Kenneth Cloke’s new book, The Crossroads of Conflict: A Journey Into the Heart Of Dispute Resolution, speaks from a transforming perspective to conflict resolution;in his book, he urges a goal of transcendence. Ken will be interviewed this fall and early winter in Engaging Conflicts Today, and has given permission to excerpt portions of his book here. I’ll start with some easy pieces — some of the basic definitions he uses:
Resolution … means working through the content, or underlying reasons for conflict, and abandoning the old ways of thinking and behaving that led to them. Transformation means altering the contour, form, or shape of the conflict, both within the parties and in their relationships, communications, and perceptions of the issues over which they are fighting. Transcendence means moving beyond form and content to change the context, system, environment, and meaning of the conflict. This implies that the parties have learned how to evolve, outgrown, or rise above what was keeping them stuck, and are now ready to handle a higher level of conflict and order of resolution.
Ken’s book can be purchased directly from his publisher, Janis Publications: http://www.janispublications.com.
