Conflict Transformation Framework
““Conflict is both the spark, the fight, the loud things, the incidents which you notice above the water, but it’s also the things that have been going on under the water””
Guiding Resources
BLM Tools for Addressing Chapter Conflict
Nurturing Relationships, Navigating Conflict
Neighborhood Anarchist Collective Conflict Navigation Framework
Neighborhood Anarchist Collective Process for Navigating Difficult Situations
Definitions
Accountability
Accountability is closely tied to responsibility, commitment, and support. In movement spaces, when we join a group, we make a commitment to take on certain responsibilities in order to advance the group’s overall purpose. This commitment can be implicit or explicit. The group, in turn, is then responsible for supporting the individual’s efforts to successfully achieve the desired outcomes associated with these responsibilities.
Accountability refers to one person’s ability and willingness to report back to the group and/or the community the group represents on actions they have taken, things they have done or not done, or things they have said, to take ownership of the consequence or outcomes of their action, positive and negative, learn from mistakes, make amends as needed, and change their behavior in the future.
To be accountable, the group, in turn, should name the actions or inactions of the group that may have made it difficult for group members to be successful, take ownership of the consequences, learn from mistakes, make amends and change group policies, practices, and culture as needed to increase the likelihood that group members will be successful in the future.
Calling In
Calling-in is a practice used within groups of people who have a shared purpose when a member of the group takes an action that does not reflect the values of the group or breaks the named guidelines of group participation. The call-in is usually a one- on-one conversation in which a supportive member of the group reminds their fellow member that the group has shared values and guidelines, supports them in reflecting on the ways their behaviors may have led to unintended consequences or harms, and continues to work with that person to make amends and change their behavior.
Calling Out
Calling-out is a practice most often, and most effectively used to publicly name the harmful behaviors of people with institutional or systemic power or cultural influence and may include demands for specific behavior change and redress. The call-out can be used to draw attention to harmful behaviors and increase public pressure on the person with power.
Within a group, people sometimes call-out fellow group members who have repeatedly been called-in but have not changed their behavior in meaningful ways. In this case, the call-out is usually done in the context of a full-group meeting or on social media. Within a group, a call-out is often received as a form of punishment meant to shame the individual who has caused harm.
Conflict
Conflict is a state of being in which two people or parties see their point of view as in opposition to or incompatible with the other. Conflict occurs when someone needs something from another, and the other can't or won't give it to them. Conflicts can arise about a wide variety of needs, including money, safety, information, cooperation, and dignity. In some cases, a conflict can arise as the result of a mistake or miscommunication that has had the consequence of someone feeling as if their needs will not be met.
Group
People who share movement space, or coalition or group space, and who have an explicitly named shared purpose.
Harm
Harm is the impact felt when a person is deprived of, or senses a threat to an essential need as a result of the action or inaction of another person, group, institution, or system. Essential needs can include access to care, food, shelter, money, safety, dignity, and bodily autonomy. People can also experience harm when faced with behaviors that mirror or embody past experiences of systemic harm. As such, many of us unintentionally cause harm by replicating internalized practices and norms that uphold systems of oppression.
Intent
Intent is the belief or desire that drives a person’s actions, which sometimes does not match the outcome or consequence of those actions. When we are part of a group of people who have a shared purpose, and when that group includes people whose identities reflect different positions in relation to power structures, we are best served by the belief that people are joining the group with the hope that they can move into right relationship, while recognizing that they must work hard to identify and disrupt internalized patterns of dominance. We believe that intent does matter - as a signal that someone is in the struggle to change. When good intentions that lead to unintentional consequences are met with punishment, the person who has been punished often ends up stuck in shame and hopelessness. However, when a person with good intentions that lead to unintentional consequences is called-in or asked to take accountability for their actions we allow that person to learn, make amends, and make changes.
Interests
Interests are the deeper hopes, fears, needs, wants and desires that drive a person’s actions or opinions.
Positions
A position is a specific stance, opinion or solution that one person has put forward because they believe it will meet their interests. Two people may assert different positions in response to a shared problem because they have not taken the time to identify all of the interests that are driving these positions. The perception that one person’s position threatens the other person’s interest can lead to conflict. However, once interests have been identified, both parties can work together to find a solution that meets the majority of both people’s interests.
Punishment
In psychological terms, punishment is a response to an undesirable behavior that is designed to stop that behavior. A punishment can be taking away something good - for example, the right to be part of a group, or to have a certain position in a group. A punishment can also be administering something painful to the person - for example, by shaming the person, damaging their reputation, berating the person verbally, threatening future abuse, or physically abusing them.
Transformation
Transformation occurs when the two people or parties start out seeing their point of view as in opposition to or incompatible with the other. The two people or parties go through a process that shifts their perspectives and allows them to come to a new understanding about what each party needs and how each party might be able to get their needs met. Conflict resolution implies that a conflict is resolved with one person being right and the other being wrong. In conflict transformation, the relationship between the two people or parties is where the change happens allowing for shifts in power dynamics, new ways of communicating, or new shared understanding of what the conflict is about.
Transformative Justice
Transformative justice (TJ) seeks to provide people who experience violence with immediate safety and long-term healing and reparations while holding people who commit violence accountable within and by their communities.
Community Accountability
Community accountability (CA) strategies aim at preventing, intervening in, and responding to, and healing from violence through strengthening relationships and communities, emphasizing mutual responsibility for addressing the conditions that allow violence to take place, and holding people accountable for violence and harm. This includes a wide range of creative strategies for addressing violence as part of organizing efforts in communities when you can’t or don’t want to access state systems for safety.
Shared Commitments, Assumptions, and Guiding Principles
We will not cancel us
“Canceling is punishment, and punishment doesn’t stop the cycle of harm, not long term. We will not cancel us. If we give up this strategy, we will learn together the other strategies that will ultimately help us break these cycles, liberate future generations from the burden of our shared and private pain, leaving nothing unspeakable in our bones, no shame in our dirt.” - Adrienne Maree Brown
Being Generous and Generative
“This means we give ourselves permission to be students of this work and not experts. We recognize that mistakes are part of the process, and we give ourselves permission to think of conflict and struggle as resources for new ideas, better next steps, and improvement on our existing work.” Fumbling Towards Repair
Taking care of ourselves
“We are survivors and this work is difficult. In order to give other survivors what they deserve, we must take care of our own wounds.” Fumbling Towards Repair
Answering judgment with curiosity
“It is natural to experience judgment, to put up walls, and to critique. We ask that we respond to these feelings with questions so that we can stay in solutions mode, recognize that we are all students in this together, and continue to move the work forward.” Fumbling Towards Repair
We are committed to transforming harm
Transforming harm means seeing harmful situations as having the capacity and potential to build ties rather than break them. We will strive to view these instances as generative and a path to move forward, rather than viewing conflict through a negative lens.
We are trauma-sensitive
“We want to understand that trauma is an important consideration in our healing, addressing conflict or coming up with interventions. Trauma can impact both the reactions we imagine are appropriate for a given situation and our interpretation and experiences of others’ reactions and responses. It can also impact our capacity to intervene without getting triggered.” BLM Chapter Conflict
At PAAU we are committed to understanding and addressing how trauma (personal, collective and generational) affects movement spaces through skill-building resources. This is an ongoing process to learn and implement trauma-sensitive practices.
Conflict is inevitable
“Accountability is a process. It involves listening, learning, taking responsibility, and changing. It involves conscientiously creating opportunities in our families and communities for direct communication. We can take responsibility for our actions, understanding and repair harm, readjustment of power toward empowerment and equal sharing of power, and rebuilding of relationships and communities toward safety, respect, and happiness.” BLM Chapter Conflict
We can name the impact of another’s behavior
Instead of assuming someone’s bad intention (for example, “When you did X, I felt Y,” as opposed to, “I know you were trying to make me feel Y!”).
We can take breaks! And use them to help emotions settle and support everyone to do their best.
Building trust — and rebuilding trust — takes time. Trust is not a given, and trust can be rebuilt!
We can commit to never dragging each other online.
We will practice direct communication
“For conflict that does not indicate more challenging issues like violence and abusive patterns, direct communication is often the most fruitful way of addressing it and intervening. When we talk about direct communication we are talking about our ability to state our understanding of what happened, the impact it had on us and the requests or boundaries that have emerged as a result. We can show our emotion, our hurt, anger, frustration while not trying to take away another’s dignity or humanity.” BLM Chapter Conflict
We view each other through the “Green Lens”:
“This person is whole and complete. They have goals, dreams, and a desire to make a difference. They have their own answers. They are contributing to me right now. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.” NAC Conflict Navigation Framework
Strategies and Processes Framework
We want to do conflict well, for tensions between members to be healthy and contribute to personal and collective growth. We want to embrace new practices and build a culture of care and accountability where members feel invited to express and discuss differences of opinion in an open and honest way. We can acknowledge mistakes and harm while holding both perpetrators and community accountable.
Conflict Reflection
Individuals should spend a sufficient amount of time on conflict reflection before bringing problems to the broader group. However, this process should not be used as a stalling mechanism in order to delay confronting conflict. Someone could begin at a later step after seeking advice that it would be appropriate to the specific situation. Start by assuming the other person has good intentions (unless proven otherwise). This reflection could include asking yourself questions such as:
“Is this situation my responsibility? In my control? If not, can I imagine letting go?”
“Am I activated due to my history and experiences? Can I attend to these wounds with care?”
“Do I recognize patterns of reaction from earlier experiences?”
“What else is true? What else is going on I’m not aware of? What else is going on in my life? Am I overreacting? Am I being insecure? Am I taking something personally? Am I simplifying a complex interaction?”
“What were the lessons I learned in my family, explicit or implicit, around conflict growing up? What is my relationship to conflict? How will that impact how I approach this situation?”
“Can I clearly express what my feelings are about this conflict? Can I identify what needs aren’t being met”
“When will I be in a calm emotional state in order to effectively discuss this issue?”
Accountability Dial
When initial signs of potential conflict appear, we suggest following the Dial of Accountability to attempt to stop the conflict before it really begins. The Dial of Accountability is a guide for intervening early on in conflict that provides a common language rooted in direct communication, and invites self-reflection, not self-protection. It keeps the focus on impact rather than intentions, and can be used for both corrective and complimentary feedback. The Dial includes 5 conversations:
The Mention: “Pull them aside to tell them something you’re noticing as close to real-time as possible.”
The Invitation: “Give them two or three examples of how this behavior is a pattern or theme that they can work on.”
The Conversation: “Use your weekly meeting to unpack the issue. Guide them to see how this pattern is holding them back from their personal goals.”
The Boundary: “Make an agreement about what needs to change, by when, and the concrete actions they’re committed to taking.”
The Limit: “Before you give up, have one more heart-to-heart talk that it’s their final chance to make a meaningful breakthrough.”
Direct communication
Reach out to the person you feel conflict with, let them know you’re feeling conflict, and invite them to talk. In person is best if possible.
Giving feedback is hard. Find a neutral/safe space to share. Be aware of social and historical power dynamics. It may take more than one conversation. Start with gratitude and what you appreciate about each other. Invite the other person to share their story of the conflict. Be compassionate to yourself and the other person. Once they are finished, share your story.
Questions to consider before, during, and after this direct communication
What will make this situation more safe?
What will lower the level of conflict intensity?
How can everyone in the conflict get their basic needs met?
What kinds of health, mental health, and healing supports are needed?
What would accountability in this situation look like and who needs to be involved?
Supported communication
If either party feels the need, include a mutually trusted person to host a conversation, choose someone who can remain neutral and is an able facilitator. Encourage participants to speak their truth in order to navigate complexities and possible contradictions. This trusted person might include a mentor, a board member, or another movement leader.
Board involvement
Conflicts should rarely reach this point, but if the situation has escalated beyond an interpersonal level it becomes a concern for the whole team. The board of directors will at this point be informed of the situation, will review the circumstances and previous process, listen to all sides, look at how it is influencing the group, and try to find a resolution that will benefit the whole group.
Irresolvable conflicts may lead to someone leaving the organization or a systemic/structural change to the group. Learn more about what this might mean and look like by reading When We Fall Apart.