CAMELS, UNCLES AND CONFLICTS

principles in resolving conflicts in the workplace

PROBLEM

He wanted the first son to have one half of his 17 camels, the

second son to have one third of his 17 camels, and the third

son was to have one ninth of the 17.

Once upon a time there was a rich old Arab Chief whose wealth was measured in the number of camels he owned.

This chief had 17 camels and on his deathbed he called his three sons together and told them that he wanted

to share his camels out to his sons when he died.

PROBLEM

17/2= 8 remainder 1

17/3= 5 remainder 2

17/9= 1 remainder 8

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

“I’m the eldest. I get more, you get less.”

“We call our uncle, and ask help.”

“We all settle for less, and give away the remainder.”

UNCLE“Take my only camel, you’d have 18. Now you can divide it for yourselves. Just give me back what’s left over. ”

RESOLUTION

18/2=

18/3=

18/9=17 plus

TAKEAWAYS

Greed and a feeling of superiority will always worsen the conflict.

Settling for less gives you much less and may create further conflict.

Delaying the resolution may worsen the conflict.

TAKEAWAYS

Help from a neutral third party may at times be necessary.

Working together to solve conflicts may give us more than what we already have.

A strong resolve to achieve a shared goal keeps us in the right perspective.

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of

creative alternatives for responding to conflict,

alternatives to passive or aggressive responses,

alternatives to violence. DOROTHY THOMPSON:

We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.