1/5: Conflict Infrastructure within Low-capacity, Un(der)funded Community Organizations: A Discussion Guide
Conflict Infrastructure refers to a set of dedicated and enacted policies, procedures, processes, resources, time, labor, emotional and social energy that is set up to address conflicts that arise within an organization and/or the social ecosystem that organization exists within, impacts, and is impacted by.
Introduction
The following series of five newsletters will be a discussion guide for organizations seeking to establish conflict infrastructure—in particular, organizations that are primarily run through voluntary (unpaid) labor.
Community organizations are often (understandably) underequipped to address the everyday interpersonal and structural conflicts we encounter while trying to do the transformational work we set out to do. Too often, these conflicts are avoided until they reach the point of crisis because organizations don’t have clear protocols for how to address them. To answer the question: “How do we collectively solve problems, address harm, and engage with healthy disagreement?,” many organizations are in the process of incorporating internal structures for addressing conflict. Deciding whether, how, and to what extent individual organizations should develop conflict infrastructure is a significant undertaking.
Conflict infrastructure can involve any or all of the following:
Referrals lists to mediators, counselors, and facilitators who can be called on for support + dedicated resources to pay for their time;
Dedicating internal members who are trained as mediators or facilitators to address conflicts internally;
Opportunities or processes for members or impacted parties to make others aware of problems, issues, or concerns without fear of retaliation;
Processes for responding to problems, issues, or concerns in ways that respect difference and dissent;
A set of expectations for how in-group members treat each other during times of conflict and consequences when expectations aren’t met;
A concrete decision-making process for solving problems or addressing disagreement for time-sensitive projects;
Protocols for responding to harm between members or by members against community;
A rapid response network for interpersonal and communal violence;
Procedures for making structural changes to the organization as a whole and redistributing power;
and more!
Creating this infrastructure, if done based on a democratic decision-making processes and with limited time each week, can take months or years depending on the scope of what the organization wants to build. After that, adjustments based on learning and experience after implementation are likely to take additional time.
I present the following newsletters as a guide for any group of people who are interested in exploring this topic. Newsletters will include:
Part I: What Path is Right for Us (below)
Part II: The Planning for Planning Phase
Part III: The Long, Long Planning Phase
Part IV: The Implementation Phase
Part V: The “What Have We Done” Phase(s)
I recommend these as questions to discuss amongst yourselves (and more questions will likely arise as you do so)—once complete, I will also post this guide in its entirety as a PDF and screen reader accessible post on my website. I offer myself as a resource for when you get stuck, e-mail me (Luna) at conflicttransformation@protonmail.com.
Part 1: What Path is Right for Us?
Typically a small group within an organization initiates the process of discussing conflict and the potential for infrastructure. This guide is designed for that small group, but relies on that group seeking outside input as needed. Take notes. Invite people into the conversation as needed. Be transparent with others in the organization about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, so people don’t feel excluded or coerced when you come forward with a proposal or idea.
1.1 What conflicts impact us as an organization?
Why conflict context matters: The kinds of conflicts that are impacting the organization should inform the rest of your conversation about conflict infrastructure. If you’re primarily experiencing interpersonal issues (e.g. people being disrespectful in meetings), the scale of what you’ll need to establish is significantly smaller than if you’re experiencing disagreements on a community scale about the structure or distribution of resources or power.
Later, when answering questions about capacity, will depend on what you’re trying to address.
You might ask each other:
What event or situation sparked this conversation?
Who is experiencing harm in relation to our work together? Who is being harmed by our members? Why?
What issues, concerns, or complications have arisen after big decisions have been made?
Who holds the power (authority, control) to make decisions? Has that been an issue for anyone? For who? For what reasons?
What types of conflict have been brought to us for help/resources? By whom?
What disagreements have been most disruptive to achieving our goals?
1.2 What resources already exist within our communities to address these conflicts?
You might ask each other:
Where do folks currently go for mediation, negotiation, dispute resolution?
…for healing, understanding, restorative justice?
…for violence intervention or interruption?
Do these places involve police or other criminalizing systems?
Do our folks have confidence in these people/places?
Are these people/places we can support?
Can we refer folks to these resources?
Why current resources are important: If something already exists, don’t remake it! If you can collaborate and add value to a pre-existing project (such as a dispute resolution center, restorative justice collaborative, or mediation service), rather than start something separate, why not do that? If the conflicts you’re facing can be addressed by referring to (or inviting in) an outside person or group, your organization may simply need some clear information about how members can access those resources when they’re in conflict, rather than creating an elaborate internal structure from scratch.
1.3 What is our motivation for creating conflict infrastructure (or pursuing the possibility)?
Activity:
Go around in a circle and let each person answer: why are you here for this specific conversation in this specific organization?
Follow-up: what will a meaningful outcome feel like/look like in two, three, or ten years?
Why motivation is important: What motivates us helps us to understand the why of what we’re doing and points us toward our purpose. If we don’t have a shared motivation or purpose, that could tell us that the group is not in alignment toward the same outcome. For example, some folks may want a system that addresses harm in the community, whereas others want to only address internal disagreements between members.
If our motivations are in alignment, we are able to weigh our options (e.g. one decision-making model vs. another) against whether or not they meet a collective purpose. If our motivations are out of alignment (we are doing this for different reasons or toward different ends), then we will find ourselves unable to make mutually beneficial decisions. Some degree of alignment on shared purpose is key to working collectively.
Motivation can also tell us if we are currently in crisis—experiencing a disruptive conflict. We may feel pressure to make hasty decisions about conflict infrastructure in order to meet immediate needs for resolution/healing/transformation. If currently in crisis, consider asking for outside help facilitating the current conflict. Infrastructure can still be built to deal with future conflicts, but with less urgency.
1.4 Given our needs, motivations, and the resources already available: What does our organization want from us (if anything)?
Activity:
Hold a townhall and/or provide an anonymous form and/or have one-on-one check-ins with folks who have experienced conflict. Ask participants to share:
What role should the organization have in intervening in conflict...
...between members?
...between members + leadership/staff?
...between members + community?
...between community + the organization?
What hopes do you have about a conflict infrastructure?
What fears or concerns do you have?
Why group input is important at this stage: The whole membership of the organization will be impacted by establishing a conflict infrastructure. Resources will be dedicated to that infrastructure that might have gone toward other projects, new expectations will be made of them to engage in processes and agreements, and how they relate to one another in times of conflict may be expected to change. Understanding what people want and need from a conflict infrastructure is extremely meaningful in deciding whether or not an infrastructure is desired at all and, if desired, what scope/scale of infrastructure is needed to address members’ wishes. Understand that you may not be able to do everything that everyone wants, so avoid making promises about what will come of this information.
1.5 Do we have buy-in (enthusiastic support) from our organization(s) to develop conflict infrastructure?
Why buy-in is important: Buy-in or enthusiastic support is demonstrated by excitement, encouragement, gratitude, and respect for the endeavor/project (as opposed to push-back or passive approval). Doubt or suspicion about the infrastructure from even a small number of people can indicate questions about effectiveness, ability to provide care, or the ethics of engaging with conflicts of the nature being proposed. Resistance to creating conflict infrastructure is fairly common—many people have a hard time understanding why an organization dedicated to free housing or food sovereignty should dedicate resources to conflict. Folks may see the effort as disruptive, performative, or not a priority. These doubts may point to: larger misunderstanding of conflict or accountability, lack of trust within the organization, and/or current burn-out. Or, these doubts might just point to a realistic view of what the organization can and cannot handle. In any case, lack of enthusiastic support should be taken seriously and may require some strategizing as to how you can help folks understand what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and building trust.
Note: If ultimately the answer is no, interested parties could create an external project for addressing conflict or set the project aside.
Activity:
Whose support do we need to be successful?
Assess level of their support.
What adjustments can we make that will meet folks needs and concerns?
Make changes to approach.
Reassess level of support.
If support is low, reassess the mission of the project.
1.6 Who is willing to be directly/deeply involved in developing our conflict infrastructure and on what timeline?
You might ask each other:
Who is willing to work on creating infrastructure?
What pace + timeline are we available for?
What skills, experience, or insight do we each bring?
Who is willing to be a part of the infrastructure we create (a facilitator, coordinator, organizer, intervenor)?
What pace + timeline are we available for?
What skills, experience, or insight do we each bring?
Why involvement is important: It’s very common (and understandable) for organizations to respond to an immediate need by diving into a project head first: a world of structural violence forces urgency to act in response to harm or feel guilt/complicity if we don't react quickly enough. When we're trapped in this dynamic, we skip over reflection and planning about who will carry the labor to make our response a sustainable and effective effort. Reactive decision-making can cause further problems or unkept promises. Knowing whether human capacity exists to sustain the effort and for how long, will tell you a lot about what you can or should try to accomplish.
Try to break out of a sense of urgency and guilt by focusing on care for one another, relationship, and imagining what's possible.
1.7 Do we have the resources, capacity, and skills to enact such an infrastructure in the future (2 - 3 years from now, 5 - 10 years from now)?
Why future capacity is important: With the best of intentions, we can initiate projects that fall apart under the pressures of regular life. In the case of conflict infrastructure, setting out on this process can give people hope or expectation that they will receive direct support for crises and conflict impacting their wellbeing. We should be cautious of making claims of what we can or will do, unless we feel confident and have dedicated resources to be able to do so. Community organizations often experience fluctuations in voluntary labor, financial resources, or high turnover of membership. All of these factors will contribute to whether or not this infrastructure is sustainable for the long term.
Resources that might be important depending on the conflicts you want to address and how:
Social or economic capacity to provide alternative housing, transportation, food, or temporary income to people in harmful situations until resolved or long-term security is possible
Social respect, trust, or influence necessary to gain participation in the processes planned and implementation of any consequences or boundaries that result
Time and energy to commit labor to planning, facilitating, and following through on conflict processes
Economic resources to fund the labor, facilitation, and follow-up if paying for labor is a core value (as opposed to volunteer-based labor)
Emotional and mental strength, capacity, or resources to engage long-term with difficult and possibly triggering topics
Social support to maintain a good quality of life outside of engagement in this work.
Skills and training that might be relevant to have or develop, based on what conflicts you want to be able to address and how:
Trauma-informed practice (communicating sensitively/compassionately with people impacted by abuse, violence, oppression)
Workshop or skillshare development and teaching experience
De-escalation and/or bystander intervention
Mediation (inclusive, transformative, and/or facilitative)
Negotiation
Adjudication
Decision-making processes (consensus, majority voting, etc.)
Transformative Justice principles/approaches
Accountability processes
Restorative Justice processes (circles, community conferencing)
Attachment theory and applications for relationship diversity
Understanding of harm prevention
Understanding of structural violence and oppression
Understanding of abusive (power over) dynamics
Understanding of power dynamics (soft and structured)
Systems change, change design
Understanding of the cultures, values, and beliefs that guide the communities the infrastructure will serve
Relationships/familiarity with the people and communities the infrastructure will serve
1.8 Based on these conversations, what is the right path for us?
If motivations are aligned, resources and capacity are high, and the project seems sustainable, moving forward to develop a conflict infrastructure that matches that capacity and need is a great idea. Move to Phase 2: Planning for Planning.
If resources and capacity are low but motivations and need are clear, there are a few options:
Begin with small experiments or learning groups that build confidence, esteem, and trust.
Consider seeking partnerships with other organizations to work together toward a shared infrastructure. Partnerships can both add capacity and expand the populations who can access the resources the infrastructure will provide.
Consider what internal development needs to occur in order to revisit this conversation from a stronger position in the future.
Create core principles for members to guide them toward healthy conflicts (e.g. healthy conflict behaviors and processes), a referrals list of outside resources (mediators, domestic violence programs, mental health programs), and some basic protocols for how harm between members will be handled (where can harm be reported, who will respond to it, what are the consequences)—let folks provide feedback and ensure that a final version is accessible to all those who will be impacted by the implementation of these protocols.
If resources and capacity are low and motivations are unaligned, put together a transparent set of expectations and resources about conflict within the organization to the extent you’re able to agree—Where can members learn skills to manage conflict? Where can they turn for support? If members harm other members or the community, what happens?
…Look for Part 2 in your inbox soon!
Additional Resources + Opportunities
Check out this helpful resource by Dean Spade for reflecting on over-work.
The Rape Culture Intervention Toolkit by The Hope Praxis Collective is available in PDF here. An event about the toolkit will take place on July 22nd and tickets are available here.
Disability Futures Festival is coming up this July 19 - 20th, the program is going to be beautiful, you can register here.