Recently, there have been frequent conflicts in the process of pursuing public policies or projects which are causing enormous social and economic costs. It is natural that there should be conflicts among diverse stakeholders in our complicated modern society. There are not only negative aspects of conflicts. Sometimes, conflicts serve as a driving force for social development towards a healthier society.
Therefore, the issue we are facing is not that conflicts exist but that our society is failing to find appropriate ways to turn these conflicts into the driving force for our internal maturity. Against this backdrop, we analyzed the current status of public conflicts and the operation of the public conflict management system in Korea and proposed improvement plans.
First of all, we need to make the operation of the Committee for Conflict Management and Deliberation and the conflict impact analysis system, which are operated under the ｢Provision of Conflict Prevention and Resolution of Public Organizations｣,
much more substantial. There should be more significant Committee for Conflict Management and Deliberation that can preemptively respond to conflicts by more actively finding potential conflict areas of the relevant organization and discussing practical response strategies to current conflicts. Moreover, specific standards of conflict impact analysis should be established to assess as to whether conflict impact analysis will be conducted, and the operation of conflict impact analysis should be more active.
Second, our conflict management capability should be reinforced. In other words, it should be preceded by an organizational structure and an increase in resources to generally manage public conflict tasks and systematically support conflict management including conflict impact analysis support, conflict issue identification, support for conflict mediation and education on conflict, etc. To this end, the establishment of a conflict management support institution within the government should be considered.
Third, by-project case studies on conflict management focusing on pending conflicts and education on practical resolution strategies on similar conflicts, etc. should be reinforced. Moreover, a conflict management manual including conflict management strategies customized to each public organization should be established and utilized.
Fourth, conflict management performance should be reflected on bonus or personnel affairs, etc., and a "knowledge management system on conflict prevention and resolution" should be established through continuous analysis of public conflict cases.
Fifth, performance management on the public conflict management project should be reinforced. Performance indicators for the public conflict management project should be redesigned to include the core indicators needed to achieve the project initiative, and the budget should be compiled in such a way as to befit the project objective. Moreover, a conflict management culture should be spread through motivating persons in charge of conflict management by directly linking the redesigned performance indicators with bonus or personnel affairs.
Sixth, projects on the management of pending conflicts should be reinforced and conflict task management and performance should be improved. To break away from the existing projects that focused on institutional research or theoretical and academic perspectives and contribute to the practical resolution of conflicts, the projects should be restructured to focus on "pending conflict tasks." Moreover, conflict tasks should be more actively found and managed with focus and conflict prevention and resolution performance should be improved.
Seventh, the time and economic costs of conflict resolution should be understood, and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which allows a win-win outcome through mediation and settlement among the stakeholders, and the application of participatory decision-making methods that guarantee practical participation by citizens should be expanded.
Eighth, there should be discussion on the introduction of a public debate institution that can resolve public conflicts through public debate and deliberation from a fair and neutral standpoint, instead of being led by the government. Even if it means more cost and time, parties involved in the conflict should be able to voice their opinions amid the sufficient sharing of information, and the diverse perspectives and values of social members should be disclosed and discussed in the settlement process. Only conclusions reached through such processes can resolve the current conflicts as well as become a stepping stone for building social capabilities to prevent conflict in the long-term.
As for the review of the necessity to introduce a public debate institution, however, it should be preceded by a more thorough review on issues of overlap with existing conflict management laws and institutions. This research focused on the analysis of the current status of public conflict, the operation of the public conflict system, and case studies and stopped at raising only general issues with regard to any functional overlap with existing conflict management laws and institutions. There should be more in-depth research on this issue going forward.
Therefore, the issue we are facing is not that conflicts exist but that our society is failing to find appropriate ways to turn these conflicts into the driving force for our internal maturity. Against this backdrop, we analyzed the current status of public conflicts and the operation of the public conflict management system in Korea and proposed improvement plans.
First of all, we need to make the operation of the Committee for Conflict Management and Deliberation and the conflict impact analysis system, which are operated under the ｢Provision of Conflict Prevention and Resolution of Public Organizations｣,
much more substantial. There should be more significant Committee for Conflict Management and Deliberation that can preemptively respond to conflicts by more actively finding potential conflict areas of the relevant organization and discussing practical response strategies to current conflicts. Moreover, specific standards of conflict impact analysis should be established to assess as to whether conflict impact analysis will be conducted, and the operation of conflict impact analysis should be more active.
Second, our conflict management capability should be reinforced. In other words, it should be preceded by an organizational structure and an increase in resources to generally manage public conflict tasks and systematically support conflict management including conflict impact analysis support, conflict issue identification, support for conflict mediation and education on conflict, etc. To this end, the establishment of a conflict management support institution within the government should be considered.
Third, by-project case studies on conflict management focusing on pending conflicts and education on practical resolution strategies on similar conflicts, etc. should be reinforced. Moreover, a conflict management manual including conflict management strategies customized to each public organization should be established and utilized.
Fourth, conflict management performance should be reflected on bonus or personnel affairs, etc., and a "knowledge management system on conflict prevention and resolution" should be established through continuous analysis of public conflict cases.
Fifth, performance management on the public conflict management project should be reinforced. Performance indicators for the public conflict management project should be redesigned to include the core indicators needed to achieve the project initiative, and the budget should be compiled in such a way as to befit the project objective. Moreover, a conflict management culture should be spread through motivating persons in charge of conflict management by directly linking the redesigned performance indicators with bonus or personnel affairs.
Sixth, projects on the management of pending conflicts should be reinforced and conflict task management and performance should be improved. To break away from the existing projects that focused on institutional research or theoretical and academic perspectives and contribute to the practical resolution of conflicts, the projects should be restructured to focus on "pending conflict tasks." Moreover, conflict tasks should be more actively found and managed with focus and conflict prevention and resolution performance should be improved.
Seventh, the time and economic costs of conflict resolution should be understood, and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which allows a win-win outcome through mediation and settlement among the stakeholders, and the application of participatory decision-making methods that guarantee practical participation by citizens should be expanded.
Eighth, there should be discussion on the introduction of a public debate institution that can resolve public conflicts through public debate and deliberation from a fair and neutral standpoint, instead of being led by the government. Even if it means more cost and time, parties involved in the conflict should be able to voice their opinions amid the sufficient sharing of information, and the diverse perspectives and values of social members should be disclosed and discussed in the settlement process. Only conclusions reached through such processes can resolve the current conflicts as well as become a stepping stone for building social capabilities to prevent conflict in the long-term.
As for the review of the necessity to introduce a public debate institution, however, it should be preceded by a more thorough review on issues of overlap with existing conflict management laws and institutions. This research focused on the analysis of the current status of public conflict, the operation of the public conflict system, and case studies and stopped at raising only general issues with regard to any functional overlap with existing conflict management laws and institutions. There should be more in-depth research on this issue going forward.