Managing Public Disputes : A Practical Guide for Professionals in Government, Business, and Citizen's Groups

by Carpenter, Susan L.; Kennedy, W. J. D.

• ISBN13: 9780787957421
• ISBN10: 0787957429
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-07
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

For more than a decade, Managing Public Disputes has been the first choice, hands-on guide for managers, offering useful instructions for handling a wide range of large and small public controversies from the national to the community level. It includes: * Ten proven principles for managing conflict * A comprehensive framework with step-by-step procedures for creating productive outcomes * Seven illustrative case examples * Detailed advice on effective methods for collecting information, conducting interviews, and analyzing a conflict situation * Suggestions for handling special problems such as reluctant participants, keeping people at the negotiation table, and handling situations where emotions are running high * Eight tasks targeted for designing an overall strategy for managing public disputes

Author Biography

SUSAN L. CARPENTER is a mediator and trainer. She is the founding director of the Program for Community Problem Solving in Washington, D.C. and a founding board member of the International Association of Public Participation. She was the associate director of ACCORD Associates, a nonprofit conflict management organization in Boulder, Colorado for ten years. W.J.D. KENNEDY was the executive director of ACCORD Associates for fourteen years. He has consulted with a wide variety of private organizations and city, county, state, and federal agencies.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
The Authors	xvii
Part One: Public Controversies and Conflict Management	1	(66)
Understanding Public Disputes: The Spiral of Unmanaged Conflict	3	(15)
Characteristics of Public Disputes
The Spiral of Unmanaged Conflict
Dealing with Conflict Productively: Alternatives and Case Examples	18	(34)
Conventional Approaches to Managing Conflict
Alternative Approaches for Managing Conflict
Case Examples
Developing an Effective Program of Conflict Management: Ten Principles	52	(15)
Part Two: A Step-By-Step Process for Managing Public Disputes	67	(88)
Analyzing the Conflict	71	(21)
Making a Preliminary Review
Collecting Information
Assessing the Information
Designing a Strategy and Setting Up the Conflict Management Program	92	(24)
Designing a Strategy
Setting Up a Program
Adopting Procedures, Educating Parties, and Developing Options	116	(21)
Adopting Procedures
Educating Parties
Developing Options
Reaching and Carrying Out Agreements	137	(18)
General Approaches to Reaching Agreements
Carrying Out Agreements
Part Three: Ensuring the Success of Conflict Management	155	(124)
Guidelines for Making the Program Work	157	(40)
Holding Productive Meetings
Managing Activities Between Meetings
Involving Constituents
Informing the Public
Working with the News Media
Using a Third Party
Paying Attention to Underlying Dynamics: Values, Trust, Power	197	(27)
Values
Trust
Power
Handling the Human Side of the Process	224	(34)
Bringing People to the Table
Educating Newcomers
Coping with Differences in Negotiating Skills
Keeping People at the Table
Handling Intense Emotions in Public Meetings
Getting Even
Reducing Personal Risk
Removing Roadblocks	258	(21)
Negotiating Differences in Data
Breaking Deadlocks
A Final Word
References	279	(6)
Index	285