Engaging conflict: Supporting power-sharing through constructive conflict resolution

Ideally, collaborative work combines multiple stakeholders' resources and efforts to achieve common goals. Within collaborative settings, people from a variety of backgrounds come together to address complex social issues that are beyond the scope of any single community sector. While shared power in decision making has been established as an important feature of effective collaborative settings, our current understanding of members' experiences of decision-making power within such settings is limited. The present study examined data collected from Family Violence Councils to investigate the relationship between members' perceived decision-making power, defined as their perceived influence over the direction and agenda of the Council, and member characteristics, perceived levels of Council conflict, and conflict resolution strategies utilized by Councils. Findings from this study indicate that the utilization of "constructive" conflict resolution strategies by Councils may be a key factor to consider in effective facilitation of power sharing among members.