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Conflict Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution

🏛️ Politics & Public Administration By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: conflict management means understanding the causes and course of a conflict and steering it in a constructive direction rather than simply eliminating it, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) means settling disputes through methods such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration instead of litigation. It is used from conflicts inside organisations to public conflicts such as facility siting.
Contents
  1. 1. Views of conflict
  2. 2. Conflict-handling modes
  3. 3. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
  4. 4. Managing public conflict
  5. 5. Strengths and limits
  6. 6. References

Views of conflict

The traditional view saw conflict as a dysfunction to be eliminated, but modern organization theory holds that a moderate level of conflict can prompt problem-finding and innovation. Pondy (1967) described conflict as a process running from latent conflict to perceived conflict, felt conflict, manifest conflict and conflict aftermath.

Conflict-handling modes

Thomas (1976) and Kilmann distinguished five ways of handling conflict on two axes: how far one pursues one's own interests (assertiveness) and how far one considers the other side's interests (cooperativeness).

  • Competing: pushing one's own position (high assertiveness, low cooperativeness).
  • Collaborating: looking for a solution that satisfies both sides.
  • Compromising: each side gives up a little.
  • Avoiding: postponing or sidestepping the conflict.
  • Accommodating: giving in to the other side's demands.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

  • Negotiation: the parties seek agreement directly. See negotiation theory for techniques.
  • Mediation: a neutral mediator helps the conversation, but the parties keep the power to decide. In Korea there is court mediation under the Civil Conciliation Act and various dispute mediation committees.
  • Arbitration: an arbitrator chosen by the parties issues an award that has the same effect as a final judgment. See arbitration for details.

Approaches that focus on interests rather than positions, such as Fisher and Ury's (1981) principled negotiation, underpin the practice of mediation and negotiation.

Managing public conflict

In 2007 Korea adopted the Regulation on the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts in Public Institutions (a presidential decree), which has central government agencies use conflict impact analysis and conflict mediation councils. The 2017 public deliberation committee on Shin Kori reactors 5 and 6, which recommended resuming construction after deliberation by a citizen panel, is a leading example of deliberative conflict management. Siting conflicts over facilities such as waste plants are also linked to the NIMBY phenomenon.

Strengths and limits

ADR is usually faster and cheaper than litigation, is held in private and makes it easier to preserve relationships. On the other hand, between parties of very unequal power it can produce agreements that disadvantage the weaker side, it builds no precedent, and critics say public-interest issues can be buried in private settlements.

References

  1. Pondy, L. R. (1967). Organizational conflict: Concepts and models. Administrative Science Quarterly, 12(2), 296-320.
  2. Thomas, K. W. (1976). Conflict and conflict management. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 889-935). Rand McNally.
  3. Fisher, R., & Ury, W. (1981). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Houghton Mifflin.
  4. Moore, C. W. (2014). The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
  5. 공공기관의 갈등 예방과 해결에 관한 규정(대통령령). 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr/

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '갈등관리와 대안적 분쟁해결' on CampusDown →
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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.