A Conflict Manager’s Life Lens, the Intersection with Ethics, and Negotiation

Keywords: negotiation, ethics, personal ethical code, life lens

Abstract: Like everyone else, conflict managers view their world through an individual “lens”. That “life lens” intersects their personal ethical code and guides how they negotiate. A conflict manager’s practice is also influenced by the plethora of ethical codes extant throughout the profession. Most practitioners’ tools: mediation, facilitation and arbitration have professional codes of ethics prescribed by professional organizations. However, conflict managers all negotiate, and while articles on ethics in negotiation abound, formal ethical standards for negotiation are not set. Readers here will have an opportunity to reflect on their life lens, draft a personal ethical statement and assess how it affects their negotiation practice. A negotiator needs a personal ethical code to address the lack of a formal code. This paper will explore how a practitioner’s life lens influences their personal code of ethics and intersects with professional codes.