Hi. I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to Conflict Resolution, Putting the Pieces Together. Today we're going to talk about the third side in conflict resolution and how we can introduce this concept to conflict resolution processes.
The third side was developed out of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard University. And they developed this conflict resolution approach to take into account not only the perspectives and interests of the parties directly involved in conflict, but also take into account those outside of the conflict that may be affected by the conflict itself and the outcome. So the third side approach is taking a broader look at conflict, and not just looking at those directly involved in the conflict, but taking it into that bigger perspective on how the conflict affects more than just those directly involved.
In the third side approach, we are looking at three broad functions. And those are conflict prevention, conflict containment, and conflict resolution. And underneath these three broad functions we have 10 different roles that outsiders can play in addressing destructive conflict.
So under conflict prevention, we have the role of the provider. And this individual's role is to help people meet their needs, whether they are emotional or physical, such as shelter or food. Those needs that we recognize on Maslow's hierarchy of needs would be included in this provider role.
The teacher role, then, gives people skills to handle conflict effectively. So this individual would help those that are engaged in conflict or may have a conflict that is about to arise, give them the skills that they need to handle it effectively. So active listening, suspending judgment, assertive communication, all those skills that we know are useful in handling conflict.
There is also the role of bridge builder. And this individual forges relationships across lines of actual or potential conflicts. So as the name suggests, the person is really good at building bridges between the two individuals that may potentially be in conflict or actually be in conflict. So they have the skills to be allies on both sides and really work to build a relationship between the conflicting parties.
Conflict containment has the role of witness. And this individual pays attention to escalation. So they are watching those periods in the conflict where it moves from the less harmful stage to a more harmful state. So keeping an eye on the parts where it becomes more heated.
We also have the role of referee, and this individual sets the limits to the fighting or the conflict. So it could be, how long is this going to go on for? How long are we going to let the parties remain in the stage? When is there going to be an intervention? That's the role of the referee.
There is also the role of peacekeeper. And this individual provides protection. So good examples could be police force or the military.
In conflict resolution, we have the role of mediator. And we are very familiar with the role of the mediator. So this individual reconciles conflicting interests. So this individual could be a formal actual mediator or somebody that is familiar with the skills and may be able to work with the parties informally. We also have the arbiter, and this individual determines disputed rights.
The equalizer democratizes power. So they make sure that people are balancing out the power and coming in on equal footing. And finally, the role of healer repairs injured relationships. In a sense, you could think of this individual as the therapist of the conflict. So the third side approach has three broad functions-- conflict prevention, containment, and resolution-- and 10 different roles that a number of different people can play that are outside of the conflict to address the destructive conflict.
An area where we can see the third side approach being applied is in domestic violence. So we have a wide variety of shelters for victims to go to if they are in a situation of domestic violence. So we have people who are acting as providers. Shelters giving people needs, such as housing and food. As well as advocates in those shelters-- giving them other needs, such as emotional, finding housing, finding work, those types of things-- acting as providers for these individuals.
We also have therapists trained specifically in the domestic violence area, so acting as healers for the victims and their family members. We have neighbors who act as witnesses. So they're paying attention to escalated periods of violence. And making sure or noticing when these incidents occur, and possibly choosing to intervene by calling law enforcement. And again, we have law enforcement providing protection, acting as peacekeepers, separating the victim from his or her abuser.
We also have the legal system that plays a role in being an arbiter, as well as a referee. So an arbiter determines the rights that happen with the parties involved in these incidents, as well as setting limits to the fighting. So making sure that there are things in place that prevent acts of violence to occur against the victim and their family members, in some cases.
So when the third side approach has been applied to domestic violence, we no longer see it as a conflict or an issue between two people inside their home, but rather it's a community problem. So we're having a lot of different individuals and allies and interested parties becoming engaged to play a role in conflict resolution at this particular level of conflict and violence.
Let's take a look at our key points on identifying the third side approach. We know that the third side looks at the needs of parties that are directly involved in the conflict, as well as those that are outside of the conflict and may be affected by the outcome of the conflict. So looking at direct parties and those indirect parties.
And there are three broad functions, with 10 different rules. And underneath conflict prevention function, we have provider, teacher, and bridge builder. Underneath conflict resolution, we have the roles of mediator, arbiter, equalizer, and healer. And conflict containment has the roles of witness, referee, and peacekeeper, which we all went over.
Here are your key terms before we go. Feel free to pause and look at them a little bit closer. Thanks for taking the time out. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.