Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict Into Collaboration [Paperback]

Stewart Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Most approaches to conflict resolution and negotiation result in just temporary settlement, compromise, or capitulation. This book offers new principles and new tools to show how to get to real, lasting resolution of any kind of personal, business, organizational, or community conflict. This thoroughly revised and updated work focusing on how to resolve conflict in a holistic, win-win manner incorporates the timeless wisdom of the first edition with new learning and applications.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Spit happens," says Levine in this practical book on conflict resolution, and he proposes a structured, seven-step collaborative model for dealing with it. A self-styled "resolutionist," Levine has 25 years of experience dealing with conflict as a lawyer, mediator, consultant, and trainer. He suggests that disputes can be resolved by practicing ten basic principles ranging from an "assumption of abundance" (there is more than enough to go around in this conflict) to a state of being what he calls "responsAble" (looking to oneself rather than to outside professionals for solutions). While much of Levine's model depends on a healthy state of optimism ("Remember. The glass is half full"), his process has real application not only for third-party mediators but also for individuals in the middle of a dispute, and it can be self-administered. He makes the process accessible, neatly summarizing each chapter and sprinkling his presentation liberally with cogent quotes and useful examples. Recommended for all public libraries.?Julie Denny, Alliance for Mediation & Conflict Resolution, Inc., Amenia, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Questions for Discussion:

1. Why is resolution more useful than compromise or settlement?

2. What is your attitude about conflict? Share how conflict was dealt with in your early environment. Do you deal with conflict in the same way? Have you made a conscious choice about how you want to address conflict in your life?

3. What are the four main costs of conflict?

4. Do you think winning and being right gets in the way of fostering long term relationships?

5. Do you suffer from scarcity thinking? Do you think that it always must be either you or them, or is it possible for you to both get what you want?

6. If you have ever been involved in a lawsuit share how the litigation process affected the conflict in terms of time, money intensity, duration, and trust.

7. When was the last time posturing and withholding helped you quickly resolve a situation? Is there a current conflict in which you might show more vulnerability and greater disclosure?

8. Do you think it might be useful to think about the process of resolving conflict as an exercise in group learning? Why?

9. Is there an unresolved situation in your life that you could take more personal responsibility for resolving?

10. To give yourself insight into the value of listening spend part of a day in silence, just listening and observing what goes on in your workplace. Share what you hear and learn.

11. Practice the completion process. Focus on one internal situation of conflict, one at work, and one at home. Share what happened for you.

12. What is an agreement based on covenant? What is the best way to establish one?

13. Why are the laws of agreement so important?

14. What are the difference between the process of agreement; the phenomenon of agreement; and the artifact of agreement?

15. Use the agreement template to craft an agreement about a project that you want to make happen in the world. Do this with your reading group. Notice how the resources you need to support the project start to appear.

16. Practice the resolution model for 21 days (new thinking and new actions.) This is the time it takes to develop a new habit. After 21 days meet with your reading group to discuss the changes you see.

17. Look at all of your business relationships through the lens of agreement. Notice the implicit and explicit agreements that guide your actions. Craft new explicit agreements using the models in the book.

18. What are some of the essential qualities that a resolutionary has?

Courtesy of Berrett-Koehler Publishers BERRETT-KOEHLER STUDY GUIDE --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Second Edition edition (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576757714
• ISBN-13: 978-1576757710
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stewart Levine is a "Resolutionary"

Stewart is a recovering litigator, preaching his message and teaching the conversational and thinking skills you need to make the aspirations of your life a reality. His message:

"You have the capacity and wisdom to build connection and
collaboration while reducing the cost and pain of conflict,
increasing your happiness, effectiveness and productivity

Learn more about him at www.ResolutionWorks.com

Stewart is the founder of RESOLUTIONWORKS. His personal mission is to promote collaboration and change the way our culture currently resolves conflicts: To become reliant on resolution and agreement for its business and personal relationships. Getting to Resolution is drawn from 35 years of experience as a lawyer, manager, consultant, mediator, and trainer.

He began his career advising and representing public officials as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. He practiced law actively for ten years, representing individuals and corporations in civil and criminal trials; and overseeing complex commercial and real estate transactions. While working on his Master of Laws degree, he taught at Temple University Law School, where he was a Law and Humanities Fellow.

In six years at AT&T, Levine was recognized as a pioneer "intrapreneur." He taught empowerment and intrapreneurial business development seminars to managers as the company moved through divestiture. He was a partner in charge of business development for a consulting company that moved from servicing the small business market to working with Fortune 500 companies.

Stewart combines a dynamic blend of powerful insight and creativity. He is a creative problem solver widely recognized for creating agreement and empowerment in the most challenging circumstances. He improves productivity while saving the enormous cost of conflict. His innovative work with "Agreements for Results" and his "Resolutionary" conversational models are unique. As a practicing lawyer he realized that fighting was a very ineffective way of resolving problems. As a marketing executive for AT&T he saw that the reason collaborations fall apart is that people do not spend the time at the beginning of new working relationships to create clarity about what they want to accomplish together, and how they will get there. This is true for employment relationships, teams, joint ventures and all members of any virtual team. As a result of his observations he designed conversational models that create "Agreements for Results," and a quick return to productivity when those working relationships break down. He uses his approach to form teams and joint ventures in a variety of situations. He works with individuals, couples, partners, small and large organizations of all kinds.

Levine was a panelist for the San Francisco Bar Association Symposium on the Future of the Legal Profession. He held human resources appointments from the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. He has written a number of articles advocating resolution as the highest art of legal service. The ideas in Levine's articles were endorsed by the House Judiciary Committee in its examination of case resolution in the Federal courts. These ideas appear as part of the Congressional Record.

His "Cycle of Resolution" was recently selected for inclusion in the "Change Handbook, 2d Edition." The first edition of "Getting to Resolution" (Berrett-Koehler 1998) was an Executive Book Club Selection; Featured by Executive Book Summaries; and named one of the 30 Best Business Books of1998. It has been translated into Russian, Hebrew and Portuguese. "The Book of Agreement" (Berrett-Koehler 2003) has been endorsed by many thought leaders. It has been hailed as "more practical" than the classic "Getting to Yes" and named one of the best books of 2003 by CEO Refresher (www.Refresher.com). "Collaboration 2.0: Technology and Tools for Collaboration in a Web 2.0 World" co-authored with David Coleman (Happy About 2008) provides guidance for effectively communicating in the virtual world.

Levine has trained companies in the United States, Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Colombia and Mexico. He teaches programs on leadership, management, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, and virtual communication. He has spoken before a broad range of audiences including American Bar Association; Association of Association Ecexuties; Association of Legal Administrators; Association of Quality Participation; American Express; Canada Attorney General; Caterpillar Corporation; Chevron; ConAgra; Common-wealth Club of San Francisco; Deloitte & Touche; Genentech; EDS; Esalen Institute; General Motors; Harvard Law School; Herman Miller Corp.; Human Resource Planning Society; NVIDIA; Oracle; Phil Donahue Show; PMI; Safeco Insurance Company; the U. S. Departments of Agriculture, the Army, EPA, NASA; Simon Fraser University Center for Management Innovation; Society for Human Resource Managers; Society for Professionals In Dispute Resolution; Syracuse University Entrepreneurial Forum; University of Massachusetts; University of San Francisco; the U. S. Attorney's office; and Visa USA.

Stewart currently for The American Management Association, CEO Space, Seminarium and the International Partnering Institute.

He graduated from the Maxwell School of Economics at Syracuse University. He is an honors graduate of Rutgers Law School where he was Student Writing Editor of the Law Review. He lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oustanding for couples, families, businesses, lawyers. April 2, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Conflict Resolution: A wonderfully Simple Approach December 1, 2000

By Noah Rhodes

Format:Hardcover

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. Read more ›

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST IN THE FIELD. March 16, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Levine has hit the nail on the head. Really practical stuff. March 3, 1999

By [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Use a collaborative process for conflict resolution, instead of a costly legal battle February 15, 2006

By Louise McCauley VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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. Read more ›