U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Engaging Conflict: Supporting Power-Sharing Through Constructive Conflict Resolution

NCJ Number
248838
Journal
Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 42 Issue: 7 Dated: August 2014 Pages: 854-868
Author(s)
Angela L. Walden; Shabnam Javdani; Nicole E. Allen
Date Published
September 2014
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined data collected from Family Violence Councils to investigate the relationship between members' perceived decision-making power, defined as their perceived influence over the direction and agenda of the Council, and member characteristics, perceived levels of Council conflict, and conflict resolution strategies utilized by Councils.
Abstract
Ideally, collaborative work combines multiple stakeholders' resources and efforts to achieve common goals. Within collaborative settings, people from a variety of backgrounds come together to address complex social issues that are beyond the scope of any single community sector. While shared power in decisionmaking has been established as an important feature of effective collaborative settings, our current understanding of members' experiences of decision-making power within such settings is limited. Findings from the current study indicate that the utilization of "constructive" conflict resolution strategies by Councils may be a key factor to consider in effective facilitation of power sharing among members. (Publisher abstract modified)