Because of the very nature of partnerships, members are usually separated
from one another, working and living in various areas of the community.
As a result, they may not communicate frequently with each other. This
situation complicates the work of the partnership. The purpose of this
exercise in this unit is to simulate these conditions and to give participants
a common base of experience in the processes of conflict resolution, decision
making, and resolution of "turf" issues in a safe context. It is intended
to help integrate what the team members already know and have learned about
strategies of collaboration, negotiation, and group decision making. Thus,
the unit is also an exercise in team building.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
Understand how perceptions may exacerbate conflict in situations where
group members are isolated from one another (as in the partnership) and
do not communicate frequently.
Identify and use conflict-management and negotiation techniques to resolve
disagreements within and among partnerships.
Linkages with Preceding and Following Sessions
The themes of the simulation exercise build on all of the workshops dealing
with the internal environment from Day 2, especially conflict resolution.
Indirectly, the exercise concerns the relationships between the partnership
and those organizations in its external environment, a matter explored
in the Day 4 workshops.
