Tropentag, September 17 - 19, 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic "Bridging the gap between increasing knowledge and decreasing resources"

A New Management Tool: CPM-Systems in Science

¹Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e.V.), Inst. of Socioeconomics, Germany
²Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt, Germany
³Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Seminar for Rural Development (SLE), Germany
⁴Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e.V.), Inst. for Land Use Systems, Germany

Abstract

Conflict Prevention and Management System (CPM-System) are well known in business contexts, but are new to large international and interdisciplinary projects in the field of global change and food security. Trans-SEC is the pilot project to use a CPM-System in the context of an international research consortium with more than 100 researchers of 15 world-wide institutes to stabilise in a value chain approach the situation of 4000 households in Tanzania. A team of experts implement the CPM-System in iterative steps. CPM-Systems therefore…
A. are developed to (1) support Trans-SEC members with complex challenges and conflicts in a systematic way, (2) encourage and support cooperative working relations. To strengthen awareness for complex challenges, difficult negotiations between programme members, conflicts and conflict dynamics, (3) foster an organisational culture of open communication and willingness to tackle complex challenges in a constructive manner.
B. aim at situations and individuals for complex internal challenges and conflicts (1) in the work workplace (personal and interpersonal) and (2) between and within institutes or teams. It is designed for individuals and (sub-)groups for all Trans-SEC team members.
C. can be used in situations of experiences with (1) complex personal or interpersonal challenges related to Trans-SEC, (2) difficulties regarding cooperation within Trans-SEC, (3) conflicts and misunderstandings.
D. offer continuously available services and guidance in the form of (1) individual and group coaching, (2) workshops and trainings such as teambuilding, cultural awareness, conflict analysis, (3) conflict moderation of science processes, (4) supervision and (5) mediation as well as (6) practical material for orientation (e.g. code of conduct).
E. prevent and solve internal Trans-SEC conflicts as (1) local conflict contact points (in development process) that provide an orientation about which measure to take in a conflict situation and (2) external and independent team of skilled and experienced conflict mediators.

Keywords: Conflict management, conflict prevention, land use / global change, project management

Contact Address: Stefan Sieber, Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e.V.), Inst. of Socioeconomics, Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany, e-mail: sieberzalf.de