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• Editor's Take: Understanding the Ultimate Root
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Editor's Take

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In an organization, team, or a company, 'conflict' will always arise no matter what. That is inevitable. It is just a matter of handling the 'conflict' involved.

Oftentimes, conflicts are a result from varied people interacting with each other; people with different values, perspectives and beliefs. Conflicts are also a result of factions and rivalries between groups or individuals competing to be on top over the other.

Whatever the conflict you are facing, what is vital is to go through its roots.

It is like curing the cause of an ailment and not just devising a remedy. Remedies are too short-term relief.

Actually, in managing a conflict, there are three dynamic combinations which can be looked into for its root[s]:

Win/Lose, Lose/Win, and Lose/Lose. The first paints a scenario about one person or group determined to triumph, but does not give value on the input or concerns of the opposite person or group. In this, the worst outcome is the retaliation of losers. Sadly, it is going to be an endless cycle of 'one-upmanship' and most likely, no achievement of any kind is earned here.

Second is on Lose/ Win, which means an issue is important only to one party and considered insignificant to the other. The apathetic party may simply give in just to evade prolonging the conflict. However, the other party may fail to realize that an issue was presented on the table for debate—it is vital to them. The need to actively involve and support one hundred percent is paramount. It is a must, regardless if the other party wants it or not.

Lastly, the Lose/Lose situation refers to anyone who does not view an issue as something critical but would rather concentrate their priorities or divert his/her/their focus on something else. Or perhaps, a person or group may decide not to focus or think deeply about an issue. Perhaps they are not exposed to enough information and are not involving the right people to address an issue—indeed, it is detrimental for all. Everybody loses in the process.

In the Humanist Movement, the Principle of Comprehended Action explains about making conflicts disappear when one understands them in their ultimate root, not when one wants to simply resolve them. It suggests that when faced with a conflict, almost everybody, moved by anxiety, goes right ahead to solve it without understanding its root.

In this way, the problem becomes even more complicated and keeps producing more problems in an endless chain. It does not say that given a problem, we should not do something, but that simultaneous to the action, there should be comprehension. It simply says, "Avoid improvisation, which is moved by irrational impulses, instead there should be a comprehension of the whole situation."

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