Customer Reviews

Getting to Resolution

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Having worked for 475+ lawyers in 3 states and the District of Columbia, I've seen the critical need for the insights in this book.

Too often, people with disputes want to place blame or take revenge rather than find a way to be whole again. Particularly during my tenure as a paralegal in family law, I saw how the legal system fanned the flames of pain and frutration. This wasn't just a waste of time and money -- it made the pain worse.

Stewart begins by having people tell their stories, then grieve, create an attitude of resolution, and work from a vision of healing. It's powerful, but it's also practical.

I're recently recommended the book to family therapists because it lays out practical methods for dealing with disputes among parents and teens. I cannot recomend this book too highly. Now I would like to see more. When is the sequal coming out?

Pat Sullivan, president, Visionary Resources, Oakland, CA.

One of the wisest sayings in history said that 'one will never know true happiness unless they have experienced true sorrow.' It is this idea that drives our lives, that keeps it interesting and worth living. Conflict is what makes the joys in life so beautiful, but it is also one of the most misunderstood facts of human existence. Conflict is not bound by negative or positive. Conflict is the act of "engagement, learning, creativity and the opportunity for creative value," (xiii) according to Stewart Levine.

It is he who wrote Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration. It is this book that we will now consider. From its definition of conflict to its detailed process on how to turn conflict into collaboration, Stewart Levine simply presents what role conflict should play in each of our lives.

Stewart Levine defines conflict as a process of creation and discovery. He criticizes many sects including law, government and other business groups that view a good resolution to conflict as being one sided. Levine argues that a true resolution has not been reached until both sides are satisfied. That is why he has developed a 7-Step model for conflict resolution. It goes as follows:

1. The attitude of resolution

2. Telling your story

3. Listening for a preliminary vision of resolution

4. Getting current and complete

5. Reaching agreement in principle

6. Crafting the new agreement

7. Resolution

Levine states his points very eloquently and simply, which is his greatest strength. He eliminates a lot of the corporate jargon and disciplined mumbo-jumbo from his rhetoric, which simply leaves the meat of the subject - how to resolve conflict. Levine begins his text by showing the costs of conflict, both physical and intangible. He points out that time wasted in conflict can cost a company or organization thousands, whereas a quick and efficient resolution can move an organization forward at an even greater rate. He then presents a model on how resolution is attained and ten principles necessary to finding that resolution. They include such traits as creativity, vulnerability and responsibility.

Later in the book, Levine even presents a short section on where to go to find assistance in resolving conflict. He discusses the law community, not specifically but in a broad sense that shows what could happen in a court setting, arbitration or a mini-trial. Levine also discusses the attributes of an arbitrator or resolutionary as he calls it.

All of his definitions and processes make a considerable amount of sense and could be easily applied to every day conflict. Whether in the home or workplace, these processes should be strictly adhered to. When you consider the seven steps above, one can see the obvious need for each. Firstly attitude. One must be in the right mindset in order to seek resolution. Then you must tell your story - frankly and unbiasedly. Next you must listen to the other side and consider possible points of resolution in what you both said. The fourth step would be to clarify your understanding, or becoming current and complete as Levine puts it. Then you reach a preliminary agreement, then solidify it and finally implement the resolution. It is simple and if done efficiently, could take but moments to work through. Levine should be congratulated for his work with this book. Its simplicity and frankness made it extremely enjoyable and with little time to spare, it was nice to take up a book that read so quickly. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a more definite way to find resolution in all the conflicts of life. Ultimately, finding that resolution will make your life more gratifying and complete.

I now use Stewart Levine's material exclusively in my Conflict Management work. I first ask the adversaries to read the book, which generally gives them "an attitude of resolution." Also, reading the book lets the the people in conflict know the process. Thus, they are not fearful of what will happen next, and tend to work with me. So far, I am delighted with the results. This book is Win-Win.

I am an organizational psychologist and frequently deal with conflict inside a client organization. I have found Getting to Resolution to be a breath of fresh air. Levine's model really works, it's practical, well thought out, and obviously based on real world experience. It's a much more appealing guide to conflict resolution than the more common academic treatises on conflict that line bookstore shelves. I can't recommend it strongly enough. Dr. Larry Richard

Stewart Levine, lawyer and management consultant, has a unique view on resolving conflict. He spent 12 years settling conflict in court, and has spent the last 19 years teaching business people a less costly, more collaborative way to resolve conflict. Conflict is unavoidable, says Levine, but learning to deal with it in a more productive way is not. In Getting To Resolution, Levine has outlined a step-by-step plan for turning conflict into collaboration.

· Get in the right frame of mind. The first essential step to resolving conflict is to want to resolve it. Open up and be truthful. You must commit to and invest yourself in the process.
· Stop thinking of conflict as a win/lose proposition. Arguing over who's right often does not lead to a resolution that anyone wants. When you are committed to collaboration, you will disarm those who are committed to a fight. Focus on what the conflict is costing everyone and what everyone can gain from a resolution.
· Tell your story and listen to the story of the other side. Resolution arises from sharing information, while conflict arises from withholding it.
· Test out your preliminary vision about how the conflict can be resolved. As you get more information, check to make sure that your vision meets the concerns of all the parties involved.
· Get current and complete information on the issues. You must be up-to-date in order to move forward with a resolution.
· Reach an agreement in principle. Come to a broad understanding of what the resolution will be.
· Create a template for agreement including the following elements: Intent, specific vision, roles, commitments to action, timeline, measurements of satisfaction, concerns and fears, renegotiation, dissolution, consequences, dispute resolution, and management of the process.

Conflict...it plagues each of our lives daily. Most books written on the subject are too "clinical" or filled with verbage that only a PhD in Psychology can understand. Getting to Resolution is filled with practical examples of how conflict can ruin marriages, break deals and destroys friendships. Stewart Levine illustrates how the conventional "advesarial system" offers us a winner and a loser, but in conflict, all lose. Stewart offers a 7-step model which frankly, changed my life and my entire perspective of problem solving. I really mean this!

I am divorced and have children. There are many times when dealing with an ex-spouse and four children that I must face conflict. After reading this book, I realized that the satisfaction received from "winning" an argument was short lived and the problem remained. In some cases, the conflict merely hid itself temporarily, gaining stregth and power, only to return compounded with a new con! flict. However, this book taught me that to reach true conflict resolution, I must become a "resolutionary" and compromise. This is sometimes difficult, but as the Stewart writes, resolution is returning to the state as if the conflict never existed. To bring things in the present and look towards the future, as mentioned in Chapter 18, really does begin the healing process and affords us sight into the future.

What I liked most about the book is the conversational tone in which it is written. The examples reach all levels of society and each of us can find ourselves in some of them. I HIGHLY recommend Getting to Resolution to everyone! Hopefully it will enrich other people's lives as it has mine.

Thanks, Stewart for a great and much needed book!

Steward Levine's book, Getting to Resolution--Turning Conflict Into Collaboration, presents a whole new approach to conflict resolution. There is a 7-step model that will produce true resolution in any difficult situation, whether at work or home. Levine presents a win/win way for every conflict to be resolved so the resolution will not create further bitterness and anger. There is a way for no one to lose and for everyone to win. In this marvelous book, Levine shows how it can happen. Read it and learn how to resolve with every conflict in your life!

Stewart Levine understands and speaks to something that so few negotiators and facilitators get--that attitude matters and it matters a lot in conflicts and negotiations. If you parties involved don't enter the resolution with the proper frame of mind, all is lost. And so, with grace and ease and a writing style that is clear and engaging, Stewart Levine offers both the mindset and the steps needed to go from Conflict to Satisfaction. His 8 step roadmap is right on target in my experience and his attention to setting the framework and mindset needed make his book stand out as a model for what conflict resolution is at its best and could be. Getting to Yes, set the standard for conflict resolution and negotiation, and Getting to Resolution takes the standard one leap forward. I encourage you to read the book cover to cover and be willing to be transformed by its message.

Dr. Keith Merron

Stewart Levine's GETTING TO RESOLUTION: TURNING CONFLICT INTO COLLABORATION offers a fine, powerful book on using ten guiding principles to stop anger and enable conflicting sides to return to productive, positive relationships. His conversational process optimizes resources and allows resolution to come to the foreground, and appears in a second edition thoroughly revised with new examples, tools, and new materials on communication processes. Business libraries need this!

Getting to Resolution offers a clear model for clarifying and reaching agreements. It makes the point that the pain of conflict could be avoided if agreements are spelled out at the beginning of relationships and walks you through an effective way of doing this. Conflict cost organizations countless dollars each year, but many people still choose to hire "professionals" to solve their conflict issues. In doing so, according to Levine, they pass on personal responsibility and also miss the opportunity to heal relationships and deep seated personal wounds. The book highlights numerous stories of relationships broken by conflict that moved through their difficulties by using the ideas contained in these pages.