“Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the friction-less vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.”
Saul Alinsky
The leader’s job is . . .
”The leader’s job is to contain conflict—prevent the disequilibrium from going too high and the conflict from getting destructive—and simultaneously to keep people addressing the hard questions without opting for a technical fix, an easy solution, or a decision from on high.”
Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky
Conflict and Diversity!
“Our ‘opponents’ are our co-creators, for they have something to give which we have not. The basis of all cooperative activity is integrated diversity.... What people often mean by getting rid of conflict is getting rid of diversity, and it is of the utmost importance that these should not be considered the same. We may wish to abolish conflict, but we cannot get rid of diversity. We must face life as it is and understand that diversity is its most essential feature... Fear of difference is dread of life itself. It is possible to conceive conflict as not necessarily a wasteful outbreak of incompatibilities, but a normal process by which socially valuable differences register themselves for the enrichment of all concerned.”
Mary Parker Follett
Conflict is inevitable!
"Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional!"
Max Lucade
All conflicts . . .
"All conflicts can be resolved!"
Martti Ahtisaari
Peace is not the absence of conflict . . .
“Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.”
Dorothy Thompson
69% of relationship conflict is about perpetual problems!
"Our research has shown that 69% of relationship conflict is about perpetual problems. All couples have them – these problems are grounded in the fundamental differences that any two people face. They are either 1) fundamental differences in your personalities that repeatedly create conflict, or 2) fundamental differences in your lifestyle needs."
John Gottman
Then peace is . . .
“If war is the violent resolution of conflict, then peace is not the absence of conflict, but rather, the ability to resolve conflict without violence.”
C.T. Lawrence Butler
Conflict is . . .
"Conflict is therefore simply the sound made by the cracks in a system, whether the system is personal, familial, relational, organizational, social, economic, or political. It is a warning light pointing at something in our environment or character that is not working for ourselves or others. It is an opportunity for rethinking and innovation. It is the birth-pang of a new way of being that is waiting to be born. It is a reminder of our interdependence, of the skills we need to improve, of what is most important in life, of what we need to do or let go of in order to escape its’ orbit and evolve to higher levels of conflict."
Ken Cloke
Conflict cannot survive . . .
"Conflict cannot survive without your participation."
Wayne Dwyer