Don't Battle Over Positions
Published on: 07/10/2015
Issues Covered:
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Mary Rafferty Founder
Mary Rafferty Founder
Mary rafferty

Mary Rafferty is an ICF credentialed Leadership Coach and Advanced level Mediator (MII) with many years of experience supporting leaders and managers to build high quality robust relationships in their teams and a culture of open and transparent communication.

She has coached and/or trained hundreds of managers to nurture better relationships – engaging constructively in giving feedback, motivating their teams, navigating difficult conversations as well as developing their own resilience, clarity and flow, becoming more decisive and overcoming their inner critic. 

Mary holds an Honours Degree in Education, a Masters Degree with Distinction in Social Science and has attended a wide variety of specialised trainings in the field of conflict resolution.

Mary Rafferty writes:

This article will explain what we mean by the terms ‘positions’ and ‘interests’ and how we can easily fall into the trap of position trading. Being able to facilitate people instead to identify and articulate what their underlying needs and interests is an essential tool in a conflict resolving toolkit.


Don’t Battle Over Positions - Just Get to the Heart of What’s at Stake – Real Needs and Interests

One of the most useful models with which to view and work with any kind of negotiation or potential conflict situation is the ‘Positions-Interests/Needs’ Iceberg.


Positions vs. Interests – An Example

A conflict begins when people start to believe something important to them e.g. their needs

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 07/10/2015
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