Cohousing-L Mailing List: conflict resolution

[Sterling Newberry (sterling.newberry]

Dear Friends,
Several people have written back in answer to my request for information
about handling conflicts through outside resources.  While they all
presented valuable resources, I other specific questions and hope to get the
benefit of your experience with them.  (I haven't yet contacted some of the
consultants folks recommended, but will do so).
II believe that answers to the following questions will provide a range of
experience from which we may draw in thinking through our own decisions
about how to proceed.

Imagine a conflict has arisen in your community.  You have tried all the
methods for resolving it using your internal resources, but the conflict is
still at a place that you as a community are not happy with.  Would you turn
to outside resources?  If so, the specific resource you would use is only
one of my questions, and the only answer I've received so far is to call in
one of the well known and experienced conflict management professionals.
That is good information as far as it goes, and I appreciate those who took
the time to send on those suggestions.  My other questions are:
1) Are there other resources you would use?  What are they and what would
cause you to use them (i.e. what do you see as their positive qualities)?
2) What would trigger your decision to use an outside resource?
3) Do you have any specific process, policy, set of guidelines, etc. that
would guide you in how to go about doing this?  (Perhaps you don't believe
that such a policy would be useful?).  If you do, would you be willing to
share them with me so I can take them back to our group?
Thanks,
Sterling