How We Do Conflict

Introduction

At ATT we want tensions and conflict to be generative, healthy and productive, to lead to deepened understanding and connection, and to act as a catalyst for positive change. We are continuously developing our capacity to walk towards conflict skillfully. We aspire to a culture of respectful dialogue, tolerance, honesty, courage and care - all in service of our mission.

At ATT we view conflict as a natural and healthy part of life and as a form of feedback or information. It may be signalling that: some needs are unmet; the power and/or trust to care for all the needs involved is not currently within reach; change is emerging; our relationships, agreements, understanding of what we are trying to do together, ways of sharing power, and social systems, may need to evolve. We believe how we respond to conflict shapes whether it will destroy or strengthen us. We see conflict as an integral part of our on-going evolution and development, and as an opportunity to learn, grow and build our power both individually and collectively.

We also see conflict transformation as a key piece in the puzzle of interlocking self-management practices. It is one of the main ways we hold each other to account for our mutual commitments and upholding core values and agreements as we don’t have ‘bosses’ to deal with these things.

We are informed by restorative and transformative approaches to conflict, which seek not only to address the particular conflict but also aim to create positive change in the underlying relationships, conditions and systems that give rise to conflict. Restorative and transformative approaches contrast with those that reflect the dominant culture based on right/wrong thinking and criticism or punishment of the person deemed to have caused harm. We are also informed by the needs consciousness on which Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is based. Needs are the essential, universal qualities of life (like sustenance, love and meaning). Needs consciousness is the awareness of, and the willingness to honour, all needs and the knowledge that everything we do, whether effective or not, is an attempt to meet needs.

ATT’s Conflict Transformation System, outlined below, is a values-based, people centred, empowering, constructive and collaborative model of conflict management with open dialogue at its core. It aims to establish conditions in which it makes sense to engage in conflict healthily and that support people to:

• engage in face-to-face, adult-to-adult dialogue

• express themselves honestly

• listen to each other with empathy and

• work together to find mutually acceptable, win/win outcomes.

Through this system, ATT will actively encourage and support conflict transformation and will do everything we can to promote and facilitate dialogue. Where dialogue doesn’t work, or is not suitable, we will always seek the most appropriate and effective way forward for all concerned.

This system draws heavily on Loomio Cooperative’s Conflict Resolution Process, the Building Restorative Systems NVC course, XR UK’s 2020 Transformative Conflict System proposal and XR UK’s Conflict System.

Conflict Transformation System

Intent

To enable ATT and its members to engage with tensions and conflict healthily and productively by providing a clear system (including practices and processes) for walking towards and transforming conflict in order to help ATT and its members work fluidly and effectively towards ATT’s mission.

Guiding Principles

• Walk towards conflict together. We acknowledge the social tendency to avoid conflict and seek to do the opposite when needed. When conflict is blocking progress and/or is hurtful or harmful, we do our best to transform it, and seek help when needed. We strive to support all parties involved as this will help us walk towards conflict skillfully.

• Early transformation. We address conflicts as close as possible to the people involved, engaging the fewest people necessary, as early as possible. We begin with the people directly involved and escalate as needed.

• Dialogue centred. We believe the most effective approach to transforming conflict and finding win/win outcomes in most cases is through adult-to-adult dialogue - talking and listening.

• Embrace complexity. We recognise the complexity of conflict and group dynamics, and know most situations are not clear-cut cases of right/wrong, good/bad. Each of us has a different and partial perspective of a situation and only holds part of the ‘truth’. We do not subscribe to simplistic notions of ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators’, and do not assume we know who is experiencing themselves as such. We can all be ‘authors’ and ‘receivers’ of impacts depending on our perspective.

• Community owned. We view conflict as being community owned. We all share responsibility for identifying and addressing conflict. This means anyone witnessing or affected by a conflict can escalate an issue that is not being resolved at the current level of engagement.

• Personal responsibility. We work to take responsibility for our role in conflictual situations and dynamics, and for our emotions and actions. We take the initiative to seek support and/or activate the Conflict Transformation Process when needed.

• Care and empathy. We have mutual responsibility and care for each other. We act in good faith and work to be constructive, empathic and honest. We do our best to hear each other and speak our truth with empathy.

• Accountability. Accountability is co-created via the Conflict Transformation Process and can take many forms, all of which are intended to move ATT and our relationships forward, e.g. hearing the impact our actions have had on others, acknowledging the impact, hearing requests, making commitments and changing behaviour.

• We hold conflict within our limits. We match the scope of the system with our resources. We have strong individual and group boundaries around what is acceptable and unacceptable, and do our best to hold conflict within the limits of our individual and organisational capacity and resources.

• Resolution and transformation. At the very least, resolution means the parties involved feel heard, the agreed outcome or change is clear, and normal decision-making and activity within ATT/the circle is possible. If a conflict continues to negatively impact an individual or group, it is not resolved. We aim for transformation, not just resolution.

• Voluntary engagement. Although we encourage everyone to commit to walking towards conflict when necessary, in line with the agreement they make when joining ATT, engaging in conflict processes is voluntary. When parties are not willing or able to participate, conflict can still be processed by those impacted directly or indirectly when relevant and helpful.

• Confidentiality. All parties are expected to respect confidentiality during and after the process. This applies to the people at the heart of the conflict as well. They must do their best to resolve their disagreement between themselves and are discouraged from spreading the conflict by enlisting support and building rival factions.

• Balance individual and collective needs. We work to transform conflicts with both individual needs and the needs of ATT in mind.

Conflict Pathways

There are different kinds of tensions or conflicts that will require different pathways to process:

• Community tensions and conflicts. The Conflict Transformation Process is set up primarily to deal with ‘community’ tensions and conflicts. These refer to issues that feel emotionally charged or difficult between two or more people (not roles). These issues could include oppressive behaviour against marginalised identities, e.g. pattern of slights or casual -isms or a serious one-off transgression; or interpersonal issues, e.g. breaking a personal agreement.

• Values-based conflicts. If the tension is related to a significant organisational decision, objective or policy based on differing values, this should be referred to the Mission Circle to process through Convergent Facilitation or another appropriate process. Some conflicts of this kind might be due to irreconcilable clashes of values or objectives, e.g. welfare vs abolition, which cannot be resolved or transformed.

• Tensions between roles and/or circles. If the tension is related to something not working well between roles or circles, e.g. a role or circle infringing on another’s mandate, it should go through the Holacracy Tension Processing Pathway.

• Accountability issues. If a role or a team is not performing their responsibilities, wherever viable the first step should be to talk directly to the person (or Circle Lead if a team is not performing). If this is not viable, it should be referred to the Circle Lead to deal with. If the role in question is the Circle Lead, the issue should be referred to the Supercircle Lead.

• Issues of misconduct that could cause significant harm to people or ATT. These types of issues include those where:

  • any kind of physical or sexual violation, violence or abuse, emotional abuse*, or threats of any of these, is said to have happened, or there is believed to be a significant risk of any of these happening

  • other kinds of unacceptable behaviour has happened, e.g. more overt or explicit discrimination, prejudice or oppression based on sex, gender identity, race, class, sexuality, faith/belief, ability, etc. (while acknowledging that these forms of oppression may show up in some way in many conflicts)

  • someone is thought to have the sole purpose of causing damage to the movement, e.g. infiltration

  • false accusations have been made

  • someone is breaking the law and the police or other authorities need to be called.

*The category of emotional abuse is difficult to distinguish, in some situations, from conflict. We may see things others have done as abusive because we are in a lot of pain and are deeply upset or angry about how they have acted and how we have been negatively impacted by it. The fact that a situation has been very painful and difficult, and that we have a negative perception of someone else and their actions and motivations, does not necessarily mean they have done things that others would agree would fall into the category of emotional abuse. We want to take anything that does fall into the category of emotional abuse very seriously, and our responses to it may be different to a standard conflict process.

Issues of this type should be reported as soon as possible to the Conflict Transformation Team in the People and Culture Circle to gather further information and decide on next steps on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, the outcome of the information-gathering and/or the wishes of those who have been harmed, they may then be processed through the Conflict Transformation Process or through the relevant formal policy and/or procedure (e.g. Respect in the Workplace Agreement; Grievance, Disciplinary or Membership Review Procedure).

In more complicated cases, or where people have very different perspectives on whether these criteria are met or not, or where the decision of the Conflict Transformation Team on how to process the issue is not accepted, or where there is a significant possibility of creating more trauma if engaged with through the Conflict Transformation Process, or where the conflict process has broken down, the issue will be referred to a Conflict Transformation Panel. Each Panel will be a one-off grouping tailored to the specific situation. Panel members will be assigned to their role by the Conflict Transformation Team, unless specified by other Governance. The Conflict Transformation Team will assign a facilitator for each Panel to design an appropriate process and guide the Panel through it. The Conflict Transformation Panel and facilitator can draw on XR’s Care Council Guide for inspiration.

Summary of Conflict Pathways

Organisational resources

How we equip and support ourselves to walk towards conflict productively

Resources are for everyone to access and use to take responsibility for our own behaviour and also to support others with theirs.

• Conflict Transformation Team

• Conflict Transformation Panel

• Circle Leads

• The ATT Handbook

• Care, support and connection system (including stewardship system)

• Feedback system

• Personal development (training budget covers this)

• Professional development

• NVC training

• Retreats and team-building opportunities

• Expert mediators or advisors.

Practice

How we encourage effective communication within ATT

• An introduction to our communication systems, culture and Conflict Transformation System are part of our orientation and onboarding

• All team members are trained in NVC

• Regular Matrix and ‘ground of health’ relational practices

• Regular team processes to reflect on our systems and raise any issues (e.g. retrospectives, check-in and evaluation rounds at meetings, regular silent sitting circles)

• Prompts in stewardship sessions to work through any conflicts or problems between individuals, or between an individual and their circle, or ATT as a whole

• Continuous focus on smooth, effective, empathic communication online and offline within the organisation

• A culture of giving direct constructive feedback, listening to one another, and asking for help when needed.

Additional resources on conflict transformation and communication to promote shared understanding can be found here.

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