Mariah Levison is the CEO of Convergence and former director of the Minnesota Office of Collaboration and Dispute Resolution. Her new book, From Conflict to Convergence: Coming Together to Solve Tough Problems, co-authored by Convergence founder and first CEO Rob Fersh, is a hands-on guide to de-escalating conflict and constructively engaging with others to find better solutions to problems. Below is OCDR's interview with Mariah.
Your new book is about a set of practices and an approach that can be applied to deeply entrenched conflicts. How did you get interested in that work?
Even as a very young person I felt that people who were in conflict and being unkind to each other or even doing really harmful things were doing so because they were trying to meet some basic human needs. I understood that people need safety, security, belonging and meaning. I also understood that people don’t have to compromise to get what they need. My early insights led me to believe that there are better ways to resolve our conflicts – ones that meet more needs of more people.
You and your co-author, Rob Fersh, and others use the phrase “collaborative problem-solving” to describe how you approach conflict resolution. What is that exactly?
Collaborative problem solving is an approach to solving conflicts that enables people to go beyond compromise to develop mutually beneficial solutions that are wiser and more durable than anything they could have developed on their own – and to develop trust and relationships along the way.
In the book we break it down into three parts: mindset, building blocks, and process.
- The mindsets are ways to think about conflict, problem solving, and each other that facilitate effective collaborative problem solving.
- The building blocks are the most important actions leaders can take in any circumstance to build trust and forge higher ground solutions.
- The process is a step-by-step guide to a proven process that reliably produces trust and higher ground solutions.
Can you describe an especially impactful story from the book that has shaped the way you approach your work?
A project about child custody played a role in the creation of OCDR and resulted in a great example of higher ground solutions. Some fathers were feeling that they weren’t getting an equal share of parenting time in custody cases. A fight had been brewing at the legislature for more than a decade. There were laws passed, laws undone, and vetoes. Moms and dads felt pitted against each other in a zero-sum dynamic. The collaborative problem-solving process eventually developed into a shared vision for all parties: decisions should promote a child’s healthy growth and development through safe, stable, nurturing relationships between a child and both parents. In 2015, the legislature passed the group’s policy revisions on a 121-0 vote in the House of Representatives and a 61-3 vote in the Senate. That’s the power of using the mindsets, building blocks, and process we describe in the book.
Is there a practice or philosophy that you hope all readers can take away from this book - something you hope everyone leaves with - to help them transform conflict in their own lives?
The collaborative problem solving mindsets from the book sum it up:
- Conflict can be constructive.
- Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt.
- Curiosity is the cure.
- Relationships at the core.
- Seek higher ground.
Using these mindsets you can get dramatic results, like we saw in the child custody case. We dive into the importance and practice of each of these mindsets in the book.
Finally, what do you most miss about doing collaborative problem-solving work in your adopted state of Minnesota?
It’s so lovely to work with Minnesotans, who I think are collaborative by nature. I made many connections in Minnesota that impact my work now. For example, we had a great relationship with the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC). I got to extend that relationship when I became CEO of Convergence and I was able, with my co-author Rob Fersh, to bring collaborative problem solving tools and skills to county leaders across the nation.
Any last thoughts?
Divisive issues and divisive rhetoric are everywhere these days. Rob and I wanted to inspire and equip leaders and problem solvers with a sense of hope that coming together to solve shared problems is possible and in the book we provide practical tools to help them do so.
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