Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict Into Collaboration

Rating:
Summary: Stewart Levine's book is long overdue.
Review: Conflict...it plagues each of our lives daily. Most books written on the subject are too "clinical" or filled with verbage that only a PhD in Psychology can understand. Getting to Resolution is filled with practical examples of how conflict can ruin marriages, break deals and destroys friendships. Stewart Levine illustrates how the conventional "advesarial system" offers us a winner and a loser, but in conflict, all lose. Stewart offers a 7-step model which frankly, changed my life and my entire perspective of problem solving. I really mean this!

I am divorced and have children. There are many times when dealing with an ex-spouse and four children that I must face conflict. After reading this book, I realized that the satisfaction received from "winning" an argument was short lived and the problem remained. In some cases, the conflict merely hid itself temporarily, gaining stregth and power, only to return compounded with a new con! flict. However, this book taught me that to reach true conflict resolution, I must become a "resolutionary" and compromise. This is sometimes difficult, but as the Stewart writes, resolution is returning to the state as if the conflict never existed. To bring things in the present and look towards the future, as mentioned in Chapter 18, really does begin the healing process and affords us sight into the future.

What I liked most about the book is the conversational tone in which it is written. The examples reach all levels of society and each of us can find ourselves in some of them. I HIGHLY recommend Getting to Resolution to everyone! Hopefully it will enrich other people's lives as it has mine.

Thanks, Stewart for a great and much needed book!

Rating:
Summary: Conflict Resolution: The Greatest of Needs!
Review: Conflict...it plagues each of our lives daily. Most books written on the subject are too "clinical" or filled with verbage that only a PhD in Psychology can understand. Getting to Resolution is filled with practical examples of how conflict can ruin marriages, break deals and destroys friendships. Stewart Levine illustrates how the conventional "advesarial system" offers us a winner and a loser, but in conflict, all lose. Stewart offers a 7-step model which frankly, changed my life and my entire perspective of problem solving. I really mean this!

I am divorced and have children. There are many times when dealing with an ex-spouse and four children that I must face conflict. After reading this book, I realized that the satisfaction received from "winning" an argument was short lived and the problem remained. In some cases, the conflict merely hid itself temporarily, gaining stregth and power, only to return compounded with a new con! flict. However, this book taught me that to reach true conflict resolution, I must become a "resolutionary" and compromise. This is sometimes difficult, but as the Stewart writes, resolution is returning to the state as if the conflict never existed. To bring things in the present and look towards the future, as mentioned in Chapter 18, really does begin the healing process and affords us sight into the future.

What I liked most about the book is the conversational tone in which it is written. The examples reach all levels of society and each of us can find ourselves in some of them. I HIGHLY recommend Getting to Resolution to everyone! Hopefully it will enrich other people's lives as it has mine.

Thanks, Stewart for a great and much needed book!

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this book!
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Conflict Resolution: A wonderfully Simple Approach
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Conflict Resolution: A wonderfully Simple Approach
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Effort!
Review: Reluctant attorney, Stewart Levine, provides a rational framework to justify spending his life avoiding conflict and confrontation. Even in the business world, he takes a pass on legal action and other logical ways of fighting back in a conflict. Instead, when opinions differ and arguments flourish, he seeks a higher course of reconciliation and collaboration. His seven-step resolution process saves time and money, launders egos, and advances clarity. Although each chapter is summed up almost too tidily in a final paragraph, or even a final sentence, Levine does not stint. In each chapter, he shares real world examples from his life and career. We at getAbstract recommend this book to anyone who wants to rationalize a business deal based solely on trust, to anyone searching for a deal-making scenario where lawyers are not invited, and to people who are looking for the words to express their desire to just get along.

Rating:
Summary: A Whole New Approach to Conflict Resolution
Review: Steward Levine's book, Getting to Resolution--Turning Conflict Into Collaboration, presents a whole new approach to conflict resolution. There is a 7-step model that will produce true resolution in any difficult situation, whether at work or home. Levine presents a win/win way for every conflict to be resolved so the resolution will not create further bitterness and anger. There is a way for no one to lose and for everyone to win. In this marvelous book, Levine shows how it can happen. Read it and learn how to resolve with every conflict in your life!

Rating:
Summary: Stewart Levine's book is long overdue.
Review: Stewart Levine has done us all a big favor by writing this book. He shows clearly that our present methods of conflict resolution are largely ineffective...and expensive! He has laid out a new paradigm for resolving conflicts, one that will leave us both financially and emotionally intact.