Conflict management through the negotiations canvas, getting participants to understand

DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21227
Date01 September 2018
AuthorDavid E. Desplaces,Carrie A. Blair
Published date01 September 2018
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Conflict management through the negotiations
canvas, getting participants to understand
Carrie A. Blair | David E. Desplaces
School of Business, College of Charleston,
Charleston, South Carolina
Correspondence
David Desplaces, School of Business, College of
Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC.
Email: despalcesd@cofc.edu
Conflict models taught in the classroom often highlight
the need for collaborativeconflict outcomes. This
experiential exercise combined with a canvas tool helps
participants frame the complexities of conflict to better
understand these factors. Participants are encouraged to
view a conflict situation from the balcony,removing
themselves from the emotional and competitive compo-
nents associated with conflict. Participants are given a
canvas or road map to help frame conflict situations,
including understanding each party's viewpoint, motiva-
tions, and interpersonal histories. Specific instructions,
example conflict vignettes, and guidance for debriefing
the exercise are provided.
1|INTRODUCTION
While students understand basic conflict models (e.g., Rahim, 1985; Thomas-Kilmann model
Thomas, 1974), they often have trouble imagining the complexities that underlie an outcome that
satisfies the needs of all parties involved in the conflict. Likewise, while the tenets of negotiation
are simple (e.g., Bazerman & Neale, 1992; Fisher & Ury, 1983; Lewicki, Saunders, & Minton,
1999), we find that students underestimate the barriers to achieving a winwin outcome. Students
seem to understand the terms and concepts, yet take for granted the complexity of negotiating con-
flict given different parties' perspectives, motives, fears, and goals. The purpose of this e xercise
and mind-mapping tool is to help students better identify and navigate those complexities and
nuances.
2|CONFLICT AND NEGOTIATION MODELS
Although there are many models to help students understand conflict, one of the most popular is the
Thomas-Kilmann conflict model (Thomas, 1974) (Figure 1). Based on this model, when placed in
Received: 19 October 2017 Revised: 30 April 2018 Accepted: 3 May 2018
DOI: 10.1002/crq.21227
© 2018 Association for Conflict Resolution and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2018;36:3951. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 39

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