Complex Conflict in the Learning Environment - Essay Example

COMPLEX CONFLICT IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT College Complex Conflict in the Learning Environment In our daily lives, conflicts are bound to come up and one has to deploy conflict resolution skills to act in such situations. In my secondary school education, I once had to deal with a conflict that demanded decision making skills to resolve. Since I was a multi-cultural school, the issue of cultural discrimination was common. While I was in form three, a male student had stereotyped about a lady student, resulting in a conflict that ended up in war.

The female student was a Muslim and the male student was a Christian. After arguing on matters of religion, the Christian student criticized the Muslim student and the two engaged in a fight. This attracted the attention of other students and a conflict ensued between the Christian students and the Muslim students. This conflict was complex due to the characteristics surrounding the matter. The conflict involved two different groups with clear cutline boundaries. Since diversity management was the principle applied in this institution, the administration was against any form of discrimination whatsoever (Donohue & Kolt, 2009).

The institution strived to establish cohesion between student no matter their background, culture, or even gender. Secondly, this was a dysfunctional conflict that threatened the wellbeing of the institution. If allowed, this conflict would lead to rivalry between religious groups. As such, the conflict was likely to likely to destabilize the harmony of the institution. As such, the conflict demanded immediate attention to ensure that order was restored in the institution. In the analysis of a conflict, it is crucial to identify the parties and the variables involved in the conflict (Avruch, 2005).

One of the variables that came up in the conflict was cultural difference between the Muslims and Christians. As the two student came from different regions of the world, their cultural believes were varied. Secondly, gender was a variable since the initial crisis ensued between the male and female student. Thirdly, the two groups had different religious conflicts, making it hard for them to agree on matter brought forward on the issue. The fact that other students decided to join in the war increases the number of parties in the conflict and makes it more complicated.

As such, it is crucial to consider the sensitivity of the matter before engaging in conflict resolution. Due to the complexity of the matter, negotiation technique of conflict resolution would fail in this case. This is because it would be quite hard for the two groups to agree on matters concerning their religion. The best approach would be to engage in mediation process. The administration needs to mediate on the matter with swiftness. In this case, the administration should strive to join the two groups by establishing a fair decision.

In mediation, a fair decision is only obtained if all groups are reinstated and each of them becomes a winner at the end of the day (Donohue & Kolt, 2009). Therefore, the administration should engage the two groups in a counselling session to ensure that each of them understands the need of respecting the other despite their race, religion or gender. As the lady may feel intimidated by the male student, it is crucial to re-join them through counselling to ensure that there is gender respect. In concluding the case, the principal should set up a contract to determine the punishment for any person who intimidates the other on the line of religion.

This will ensure that the students establish a strong relationship that will last in the long term. References Avruch, K. (2005). Culture & conflict resolution. Washington, D.C: United States Inst. of Peace Press. Donohue, W. A., & Kolt, R. (2009). Managing interpersonal conflict. Newbury Park [u.a.: Sage.