Becoming the change we wish to see: The unexpected benefits of conflict resolution work

• Date: 01 March 2018
• Author: Susan S. Raines
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21213
• Published date: 01 March 2018

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Becoming the change we wish to see: The

unexpected benefits of conflict resolution work

Susan S. Raines

School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding &

Development, Kennesaw State University,

Kennesaw, Georgia

Correspondence

Susan S. Raines, School of Conflict Management,

Peacebuilding & Development, Kennesaw State

University, 365 Cobb Drive, MD 1603,

Kennesaw, GA 30144.

Email: sraines@kennesaw.edu

Mediators, ombuds, and other peace workers generally see

their work as a calling. They pursue this work because of a

desire to help others while promoting healing and reconcili-

ation. While their work helps clients, it frequently results in

deeply personal transformations, changing the ways in

which they relate to and communicate with their family,

colleagues, and community members. After hearing anec-

dotal reports of these transformations, I designed this study

to learn more about how the work of conflict resolution

affects its practitioners. Datafor this study come from inter-

views and surveys of peace workers in various settings.

1|INTRODUCTION

Gather any group of mediators, ombuds, relief workers, or others in the various practice areas of

conflict resolution (CR) and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and you will hear amazing stories

of hard work and transformation. While ensuring confidentiality, these professionals often share

stories of their toughest cases, seeking out advice that will help improve their professional skills as

part of reflective practice (Bronson, 2000; Hedeen, Raines, & Barton, 2010; Moore, 2014). In addi-

tion to picking up important practice tips and perspectives, these conversations frequently include

anecdotes about how the worldview or interpersonal skills of the practitioners themselves have chan-

ged. These personal transformations seem to be an unexpected benefit of the repeated practice of

CR skills and processes. Alternatively, perhaps they come from witnessing watershed moments of

empowerment in the lives of others. In any event, the purpose of this study is to delve deeper into

the ways in which practitioners of CR and ADR have experienced internal and interpersonal trans-

formations as a result of the work they do. Of course, as mediators, ombuds, and practitioners of

CR, our first priority is to assist others as they seek to resolve their disputes and gain the skills

needed to prevent destructive conflict in their own lives and communities. However, the impact on

ourselves is a frequently unexpected and corollary benefit worthy of investigation. In some ways,

practitioners come to embody the quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in

the world.”

Received: 4 January 2018 Accepted: 4 January 2018

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21213

© 2018 Association for Conflict Resolution and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2018;35:319–327. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 319