ACResolution Magazine

to interested scholar-practitioners to collaborate, explore, and build on the approach together.

When identifying opportunities for the generalist, Hansen suggests that the approach “is well suited to settings where there are diverse, complex conflicts that may require a wide range of interventions, as well as situations where conflict parties have ongoing relationships, like a community or organization.” Consider the multi-faceted conflicts faced by members of migrant and displaced communities, which may include differences over environmental, intergenerational, inter- and intra-community, cultural, or other matters whose origins may be poorly defined. The community itself may be resistant to traditional conflict resolution approaches due to concerns about justice and social authority.

One of the great advantages of the generalist approach is that [the guidepost of] decision making can take on more of a ‘both/and,’ rather than an ‘either/or’ character. [The] parties may choose to engage in more than one intervention simultaneously or in sequence. . . . [T]here is no ‘most suitable’ type of intervention or theoretical lens. [The generalist] assists the parties to determine the interventions and theoretical approaches that they feel the most comfortable with, are most likely to lead them to their goals and preferred futures, and are conducted in a way that best suits their values and dispositions.

Any work attempting to break new ground is likely to be met with some skepticism, and we recognize that the strengths of this Guidebook are to some extent its weaknesses as well. First, Hansen proposes in his meta-theories the ability to utilize different theories and models simultaneously while acknowledging that some may be fully incompatible. Terminology alone could become confusing; for example, the references to justice and power dynamics. Other issues might arise around the relationship between the generalist and conflict parties. Hansen recommends an empathic and supportive relationship, that some could see as a lack of impartiality which is detrimental to resolution. Some may be concerned that he yields too much control to

THe information presented, from a strong theoretical framework
to well-analyzed examples and cases, can be helpful at any
career stage to support both research and application.

the parties in selecting theories and interventions. There may also be questions about the relationship between generalist and specialist.

Hansen does not advocate against the use of specialists
and makes clear that a specialist in one area might
adopt a generalist approach during initial
interactions. However, he does not clearly
define the circumstances that would
require specialized intervention or how
responsibilities would be allocated. He
also does not make clear how customized
interventions can be evaluated – can the
practitioner take lessons learned from a
one-off approach?

Hansen acknowledges some of these
weaknesses and challenges the practitioner
to assist in the discovery and resolution of them. “The
generalist approach explicitly asks for guides to develop
themselves as scholar-practitioners . . . and to continually
advance the field of conflict resolution.”
As new practitioners seeking to integrate classroom
theories into practical application, we were drawn to the
generalist approach to augment our own diverse areas
of social and corporate expertise. Consider a corporation
that relies on the expertise of many different people to
be successful. Parties from different departments within
the same organization working towards the same goal
frequently deal with conflicting positions over resources,
priorities and perceptions. Deteriorating cooperation
and even latent conflicts ultimately increase risk for the
whole organization, especially when the scale of matters
may involve external stakeholders such as regulatory
agencies, independent auditors, external counsel, and the
media. The generalist approach provides the framework
to engage all parties equally within the mutual area of
concern, methodically identifying the key challenges
and leveraging the parties own strengths, resources and
knowledge to collaboratively identify the path forward.

It also offers a long-term approach to educate and empower parties that are codependent and accountable beyond their immediate conflicts.

The Generalist Approach to Conflict Resolution: A Guidebook has value for students, new practitioners and experts in the field of conflict resolution. The information presented, from a strong theoretical framework to well-analyzed examples and cases, can be helpful at any career stage to support both research and application.

Whether practitioners are fully in agreement or not with the proposed concepts, Hansen’s work should be seen as an interesting and comprehensive manual well worth your consideration.