BUS603: Managing People

Many years ago one of the authors attended a multi-day workshop in New York City on how to promote international peace and reconciliation. After hearing a presentation at the workshop about nuclear proliferation and biological weapons, a participant asked, "Human history is full of violence, bloodshed, and cruelty. What hope do we have of ever saving ourselves?"

The presenter replied, "Yes, we've had violence and bloodshed and cruelty throughout history. And as long as there are differences between people and their opinions, the danger will exist that we'll destroy ourselves, especially now that we have weapons that can wipe out our whole species. But the question isn't, 'Can we eliminate conflict?' The question is really, 'Can we accept conflict as part of the human condition and handle it so that we move forward instead of annihilating ourselves?'"

The presenter then offered what she said were signs of hope that groups of people can, indeed, work through even profound differences without descending into chaos or perpetual hatred. Slavery was once considered a normal part of society, she said, but no more. Child labor, too, used to be considered acceptable. And miscegenation laws existed in the United States until 1967. The presenter's point here was that, with hard work, groups can overcome past evils and deficiencies if they're willing to work through the conflict that invariably crops up when individuals are asked to change their behavior.