Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Conflict Resolution Procedure

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Sep 8, 2006, at 3:22 PM, Liz wrote:

> Then we have an unresolved conflict. Our theory, (pre move-in!) is
> that that will be uncomfortable but ok.

Conflicts that have gone to mediation, probably need to be resolved or 
they will continue to make everyone unhappy. They might disappear but 
counting on that might not be a good idea.

One of the causes of conflict is that the group has not dealt 
adequately with policies. What appears to be a conflict between two 
people is really a lack of clarity in the group. Two people can't 
resolve a conflict over who is supposed to clean the dining room after 
meals. This is a group decision because everyone is involved in 
cleaning the dining room and the group needs a policy.

On any process for conflict resolution, I would suggest that the first 
step is to determine if the conflict is the result of group actions (or 
inactions) and not assume it is a personal issue.

Rather than leaving a conflict unresolved, I would suggest a wider 
definition of resolution.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org