Photo by Joy Wilkins, Grand Canyon, February 5, 2024
Perspectives
Leadership in Economic Development: Getting to Peace
By Joy Wilkins, CEcD
Our present challenge is to change the culture of conflict itself within our families, our workplaces, our communities, and our world. Far from eliminating differences, our challenge is to make the world safe for differences.
— William Ury
Many of the problems facing our communities — some of them large scale and multi-generational — may not be all that unique. What can be rare, however, is how well community leaders connect with each other to address these problems constructively and in a way that changes community life.
Social anthropologist William Ury, an author and thought leader in conflict resolution, provides helpful guidance in his 1999 book, Getting to Peace: Transforming Conflict at Home, at Work, and in the World.
Preventing Unnecessary Conflict
Conflict in and of itself can be a healthy tool. The best decisions result from not a superficial consensus but from surfacing different points of view and searching for creative solutions, says Ury. However, not all conflict is necessary or good. According to Ury, destructive conflicts occur when personal needs are not met — emotional needs such as love, respect, recognition, belonging, identity, and purpose.
Ury describes three roles that leaders can play in addressing these needs: provider, teacher, and bridge-builder. As providers, we can help people by sharing resources and knowledge. As teachers, we can handle everyday tensions by encouraging respect for differences and joint problem-solving. As bridge builders, we can create ties that cut across boundaries and foster genuine dialogue.
Resolving Overt Conflicts
When conflicts erupt to unhealthy levels, contributing factors include conflicting interests, disputed rights, unequal power, and injured relationships. Says Ury: in every dispute, there are not just two sides, but an untapped third side that can transform destructive conflicts into profitable cooperation.
Ury describes three roles any of us can play in managing conflict: as mediator, equalizer, and healer. As mediators, we can work to bring all parties to the table and facilitate communication. As equalizers, we can democratize power by convening key actors that represent the diversity of our communities. As healers, we can repair broken relationships by creating the right emotional climate for talks to occur.
Changing Our Culture
Although it may seem at times that it is human nature not to get along, Ury argues that the desire to do so is actually rooted in our core being. Helping people get along is nothing short of essential to the prosperity of our communities. When we learn how to understand, respect and appreciate our differences — and this becomes part of our culture — not only do we reduce the potential for costly conflicts, but our communities increase their promise for being the places of choice for today's generation and generations to come.
Because of the nature of our work, those of us serving in economic development are often positioned to be the super-connectors for our communities — the ones who develop and maintain trusted relationships with all the key stakeholders. We can help them to connect with each other and provide the glue, when needed, to mend relationships. We can, in Ury's words, change the story for the communities we serve.
About This Article
Economic development leaders are true change agents for the world around them. This article is part of IEDC's ongoing series on Leadership in Economic Development.
This article first appeared in Economic Development Now, a publication by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), in November 2014 and appears here with permission. Special thanks to IEDC's former managing editor Louise Anderson for her partnership in producing this article.