or try to come to a compromise that enables peace between the neighbors. The case study between neighbors is an example of conflict amongst groups. Fisher, Ury,
Brief: Conflict and Negotiation Assignment 3 and Patton (2006) discuss negotiating groups each having different interests. Group one's interest would be getting clean water at any means necessary. Group two would be interested in preserving their property as it has sentimental video as well as maintaining a clean environment. The third group's interest would align in keeping peace and keeping the neighborhood appealing and the relationships strong (pg. 14). The key to the negotiation in the conflict is not bargaining over the specific position (pg.4). The most important goal in the conflict is making sure the peace is kept between the community. It would be impossible to agree on a solution that satisfies all parties because of those looming conflicts of interests. The group will have to come up with what they believe to be most important. For example, if every group agrees that getting clean water as soon as possible is the most important thing, then the groups that want to have clean water without the property-damaging roads would have to negotiate with the officials. Combined with interests, negotiators also tend to have the goal of maintaining the relationships at hand as well (pg. 21). Negotiators in each group need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice in the agreement. The unfortunate truth is not every party will be satisfied with the final decision. Lederbach (2003) discusses conflict as a framework of confirmation. Peace is deeply rooted in conflict transformation. The case study deals with a neighborhood community of 35 families. These families have to learn to coexist in order to keep a friendly environment that their children can grow up in. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." This verse ties into the notion that it takes a village to raise a child. A peaceful community is a community that children can grow up in safely and securely.
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