Implementation Session of Sources of Resistance - Assignment Example

A script presentation on potential sources of resistance to resolution and potential objections/obstacles to implementing the resolution plan s Name Grade Course Instructor’s Name (November 17, 2014) A script presentation on potential sources of resistance to resolution and potential objections/obstacles to implementing the resolution plan Welcome/opening comments I would like to welcome all of you to this meeting. The need to convene the meeting has been created by the fact that there is discontent amongst the residents on the current situation of the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse use by the public for their tourism activities. On the other hand, there is also the feeling of dissatisfaction both by the BLM and the TCMM, since the essential public resources in the Spark Island have not been utilized properly for a long time now, due to the residents’ concerns that the utilization of this resource by the public for tourism and recreation purpose will increase the challenges already being experienced by the land and home owners in the region. Thus, the purpose of convening this meeting is to create a forum where all the stakeholders to this conflict can engage constructively and come up with a long-lasting solution. However, it is important to highlight the fact that there is a need to come up with a speedy resolution to this problem, since the conflict has existed for so long, and the more it continues to exists, then, the more the parties become aggrieved. I would like to call for an open mind and sobriety as we enter into dialogue and engagement on this issue, so that we can be able to reach out to one another easily and end up with a solution that will be agreeable to all. Tracking the PowerPoint presentation The Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse conflict is a serious multiple-party conflict that is not created by selfish interests, malice or authoritarianism, but as a result of genuine concerns of the residents of the area as well as the interests of the relevant authorities and the general public. The Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse are public utility resources, which cannot be denied public access. However, the allowance of public access to the resource utilization has caused a clash with the residents’ interests of a quiet and uninterrupted life. The residents feel that the continued use of the Spark Island Lighthouse and the impending opening up of the Spark Island as a County Park is likely to increase the interruption into their lives even more. This is because, there is already high traffic congestion on the road leading to the area and trashing is already a major problem. Thus, the likelihood of increased tourism and recreational activities that would result from the opening of the Spark Island as a County Park would add to these problems. On the other hand, the Timor County Maritime Museum (TCMM), the Timor County Parks and Recreation Department (TCP) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) feel that it is only fair that the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse are open for public utilization, since this will create a productive use of these resources, following the relinquishing of the Spark Island by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Potential sources of resistance to resolution The two main potential sources of resistance in this case are the residents and the Timor County Parks and Recreation Department (TCP), since they are the stakeholders directly affected by the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse conflict. Residents The residents are a potential source of resistance due to the fact that they feel their interests are not adequately considered, especially by the TCMM. The major factor causing the resident’s resistance is the mistrust they have on the genuineness of the TCMM in addressing their concerns. Mistrust is a fundamental factor in stalling a conflict resolution process, due to the fact that without the element of trust, the parties to the conflict will tread cautiously with each other, thus may not openly engage or even agree to the opinions or suggestions of the party they mistrust (Morris & Su, 1999).Thus, owing to the fact that the residents do not trust the TCMM, most especially due to the fact that TCMM created a land-use plan without engaging them, it becomes apparent that the residents are a potential source of resistance to a constructive engagement. Further, the residents observe the fact that the TCMM has not given them a copy of the plan they have developed for the Spark Island management and use, as an indication that TCMM is not ready to integrate the concerns and interest of the residents in its plan. Suspicion is a key component in hindering the possibility of arriving at an agreeable solution to a conflict, since suspicion breeds self-interest and egocentrism, causing the parties to a conflict hold on to their premeditated positions rigidly (Bercovitch & Jackson, 2009). Therefore, the residents might refuse to engage constructively with the TCMM until at such a point when they will feel confident that TCMM has come to the negotiation table with the genuine interests and concerns of the residents. Timor County Parks and Recreation Department (TCP) The TCP is a potential source of resistance to the resolution of the conflict in this case, since it is the relevant authority that is concerned with the recreational welfare of the county residents. Therefore, the TCP is likely to resist the attempts by the residents to block the adoption of the Spark Island as a County Park, since the TCP needs to create more recreational and tourism facilities for the residents. The position of power/authority is a major impediment to effective dispute resolution, since the parties holding the position of power might insist on the application of the authority and rules of power, as opposed to a constructive engagement with the other parties (Kazakevičiūė, Ramanauskaitė & Venskutė, 2013). Thus, owing to the fact that TCP is in a position of power in relation to the utilization of the public resource, land and facilities in the county, it might be a major source of resistance to an agreeable conflict resolution, by holding that it is the legal rights of the public to utilize the public space without being hindered. Expectations is yet another factor that contributes to the resistance of parties to a conflict resolution, due to the fact that if there is an expectation that the other party to the conflict ought to have done something that eventually emerges to not have been done, then the tendency of a party to resist to the conflict resolution is high (Secrieru, 2011). In this case, some officials of the Timor County argue that it was expected of the residents, home owners and land owners of the Spark Island area to understand that there will eventually be high traffic, noise and public tourism in the region when they bought land and build homes there. This is because, they bought land and build homes in full knowledge that the Spark Island and the Spark Island Lighthouse are public facilities that can attract high visitation. Thus, the expectation, that the residents of the region anticipated the current occurrence by TCP, may cause the TCP to resist incorporating the residents’ concerns. Potential objections/obstacles to implementing the resolution plan Miscommunication According to (Lewicki, Hiam, and Olander, 1996) communication is the fundamental basis of successful negotiations, without which the parties to a conflict can never arrive at an agreeable solution p.159. Miscommunication is a major impediment to the resolution of any conflict, since it makes it hard for the parties to a conflict to understand the needs, concerns and interests of one another (Bercovitch & Jackson, 2009). Further, miscommunication is a communication problem that arises from the interaction of multiple parties, since with the increase in the number of parties to a conflict, the chances of disagreements, suspicion and lack of comparative approach increases (Kazakevičiūė, Ramanauskaitė & Venskutė, 2013). Thus, since the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse conflict comprises of multiple parties, then miscommunication is likely to arise in the course of the negotiations, which will in turn act as a major hindrance to the effective resolution of the dispute. Multiple interests and concerns The fact that the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse conflict comprises of numerous concerns and interests from different parties, is in itself a major obstacle to arriving at an agreeable solution to the dispute. A negotiator cannot be able to address the interests of both sides and invent the options that will meet the interests and concerns of the parties to a conflict, unless the negotiator is able to fully understand the issues and know all the interests and concerns of the parties (Lewicki, Hiam, and Olander, 1996). Therefore, due to the fact that the there are five different parties to the conflict, and considering that each party has different concerns and interests, there is a high likelihood that the negotiator may not understand all the concerns and needs of all the parties. The lack of understanding of the negotiator to the needs of all the parties will become a major obstacle towards the resolution of the existing conflict (Morris & Su, 1999). Lack of full participation The lack of full participation of all parties to a conflict is a major impediment to successful resolution a conflict, since conflict resolution process is a systematic process that requires consistency (Secrieru, 2011). The major factor that had contributed to the previous failure of the Spark Island and Spark Island Lighthouse conflict is the fact that all the residents did not attend the meetings that were convened to address the matter, with the attendance keeping shifting the participants. Understanding the conflict situation fully is fundamental towards successful resolution of the conflict, since it helps to avoid partiality when making judgments (Bercovitch & Jackson, 2009). Thus, unless all the residents in the Spark Island area attends all the meeting convened to resolve the conflict, the cycle of convening meetings without any decisive agreement will continue to be a major obstacle to the resolution of the conflict, since different residents will continue to air conflicting views. References Bercovitch, J., & Jackson, R. (2009). Conflict resolution in the twenty-first century: Principles, methods, and approaches. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Lewicki, R. J., Hiam, A., & Olander, K. W. (1996). Think before you speak: A complete guide to strategic negotiation. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Kazakevičiūė, A., Ramanauskaitė, J., & Venskutė, R. (2013). Adlerian Lifestyle and Conflict Resolution Strategies in a Lithuanian Organization. Journal Of Individual Psychology, 69(2), 156-167. Morris, M. W., & Su, S. K. (1999). Social Psychological Obstacles in Environmental Conflict Resolution. American Behavioral Scientist, 42(8), 1322. Secrieru, S. (2011). The Transnistrian conflict – new opportunities and old obstacles for trust building (2009–2010). Journal Of Southeast European & Black Sea Studies, 11(3), 241-263. Read More