Systems, Structures and the Conflict Ecosystem

Overview

This module introduces the final course perspective on conflict. It also invokes the third of the three metaphors used in this class – the conflict ecosystem.

The premise that underlies this module is that conflict does not occur in a vacuum. Almost every conflict has a history, current context, and will have future consequences. As a result, practitioners benefit by cultivating greater “awareness of context” as described in chapter three of the primary text.

The primary reading begins with a fairly simplistic example of an automobile as a system. Its purpose is to introduce in concrete and mechanistic terms the complexity of systems and the many ways that individual components are embedded within, and interact with, countless other components, sub-systems, and super-ordinate systems. Once this basic concept is clear, you can shift from mechanistic systems to social systems and explore how individuals are embedded within our own complex symbolic and social sub- and super-ordinate systems. Examples include: relational histories; family systems; company cultures; community norms and standards; cultural expectations; social institutions and legal frameworks; and so on.

It is important to point out that conflict practitioners are not (necessarily) expected to become system experts in every conflict matter. Instead, it is helpful to be aware of and sensitive to the broader contexts that inform and shape the conflict that is being addressed.

In addition to developing greater awareness of the social systems of which a conflict is part, it is also helpful to understand the structural dimensions that surround a conflict. For example, in a workplace setting, it can be helpful to know who reports to whom, etc. This module examines structures in terms of the distribution of power, resources, responsibility, accountability, and other factors that can impact different parties to the same conflict in unique and different ways.

This module also examines the distribution of power in the larger society with regard to social privilege, marginalization, and so on. In this regard, you can reach back to module three on the non-conscious mind and retrieve the “10 Identity Characteristics” handout and activity (I have uploaded the form again here). After discussing social structures, invite students to retrieve their earlier handout and examine it again from the perspective of social structures and power dynamics. Finally connect this discussion to the ways that differently “socially located” parties can have very different experiences and understanding of the same conflict situation.

Readings and supplemental resources

Primary readings:

Perspectives on Conflict, chapter 9 –Systems and Structures

Supplemental resources:

James Schellenberg (1996). Social Structural Theories. In Conflict Resolution: Theory, Research and Practice (pp. 79-102). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

James C. Scott (1990). Behind the Official Story. In Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts (pp. 1-16). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.