From Conflict to Conciliation
How to Defuse Difficult Situations
- William W. Purkey - North Carolina Center for Invitational Education, Greensboro, NC
- John J. Schmidt - East Carolina University, USA
- John M. Novak - Brock University, Canada
"The Six-C approach provides a framework within which people can work together to attack the problem, not each other. By ending each conflict with conciliation, those who use this approach can do much more than resolve conflict—they can build each other up so future conflicts will be easier to resolve."
—Bob Bowen, Chief Executive Officer
The Mandt System, Inc.
Don't let conflict get in the way of meaningful collaboration!
Conflict is inevitable, but educators can work together effectively if they understand how to defuse difficult situations before they escalate. This resource describes the Six-C process, a conflict resolution method that allows educators to take progressively more assertive steps as necessary to resolve disagreements.
Based on research and easy to remember, this approach helps readers handle challenging situations using the least amount of time and energy. Illustrated with many examples and scenarios, the six steps are:
- Concern: identifying actionable concerns
- Confer: expressing concerns in nonthreatening ways
- Consult: reviewing and clarifying the situation collaboratively
- Confront: considering consequences and giving clear warnings
- Combat: taking sustained, logical action
- Conciliation: mending the wounds and restoring relationships
Focused on preserving relationships while resolving disagreements, From Conflict to Conciliation can be used in any situation or setting, from the classroom to the community.
"A very important and timely book that is well grounded in conflict theory and research. I especially appreciate that the strategies go beyond merely ending the conflict, but also speak to healing and seeking reconciliation. Purkey, Schmidt, and Novak have produced another winner to help educators create inviting and joyful schools."
"From the classroom to the boardroom, it’s inevitable for conflicts to happen. This book will introduce you to the six Cs, a logical process to tame those disagreements. The liberally sprinkled real-life anecdotes will keep you reading, and better yet, learning.”
“This book is a valuable, useful resource for all educators and administrators and is a significant contribution to the topic of conflict resolution. It provides a step-by-step process that begins not with action but with internal feelings and the confronter’s response to a concern or conflict and concludes with addressing the healing of the internal emotional needs of both the confronter and those being confronted.”
"In the democratic approach to conflict resolution presented in this book, the goal is to resolve the conflict in a way that builds relationships. The Six-C approach provides a framework within which people can work together to attack the problem, not each other. By ending each conflict with conciliation, the people who use this approach in schools, hospitals, homes, and businesses will be able to do much more than resolve conflict—they can build each other up so future conflicts will be easier to resolve."
"Effective problem-solving skills are essential in the home, school, community, and in business and industry. The Six-C Process provides sequential steps and practical procedures to cultivate respect and solve problems."
“When your office door bursts open with an angry parent, teacher, or child, combat has already commenced and it is too late to regret your decision to not purchase this book beforehand.”
"The 6 Cs provide strategies to support us to move from conflict to conciliation in a most effective and economical manner. They also open up a new way of thinking to turn potential conflicts into possible means for mutual growth through this meaningful and inviting process."
"I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with today's youth. It will decrease teasing and bullying issues. I have used the six Cs for several years at my school and it works!"
"A practical guide to help educators and others who deal with the public determine how to choose your battles and deal with them at the least aggressive level using a logical and respectful process."
"An ethically sensitive and compelling perspective on dealing with inevitable life conflicts in ways that are positive, beneficial, and self- and others-enhancing."
Sample Materials & Chapters
Chapter 1: Conflict and the Six-C Process
Praise for FromConflict to Conciliation