The Conflict Resolution Toolbox: Models and Maps for Analyzing, Diagnosing,
and Resolving Conflict, as the title suggests, was written to enable people to address and
resolve a wide variety of conflicts. Written with the conflict resolution practitioner in mind,
the book and its models apply well beyond professional practice.
Gary Furlong (who is a member of the Advisory
Board at Sports Conflict Institute, where the authors
of this review work) presents eight key models as
useful analytic tools for understanding and resolving
conflict: Circle of Conflict, Triangle of Satisfaction,
Boundary, Interests / Rights / Power, Dynamics of
Trust, Dimensions, Social Style, and Moving Beyond.
Each offers a rather different, but important, lens from
which to understand a particular conflict, and they can
often be used in combination.
For example, the first model Furlong outlines, the
Circle of Conflict, classifies disputes into six categories.
The three that are relatively easy to understand and
address are interests, structure, and data; the more
difficult three are values, relationships, and externals or
moods. Interests, structure, and data are far more tangible and make for a more meaningful place to start to
understand where emphasis should be placed in terms
of making changes stemming from that conflict. The
other three, values, relationships, and externals, are
important to understand but are less tangible and may
not be something the other party can address.
This model has the advantage of compelling
practitioners to look at the big picture, e.g., a given
dispute might be occurring because an organization
is badly structured and/or because two parties
have a poor relationship. Identifying which factors
are relevant should, in turn, allow the disputants
to then employ other models that focus on the
relevant category, e.g., a relationship issue might be
addressed using the Dynamics of Trust or the Social
Style model.
Furlong argues that these models offer frameworks
that can help us analyze and address conflicts. Which
model is most suitable in a given case depends on the
core problem and possible solution(s). For example,
the Social Style model would be useful if one party
is emotional and speaks in generalities and another
is very detail oriented. But the Dynamics of Trust
model would probably prove more helpful if there is a
history of “bad blood.” Furlong never argues that any
particular model is preferable to the others or that, in
any given case, one model reveals the entirety of the
problem or points to the solution; rather, he argues
that these models offer frameworks that can help
analyze and address conflicts.
Furlong uses business-related examples throughout
the book. Most of them are short, but he uses
one (presumably hypothetical) longer case study
centering on intra-office dynamics. This case study
is used to illustrate all eight models. The problem is
that readers often struggle to assimilate cases that
are not based on real events. This problem is hardly
unique to Furlong, or to books on conflict and dispute
resolution. Real world examples may run the risk
of being inaccurate or omitting relevant details, but
readers often find them far more engaging.
We have been employing Furlong’s models in a
class called “Introduction to Sports Conflict” which
examines sports-related conflicts and demonstrates
how they might have been resolved, or better still,
prevented.
We find that conflicts in sports are often highly
publicized and therefore students can easily
understand how the models apply. For example,
we used the Circle of Conflict to discuss why David
Beckham’s transition to playing for Major League
Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy was so difficult, and
ultimately successful. We used the Triangle of
Satisfaction, which divides interests into substantive,
emotional, and procedural categories to analyze why
the Baltimore Colts’ National Football League Franchise
relocated to Indianapolis. We used the Dynamics of
Trust, which divides how we attribute blame to others
into three categories—situation, intrinsic nature, and
intentional/hostile—to analyze why an extraordinarily
gifted college football player, Marcus Dupree, decided
to leave the University of Oklahoma.
Furlong’s models allowed us to deepen the students’
understandings of events with which they were
Models and Maps for Analyzing, Diagnosing,
and Resolving Conflict
John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd,
Mississauga, Ontario, 2005
Joshua Gordon
Joshua Gordon is an
experienced mediator,
facilitator, educator,
and organizational
capability builder. He
has developed creative
organizational solutions
to ensure competitive
success for college
and professional sports
teams and leagues at the
Sports Conflict Institute
and teaches at the
University of Oregon.
Ken Pendleton,
Ph.D.
Ken Pendleton earned
a Ph.D. in philosophy
from the University
of Oregon and now
works at the Sports
Conflict Institute, which
focuses on projects
that help stakeholders
understand, resolve,
and prevent institutional
problems that arise at all
level of sports.
