Conflict-resolution competencies for the construction professional

Conflicts form part of the everyday work environments of construction professionals. There are few construction projects that are conflict-free zones. Considerable financial resources, not to mention legal costs, are committed when conflicts spiral beyond the control of those on site. This paper proposes that conflict-resolution competencies should form part of the repertoire of the responses that have been learned and mastered by the construction professional. The paper describes the range and nature of those competencies in relation to their application in the various formal arenas where conflict resolution is practised. Partnering is discussed as a pre-emptive approach to conflict avoidance in a cooperative forum.