"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work

Stewart Levine in his excellent book "Getting to Resolution – Turning Conflict into Resolution" identifies four costs of conflict:

1. Direct costs
2. Productivity costs
3. Continuity costs
4. Emotional costs

Whenever you get bogged down in an unresolved conflict, all four of these costs begin to mount. The conflict meter starts running. This is often not fully appreciated by parties to a dispute – especially in the early stages when monetary consequences seem the only concern.

However as the conflict takes hold, all four costs begin to take their toll.

It is a wise conflict resolution facilitator who makes sure that the parties to the dispute fully understand that all four costs are running as this helps them see the mutual advantage of collaborating and getting resolution.

So, what are these four costs all about?

1. Direct costs

These are the costs you pay professionals to assist you resolving the conflict.

They include payments to lawyers to represent you in court. Legal costs are very high and often very difficult to estimate at the start of a court case. The problem is that as the case progresses the legal costs grow and grow. Eventually your attitude may be "in for a penny, in for a pound".

This does not mean that sometimes it is absolutely necessary to be represented by good lawyers even if the financial cost is high. However, remember good legal representation can be expensive. Most times what you pay for, you get.

It sounds fine to say: "Don’t speak to me, speak to my lawyer". Understand that this route can come with a heavy price tag.

Also included are payments to expert witnesses such as engineers in engineering cases. Again, this kind of expert evidence does not come cheap and at the same time may be essential.

The most economical solution to high legal costs is not to incur them!

Rather make every effort to get to resolution before the start of a court case.

If you have to go to court, find out from the lawyer in advance how the legal costs will work.

You may choose mediation. This could also be expensive as you might need representation and the mediator may also have to be paid.

2. Productivity costs

Court cases immediately result in a loss of productivity as you and your witnesses spend hours working with your lawyers on the case. If you are self-employed or have your own business this means you lose income. When you are not working you are not producing. It is as simple as that. Be aware that some serious court cases take years to finalize because of the right of appeal.

A drop in productivity can also mean a loss of business opportunities. This could mean that you lose your hard won share of the market.

Court cases are not the only cause of productivity costs. Serious inter-personal conflict immediately starts productivity costs running. It is very difficult to work productively if you are constantly thinking about the person who has wronged you.

3. Continuity costs

"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work

SFI: Home Business Reality
The reality of home business ifs that not everyone makes it. In fact I knew from my research that 95% are bound to fail. I decided I was going to look for something free. I didn’t want to waste my money if the statistics showed that more than likely I would fail. I found SFI it was free to join so I signed up.When I joined SFI and started as a free member I was skeptical about the reality of home business. I found out that I wouldn't make any money unless I became an EA -meaning you either have to make so much in sales every month or you buy so much every month. Even though I was skeptical about the reality of home business I decided to get my
conflict resolution facilitator who makes sure that the parties to the dispute fully understand that all four costs are running as this helps them see the mutual advantage of collaborating and getting resolution.

So, what are these four costs all about?

1. Direct costs

These are the costs you pay professionals to assist you resolving the conflict.

They include payments to lawyers to represent you in court. Legal costs are very high and often very difficult to estimate at the start of a court case. The problem is that as the case progresses the legal costs grow and grow. Eventually your attitude may be "in for a penny, in for a pound".

This does not mean that sometimes it is absolutely necessary to be represented by good lawyers even if the financial cost is high. However, remember good legal representation can be expensive. Most times what you pay for, you get.

It sounds fine to say: "Don’t speak to me, speak to my lawyer". Understand that this route can come with a heavy price tag.

Also included are payments to expert witnesses such as engineers in engineering cases. Again, this kind of expert evidence does not come cheap and at the same time may be essential.

The most economical solution to high legal costs is not to incur them!

Rather make every effort to get to resolution before the start of a court case.

If you have to go to court, find out from the lawyer in advance how the legal costs will work.

You may choose mediation. This could also be expensive as you might need representation and the mediator may also have to be paid.

2. Productivity costs

Court cases immediately result in a loss of productivity as you and your witnesses spend hours working with your lawyers on the case. If you are self-employed or have your own business this means you lose income. When you are not working you are not producing. It is as simple as that. Be aware that some serious court cases take years to finalize because of the right of appeal.

A drop in productivity can also mean a loss of business opportunities. This could mean that you lose your hard won share of the market.

Court cases are not the only cause of productivity costs. Serious inter-personal conflict immediately starts productivity costs running. It is very difficult to work productively if you are constantly thinking about the person who has wronged you.

3. Continuity costs

"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work

The Secret of Self-Investment
"Success is about who you become. The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit." -Jim RohnAs a solo-entrepreneur you’re either starting a new business or intending to grow your existing business. Aside from getting the most obvious systems in place – technology, business and marketing plans, defining your product or services, and finances, what else is needed to be successful?Self-Investment!Companies have been bringing in corporate trainers for years. It’s good business to invest in
ial cost is high. However, remember good legal representation can be expensive. Most times what you pay for, you get.

It sounds fine to say: "Don’t speak to me, speak to my lawyer". Understand that this route can come with a heavy price tag.

Also included are payments to expert witnesses such as engineers in engineering cases. Again, this kind of expert evidence does not come cheap and at the same time may be essential.

The most economical solution to high legal costs is not to incur them!

Rather make every effort to get to resolution before the start of a court case.

If you have to go to court, find out from the lawyer in advance how the legal costs will work.

You may choose mediation. This could also be expensive as you might need representation and the mediator may also have to be paid.

4. Productivity costs

Court cases immediately result in a loss of productivity as you and your witnesses spend hours working with your lawyers on the case. If you are self-employed or have your own business this means you lose income. When you are not working you are not producing. It is as simple as that. Be aware that some serious court cases take years to finalize because of the right of appeal.

A drop in productivity can also mean a loss of business opportunities. This could mean that you lose your hard won share of the market.

Court cases are not the only cause of productivity costs. Serious inter-personal conflict immediately starts productivity costs running. It is very difficult to work productively if you are constantly thinking about the person who has wronged you.

5. Continuity costs

"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work

Easy Way To Make Your Own Ebooks Without Writing A Word
Many online marketers now make a living by putting together their own products. Among the most popular digital products to sell are eBooks and special reports. These are texts in written form where useful and desired information can be conveyed. Indeed, information is what empowers the internet. It’s not called the information superhighway for nothing, after all. People log online to search for information.If you have the info they need, then they will come to you. And if this information has a lot of value, you could sell the same and make some wonderful profit. And since words are the immediate tools of communication in the World Wide We
have to be paid.
6. Productivity costs

Court cases immediately result in a loss of productivity as you and your witnesses spend hours working with your lawyers on the case. If you are self-employed or have your own business this means you lose income. When you are not working you are not producing. It is as simple as that. Be aware that some serious court cases take years to finalize because of the right of appeal.

A drop in productivity can also mean a loss of business opportunities. This could mean that you lose your hard won share of the market.

Court cases are not the only cause of productivity costs. Serious inter-personal conflict immediately starts productivity costs running. It is very difficult to work productively if you are constantly thinking about the person who has wronged you.

7. Continuity costs

"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work

Discount Futures Brokers - How They Can Save You Money
Are you interested in using the services of a futures broker, to assist you with futures trading? If you are, you may be wondering what type of futures broker you should use. While the decision is honestly yours to make, you are advised to take the time to examine discount futures brokers, as they may be able to save you a considerable amount of money.Before examining the many benefits to doing business with a discount futures broker, you may be wondering exactly what one in. In most cases, discount futures brokers are brokers that have low, discounted, or competitive fees. When you use the assistance of a futures broker, you must pay to use t
out the person who has wronged you.
8. Continuity costs

"No man is an island". This applies to all of us.

You are a member of imperfect teams in an imperfect world running with imperfect deals. What is important is that the teams continue to function. Nothing leads more quickly to team dysfunction than deep-seated interpersonal conflict among the team members. The longer interpersonal conflict continues, the more entrenched it becomes. Someone’s goodwill may be damaged.

If team conflict is unresolved, eventually team members break from the team and team continuity is broken. This leads to a loss of continuity. New team members have to be found. The spirit of the team has to be built afresh.

In a real sense the business community within which you work is a team as well. If you are embroiled in an unresolved business row, the continuity of your relationship with part of the community is adversely affected – especially in a small town.

9. Emotional costs

The emotional costs of unresolved conflict are a by-product of the three above costs. Unresolved conflict can lead to great unhappiness. Many acrimonious divorces are testimony to this. Consider also family feuds where family members don’t speak to each other for years. The cost of emotional conflict cannot be measured. This is why reconciliation after resolution is often profound.

Are you involved in an unresolved conflict? Are you secretly saying: "Revenge is best taken cold"? Are you suffering the direct, productivity, continuity and emotional costs of unresolved conflict? Don’t be surprised if you are. It goes with the territory of unresolved conflict.

It’s time you and your adversary learnt how to turn your conflict into collaboration. You both need to get to resolution.

But how?

An important place to start is to understand the power of shared vision. This will be the subject of a future article.