In addition to pyschological resistance to change, there are also institutional factors that cause people to oppose change. Intractable conflict is big business. The conflict "industry" includes the military, the police, the judiciary, the political system, lawyers, lobbyists, correctional facilities, talk radio shows, counselors, religious leaders, and supporting educational institutions. Any change in the way in which conflicts are handled is likely to involve enormous shifts of money. Not surprisingly, potential losers are going to fight very hard to protect their share of the pie and "conflict-as-usual" practices. This is what Dwight Eisenhower warned us about when he coined the term "military-industrial complex."

This suggests that efforts to deal with intractable conflict are much more likely to be successful if they work within the existing system, rather than promote radical alternatives with lots of "losers." When militias must be demobilized and disarmed, positive efforts must be made to successfully reintegrate them into civilian society. They should not just be kicked out on their own, expected to make their own way.

Knowledge

Availability

Low

Utilization

Low

In short, we need to recognize that efforts to change the ways in which conflict is handled will unavoidably produce other conflicts. We need to use our skills to limit this opposition while building support for the positive changes.

Articles that shed light on this topic include:

• NOTE: Additional materials are being compiled on this topic.
• Conflict Profiteers - Overview of the Problem Conflict profiteers are people who benefit from the continuation of a conflict. These benefits may be financial, political or social.
• Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants Disarming and demobilizing military forces (especially militias) and successfully reintegrating the former warriors into a peaceful society is one of the major challenges of a post-violence or "post-conflict" peacebuilding stage of a violent conflict. This article describes the problem and key elements necessary to make DDR efforts successful.

Other Resources of Interest:

• Huczynski, Andrsej and Wolf, William B. Encyclopedia of Organizational Change Methods. Hampshire, UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2001.
  Publisher's Description
• Mohrman, Allan M. Large-Scale Organizational Change. Somerset, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 1989.
  Vendor's Description
• Reale, Richard C. Making Change Stick: Twelve Principles for Transforming Organizations. Park Ridge, NJ: Positive Impact Associates, 2005.
  Publisher's Description
• Palmer, Ian, Richard Dunford and Gib Akin. Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2005.
  Publisher's Description
• Newman, Karen L. and Stanley D. Nollen. Managing Radical Organizational Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.
  Publisher's Description
• Burke, W. Warner. Organization Change: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002.
  Publisher's Description
• Levy, Amir and Merry, Uri. Organizational Transformation: Approaches, Strategies, Theories. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc., 1986.
  Publisher's Description
• Beckhard, Richard and Reuben T. Harris. Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1987.
  Publisher's Description
• Woodman, Richard W. and William A. Pasmore (ed.). Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 10. New York, NY: Elsevier Science, 2001.
  Vendor's Description
• Smith, D. "Organisations and Humiliation: Looking Beyond Elias." Organization, Vol. 8, No. 3 (2001): 537-560.
  Author's Description
• Turf preservation agency
  Conflict Publishers | Conflict News | Google Scholar

Something missing? Send us your suggestions.

• Disarmament demobilization reintegration
  Conflict Publishers | Conflict News | Google Scholar