Hi, I'm Julie Tietz. And welcome to Conflict Resolution-- putting the pieces together. Today, we're going to cover the core concern of role. So why don't we get started off with our key terms. Core concern per the Harvard Negotiation project is one of five emotional or relational needs all humans feel within relationships or in negotiation.
The Harvard Negotiation project is based out of Harvard University. And they work on real conflicts to better understand and implement conflict resolution and negotiation practices. So what we're learning here today about the core concerns comes from the Harvard Negotiation project and is based on real world experiences. Role-- a sense of owning responsibility or the right to make meaningful contributions in a group or a situation.
When we're talking about the core concerns in relationship to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the core concerns lie within the love and belonging and esteem categories. And looking specifically at role, it falls in the esteem level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
And in order for our need of a role to be satisfied, we must feel like we have a productive role and that we are making meaningful contributions and feel appreciated in terms of our group membership and its objectives.
So let's look at some areas where our roles are important to us. For me, I need to have a role at home. So I need to know that my specific role in the house is that I am the nurturer. I am really good at cooking. And so that is my role is to be the cook. And I need to feel appreciated in that specific role.
Also, on the job, I like to think of myself as a person that's really good at giving or weighing out options and resolving issues in making a situation in the office less conflicted and more productive. And also, I need to know that I have a specific and meaningful role in a group. I don't like just to sit in a group that I'm a part of and kind of sit on the sidelines. I like to take an active role. And I like to be appreciated for my talents.
And also, in relationships, I like to know that I am wanted and that I am a good friend. And I need to be satisfied in my role as a friend that is always going to be around, always going to be there to lend a lending ear or a helping hand.
But when we are perceiving or actualizing that there is a lack of role in our lives, this can lead to conflict. So why don't we go back to our examples here of where I need roles in my life? And let's say that I'm in a group. And I get passed over for the role of secretary of the group. I'm really organized. And I like to take detailed notes.
And I get brushed aside for that. And I'm then given the role of attendance. And I don't feel like that's a really meaningful role and that I'm not making a good contribution to the group. And so that can lead to conflict within my group membership.
Let's say also I am on my job. And they're reorganizing the structure of various departments. And I was in charge of two staff members. And because of this reorganization, I am now not in charge of anyone. And I have three people above me. And so I'm not feeling like my role as a manager of employees is being satisfied. And this could cause a conflict with the new structure of my office.
So when we're talking about conflict resolution and the need of a role, it's important to know that we must have specific roles in place and recognized during conflict resolution process. And we can do this by acknowledging contributions of the parties that they made in their specific roles. And in doing so, we are building constructive relationships.
So in a conflict resolution process, a role of party might look like having the parties make meaningful contributions to the objective of the process and, again, to acknowledge their contributions that they have made and that what they are doing is meaningful in this conflict resolution process.
So now that we've covered the core concern of role, let's go over our key points. The role need is placed on the esteem level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. And in order for us to be satisfied in our need of a role, we must feel that we are making productive and meaningful contributions to our group or our relationships. And a lack of a role can create conflict.
And in order to remedy the conflict, roles must be recognized for an effective conflict resolution process to take place. And so we must acknowledge that parties in the conflict have productive roles and can make meaningful contributions in resolving the conflict. Thank you for taking the time out to view this tutorial. I hope you gained something from this. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.