Problems that Bite

DEFINITION

Examples

The Middle East conflict

The abortion debate in the US

The health care industry

Labor management relations within the US Postal system

The energy crisis in California in 2001

[more detail]

This problem class is one of the most difficult; in fact we would suggest that problems in this category are never solved unless they can be migrated to another problem type. These problems are the deep-seated, long-standing conflicts that erupt easily. Feelings are bitter and even violent. There are strong personalities (leaders or martyrs) who embody the positions and feelings of entire groups. Issues are often submerged behind personal loyalties.

Thinking is stereotypical, with both the parties and issues reduced to veritable cliches. There is little reflection or analysis. Positions are infused with religious zeal rather than opening statements in a negotiation.

The significance of history gives the current positions of the protagonists a sense of momentum and grandeur. The Serbian-Albanian conflict can be traced back to "The Field of Blackbirds", a battle in the 1400's. The sweep of the conflict makes it almost impossible for modern day players to compromise; to do so would violate the memory of so many who have gone before.

These problems are distinct from Problems with Many Voices in that each side believes the other side has no right to their position; sometimes no right to even exist.

CHALLENGES

The first task is to get them to stop shooting.

The intensity of these problems makes a neutral facilitator almost an impossibility. Anyone who purports to be "neutral" is immediately suspect and eventually claimed (or rejected) by one side or the other. This intensity renders Problems that Bite into volatile and sometimes violent arenas. The abortion debate in America is one such problem. Bring up the topic at your next cocktail party and watch the house divide! Listen for stereotypical language. The lines of thought are so well worn, the debate turns into cliches almost immediately. If someone doesn't have the good sense to change the topic, the conversation may get heated and tense.

One strategy for approaching a Problem that Bites is to slowly circle around the issues until there is a critical mass of consensus, not on the problem or the solution, but just on the topics that need airing and the players that need to be involved. Until the players become real people to each other, there is little room for dialogue.

The other strategy worth mentioning is to find a higher moral value on which the opposite sides can agree. The conflict in Ireland was significantly modulated when mothers began to highlight the number of children killed; the religious commitment of the fighters was suddenly less impressive when played against the backdrop of so many innocent deaths.

OUTCOMES

Behind a Problem that Bites there is almost always a genuine and significant conflict. There are a few occasions where the conflict is merely ritualistic (such as the Hatfields and the McCoys), but more likely the underlying problem is either a Dilemma or Problem of Many Voices. If and when the parties stop merely acting out their conflict and start addressing it, there are most commonly some serious discussions to be held. If the parties in the Middle East ever sat around the negotiating table, they would find major concerns around political integrity, economic development, social injustice, diversity, and health care. But first they would have to be willing to view their conflict with different eyes.