The Joy of Conflict Resolution: Transforming Victims, Villains and Heroes in the Workplace and at Home

By Gary Harper

Book Overview

The Joy of Conflict Resolution helps readers better understand their conflicts through the lens of the "drama triangle" of victims, villains and heroes. Accessible, engaging and light-hearted, it provides proven and practical skills for moving beyond confrontation to resolve conflicts collaboratively.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865715157
• ISBN13: 9780865715158
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Practical, useful -- and fun

The joy of conflict resolution? Conflict is something most of us either avoid or confront in unproductive ways. No wonder the result is anything but joyful. Thankfully there's a better way and this light-hearted and easy to read book shows us how. Gary Harper is a brilliant facilitator and mediator whose training sessions are as much fun as they are insightful. He brings these same qualities to his first publishing effort. The Joy of Conflict Resolution helps us to understand what lies beneath our own attitudes about conflict. It lets us step outside of the emotional grip of conflict and reassess our actions objectively. As a result, we are able employ solutions that meet our own needs and respect all involved. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn to navigate conflict and come to resolutions that are, well, positively joyful.

Fun Learning

Immensely readable! Eye-opening stuff written with humour. Easy to relate to, and to laugh at yourself. Also practical for learning better ways to deal with relationships we all have. As an educator, I wish there were more texts like this available that students will enjoy reading and really learn from. Highly recommended.

Informative and Skillfully Presented

This book does an excellent job of presenting sophisticated ideas in an accessible and practical way. There is a constant interchange throughout between theory and practice. Early in the book we are introduced to the employees of a fictitious and often dysfunctional company, appropriately and humourously named Turm-Oil. These characters then serve as the cornerstone for exploring various conflicts and processes for their resolution. I found this approach particularly effective, since the more these conflicts are revisited from different angles, and from the points of view and interests of the protagonists, the more understandable and resolvable they become. Although the main examples of conflict resolution are drawn from this organizational group, the necessary skills and approaches are seen to be readily transferable to conflict within family groups or any other social context. This is a book which manages to be useful and instructive in a practical and entertaining way. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Perspectives from a Mediator and Trainer

This book is a "must read" for those who want to stay working with the organization they are with but who are frustrated by inter-personal confrontations at work. In a gentle, often humorous manner, it provides explanations for what is happening, and why. Readers are encouraged to be introspective about their own triggers. Each chapter concludes with proven practical tips to use, such as "listen first" or "pause before you speak". My suggestion - read it, at your leisure. Whether you are a frustrated manager, a disgruntled employee, a parent looking for a different way of communicating with your teen or your spouse, an individual involved in a specific conflict, a mediator or a dispute resolution trainer, you will acquire at least one new insight that will make your life better. Deborah Lynn Zutter, June 10, 2005

It's funny....

This book reads like a novel or perhaps a good sitcom on people's workplaces. That is what sets it apart from other workplace conflict resolution books. It applies the conflict resolution skills and concepts in a humourous way in a workplace setting with characters, dialogue and clear explanations. A easy way to learn. This is the perfect book to recommend to beginners and would be a great book to make part of a course registration. Whatever, I enjoyed it.