A632.6.3.RB_LarsonKurt, The High Cost of Conflict

Reflect on a personal or business situation in which the cost of conflict was significantly greater than you would've preferred. Analyze the situation in relation to Stewart Levine's 10 principles of new thinking (p. 46). How would this have changed the situation? Could it have reduced the cost of conflict? What lessons did you learn from this exercise?

Having been employed with the US Government (USG) for well over 30 years in both military and civilian capacities. My family and I have had the occasion to relocate various times. Some moves are good and some are not so good. I should clarify what exactly I am referring to as “moves”. It is not necessarily the relocation or the setting-up of a new household in a new town, school and work environment that can be a source of a fostering conflict as discussed in Levine (2009). But the relocation package inclusive of a prestigious Reality, Mortgage and Moving companies. As stated earlier, some moves are good and some not so good.

One particular relocation in-which the Reality company eventually purchased our home for a fair market value passing us to the Mortgage company for home purchase in our new location. Both quickly became Problems, Issues and Emotions as dealing with third party vendors on opposite sides of the Continental U.S. with differing time zones and business practices, we quickly learned the Reality and Mortgage companies although working out of like offices were considered to be separate entities and their fore some of the relocation packaging incentives were not to be offered.

Levine (2009,) Discusses Fostering Conflict and Fostering Sustainable Collaboration, we as the customers were quickly lost in the transactions of the business environment with our needs not being met. The conflicts became so intense as we tried to negotiate and resolve the conflict that my health (thought I was going to have a heart attack) was in question.

We should have deferred to Logic as defined by Levine (2009,) in so much as to rely upon our feelings and intuition to cease the unmanageable business contract and go with our own Mortgage Company that we have utilized for previous relocations. They know us; our needs and personnel information was valued and kept in confidence, unlike the current situation.

We decided that the next relocation we would apply the teachings of Levine (2009,) of relying on our feelings and intuitions as a factor for our own personal resolution of a smooth and amicable relocation, and use it as a sounding board in determining that the resolution has been met to OUR satisfaction… even if it costs us of of pocket, the wasting of resources, time, money, stress and conflict as stated in Levine (2009). The wastes of resources in resolving the inevitable conflicts that surface are not worth the monetary savings, which are a tax deduction after the fact.

Reference:

Levine, S. (2009). Getting to resolution. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. DOI: www.bkconnection.com