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Conflict as a Tool: Turning Tension into Leadership Power

Prof. Yuliana Lavrysh,

Igor Sikorsky KPI, Ukraine

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Perception of a Conflict

Conflict as a Problem

Focuses on stopping the behavior/activity
Seeks a quick return to "normal."
Avoids tension.

Conflict as a Tool

Focuses on changing the structure.
Challenges a "normal" that is unjust.
Uses tension to create negotiation.

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Conflict Paradox (Mayer, 2015 ) VS Curiosity Paradox (Lederach, 2012)

Introduce the "Conflict Paradox"—that sustainable peace often requires increasing visible conflict (through non-violent protest or advocacy) to address underlying systemic issues. Lederach argues that conflict is not a problem to be solved, but a natural, "life-giving" opportunity.violence destroys our ability to see complexity. Idea: In conflict, we fall into "Either/Or" (Us vs. Them).

Insight: Transformation requires "Paradoxical Curiosity"—the ability to hold two seemingly contradictory truths at once (e.g., "I am hurt by you" AND "I am in a web of relationship with you").

Educational Focus: Teach students to replace "Why are they doing this to me?" with "What is the complexity I’m not seeing here?"“Conflict is not resolved by choosing sides,

but by expanding how we see.”

Insight: Peace is not a static end-state; it is a "process-structure"—a quality of relationship that is continuously evolving.

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The Three Lenses of Transformation (Lederach, 2012)

Lens 1: The Immediate Situation (Resolution). Addressing the surface-level problem (e.g., a specific fight or disagreement).
Lens 2: The Deeper Relationship (Transformation). Looking at the long-term patterns of how people treat one another.
Lens 3: The Conceptual Framework. Envisioning how to link the immediate crisis to a preferred, more just future.

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	Conflict Resolution Perspective	Conflict Transformation Perspective
The key question	How do we end something not desired?	How to end something destructive and build something desired?
The focus	It is content-centered.	It is relationship-centered.
The purpose	To achieve an agreement and solution to the presenting problem creating the crisis.	To promote constructive change processes, inclusive of -- but not limited to -- immediate solutions.
The development of the process	It is embedded and built around the immediacy of the relationship where the presenting problems appear.	It is concerned with responding to symptoms and engaging the systems within which relationships are embedded.
Time frame	The horizon is short-term.	The horizon is mid- to long-range.
View of conflict	It envisions the need to de-escalate conflict processes.	It envisions conflict as a dynamic of ebb (conflict de-escalation to pursue constructive change) and flow (conflict escalation to pursue constructive change).

https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/transformation

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https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/transformation

The transformational framework has three components — three points of inquiry:

The Presenting Situation — the conflict episode; both the immediate content and the patterns of relationship in context
The Horizon of the Future — the image of what we wish to create; not just a destination but a social energy that informs orientation and points back toward the present
The Development of Change Processes — attending to the web of interconnected needs, relationships, and patterns; not a single operational solution but multiple levels of change that build a platform for long-term transformation Beyond Intractability

Add this critical note for educators: The movement from the present toward the desired future is not a straight line, but a set of dynamic initiatives that set in motion change processes and create a sustained platform to pursue long-term change. Students who only think in straight lines — problem → solution — will systematically underestimate what peacebuilding requires

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Four dimensions of human experience

Personal: Minimize destructive effects; maximize potential for growth at physical, emotional, and spiritual levels

Relational: Minimize poorly functioning communication; maximize mutual understanding and bring relational fears, hopes, and goals to the surface

Structural: Address root causes; promote nonviolent mechanisms; foster structures that meet basic human needs and maximize participation in decisions

Cultural: Identify cultural patterns that contribute to violence; build on existing cultural resources for handling conflict constructively

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Peace is not the end of conflict,

it is what conflict can become

OLD MODEL

Conflict = Problem
Goal = Win or Avoid

NEW MODEL

Conflict = Signal + Opportunity
Goal = Transformation

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5 Practices of a Conflict Transformer

1. See through the presenting issue, not just at it

2. Think across multiple time frames simultaneously

3. Reframe either/or into both/and

4. Make complexity a friend, not a foe

5. Hear and engage the voice of identity and relationship

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Three core goals for students:

•Conflict literacy — read power dynamics in any conflict

•Conflict courage — choose when to surface vs. de-escalate tension

•Conflict agency — use conflict intentionally to build justice, not just resolve tension

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Sustainable peace grows from relationship transformations, not agreements

Change happens through unexpected connections
Especially at local/community level, not just leaders, through:

Grassroots peacebuilding
Youth dialogue
Community reconciliation

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Conflict is not the opposite of peace.

Untransformed conflict is.