A Brief History of Conflict

Conflict is and has always been an unavoidable part of human civilisation. In the early days of the human race, conflict was mostly centered on access to vital resources such as sources of food and members of the opposite sex. In some ways, little has changed.

What has changed is the level of sophistication of human societies, and along with that, the nature of the 'vital resources' over which we compete. Whilst some sources of conflict may never change - sexual competition springs to mind - others are becoming less and less important throughout the developed world. Unfortunately, new reasons for conflict are found all the time, and one of the biggest of the modern age is access to infrastructure (such as telecommunications and education services).

Just as conflict has been instrumental in shaping the course of the world as we know it, so too has conflict resolution. Human beings are naturally sociable creatures, and as much as we battle amongst ourselves for supremacy and status, we share a fundamental desire to live harmoniously with one another. The ability to communicate complex ideas and act as a unit is a large part of what separates us from other animals. To ensure that the human race reaps the rewards of teamwork, compromise has been a long-standing feature of the social enterprise of humanity.

Conflict resolution has taken as many different forms as conflict itself. Common approaches to conflict resolution include negotiation, mediation, diplomacy, and creative peace building. As social-scientific enterprise, there are a number of different theories and models that underpin conflict resolution, but the important point is that any measure taken to ameliorate a dispute qualifies. Whether that measure takes the form of a bunch of flowers bought for an offended spouse or a large-scale international mediation during sectarian violence, it may help to resolve a conflict and therefore it qualifies.

In business terms, conflict resolution is generally synonymous with mediation. When an agency advertises conflict resolution services, it is usually offering the services of an independent and impartial mediator to help resolve a dispute in the workplace. Mediation in the workplace is increasingly seen as a preferable alte
ative to formal court proceedings, for example tribunals, in cases where disputes arise between the employees of a business. Advantages of mediation over tribunals include the collaborative and relatively discrete nature of the workplace mediation process.

No matter what the context, conflict resolution is a positive undertaking and reflects the better nature of human beings. It is important for both individuals and organisations to develop the skills associated with dispute resolution - doing so can only help to enrich and deepen our experiences of the world around us whilst helping to build a better world for the future.