Document Type
Issue Area Five
Abstract
No one person or organization-whether it's a family, a business, a civic organization, or a school district-can exist without occasional conflict. What's more, no one would want to exist without conflict, for conflict is responsible for the birth of new ideas, options, and inventions. The important issue is how the conflict is viewed and ultimately resolved. At some point before, during, or after the conflict has occurred, people have the ability to resolve that conflict. That ability, however, depends on the participants' willingness or desire to resolve the conflict.
In a school district setting, many ways exist to resolve conflict ranging from a very authoritarian hierarchical pyramid of organizational power, to pure consensus building among the board members and the superintendent, striving for a "win/win" outcome. Inherent in all effective conflict resolution methods in a school setting are four essential elements:
1. A need for mutual trust among the participants.
2. A collective mission/vision based on what is best for the students, and maintaining that collective mission/vision as the basis for district decisions.
3. Good communication including both listening and having full information to provide a diversity of opinions.
4. Recognition among the participants as to the role each played.
This consensus report will briefly summarize the relationship of these four elements to decision making/conflict resolution. We will also ask why these issues are important for effective decision making/conflict resolution? After that connection is made, strategies will be suggested to help school districts reach effective decisions or manage conflict among board members or between the board and the superintendent.
Journal Title
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series
Volume
4
Issue
1
First Page
125
Last Page
130
Publisher
Institute for Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa
City
Cedar Falls, IA
Copyright
©1993 Institute for Educational Leadership, College of Education, and University of Northern Iowa
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Gunderson, Donald M. and Cooper, Elizabeth T.
(1993)
"Issue Area Five: Making Effective Decisions, Including Emphasis on Consensus Building, Conflict Resolution and Learning Together,"
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series: Vol. 4:
No.
1, Article 37.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/iel_monographs/vol4/iss1/37
