Leadership in Conflict Management

1. Leadership in Conflict Management USIP Presentation to the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention Virginia Polytechnic and State University October 24, 2008

2. USIP Conflict Management Academy • The Education and Training Center will: • Serve students from all conflict management institutions • Offer courses with a mix of theory and practice, with a heavy dose of applied exercises, including case studies, simulations, and practical and small group exercises • Currently, piloting 16 courses that reflect USIP applied research, core programs and specializations.

3. Needs Assessment for the Consortium for Complex Operations • What do we mean by complex operations? • Operations in the gray area between conventional warfare and traditional peacemaking • Require soft and hard power • Space is shared with numerous actors • This is an environment in which VT students, engaged in conflict prevention and sustainability programs overseas will be working

4. Leadership in Complex Operations: A National Imperative We are operating more and more in chaotic and ambiguous environments throughout the world, in the gray area between conventional warfare and traditional peacemaking. What is needed? Deft diplomacy, directed development and strong defense What is happening? Learning and operating “on the fly”

5. Leadership in Complex Operations: A National Imperative “For every ingenious adaptation we see in the field we should ask ourselves, what institutional failure were they trying to overcome? What tools did we fail to provide them?” Ambassador Eric Edelman • Institutional Failure • Civilian Unreadiness • Defense Multiplied • NGOs in Transition • United Nations Reform • Missing Tools • Educating civilian leaders/experts • Finding new multi-disciplinary approaches • Research (emerging theory/best practices) • Professionalizing the field of peacebuilding/conflict management • Common strategy/doctrine/principles • Bridging the civilian-civilian and civilian-military divides

6. Educating Civilian Leaders • Required leadership skills • To lead organizational change, revolutionize work in the field • To influence in situations where they have no formal authority • To lead in situations where success is unlikely • To be able to make effective decisions in uncertain, chaotic, high-stakes environments • To build capacity, transfer skills to local communities • To lead diverse teams • To communicate strategically (every day) • To engage in effective planning/assessment

7. Educating Civilian Leaders • Core practitioner skills • Negotiation/Mediation • Cultural awareness • Situational awareness • Conflict analysis • Conflict prevention • Institutional awareness (sharing the space) • Learning lessons

8. Educating Civilian Leaders • Teaching: • the right skills • to the right level

9. Exploring multi-disciplinary approaches • Changing environment in the field • Flexible business models • Medical community • Community building • Cross-disciplinary programs • Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration • Security sector reform

10. Common strategy/doctrine • Shared taxonomy • Joint operating principles • Common strategy/doctrine

11. Research • Applied/comparative research • Best practices • Lessons learned

12. Professionalizing Conflict Management • Creating a new academic field • Establishing common educational standards

13. Bridging the Divides • Civilian-civilian • Civilian-military