Chart # 1 describes the results of the questions that asked whether or not the peacemakers find each core capacity in their clients. Each question forced a “yes” or “no” response. I find it interesting that four of the five capacities are so prevalent as “yes” and that the one capacity, the desire to reconcile, falls so much lower on the scale of prevalence in comparison to the others. This may highlight some of the earlier literature findings that matched ongoing relationships and closeness of the combatants, to reconciliation behavior. It may also mean that although the capacity to reconcile is there, the desire to reestablish relations is not present, at least at the point in the conflict timing that the peacemakers are generally seeing their clients. It may also mean that in our individualist Western society there may not be a perceived, or real, need to reconcile differences when moving out of conflict.

The answers for the bottom four categories fall more in line with what the literature reviews and previous studies would have predicted. The prediction being that these core capacities would be found in most people, in most conflict situations. The answers do not indicate that these capacities were used to help resolve the conflicts encountered, but they do give weight to the idea that peacemakers are experiencing these capabilities on a very regular, and perhaps predictable, frequency. Can we draw from these results the conclusion that most people we encounter in conflict will have these core capacities and that we can plan to work with those capacities? Probably not. Although the data would seem to point us in that direction, too many unanswered questions remain. At what points in the conflict do these capacities become most available to parties? Do they emerge in all parties at the same time? Are they always present, or do they come and go as the process follows its path? Are the levels of each capacity matched within the people in conflict so they can be useful? What role does the mediator play in eliciting these behaviors and does the behavior depend upon the expertise of the mediator?

Survey Results and Synthesis:

First, I want to thank those who spent their valuable time taking the survey associated with this phase of this research. A high enough value cannot be put on the energy and thoughtfulness that those who took the survey put into their responses. The comments alone are very thought-provoking and full of rich information and experiences. We work in a community of good people. Thank you.

The balance of this paper will explore the five common capacities through a survey of cross-cultural mediators, peacemakers, conflict managers, and facilitators. The goals of this Phase 1 stage are:

· Get a sense as to whether practitioners experience these same five core abilities in their clients
· Explore the possible innate vs. learned origin of each capacity
· Explore other possible core capacities missed in this review
· Understand how practitioners would use the capacities to help their clients, if they knew these capacities existed.

The quantitative data will be presented first, with a summary of the qualitative aspects to follow.
A fourteen-question survey was developed to answer and explore the above-mentioned goals. Eighty-four mediators/conflict managers were identified from a variety of different disciplines. Commonalities in those surveyed include a mostly North American orientation: 70 are members of Mediators Beyond Borders – a non-profit conflict resolution group working throughout the world and 83 consider themselves mediators. Conflict management experience levels vary from new mediators and students of mediation to some of the most experienced international mediators and coaches in the world. The survey was conducted through the on-line service Survey Monkey. It was confidential, individually delivered via e-mail, and only available on-line. The total response rate was 56% for a total of 47 responses from 84 participants. Although the results presented here are adequate for getting a sense of what some peacemakers generally believe, the relatively low number of people surveyed along with the unknown experience levels of those that answered the survey, make the results here a “healthy start” rather than a comprehensive study.

The following data and analysis of each section is meant to show trends in the thinking of peacemakers as to the capacities of their clients. The information is meant to inspire further thinking about the potential commonalities in most people and how those commonalities may be used to help resolve conflicts. Fourteen questions were posed. Five “yes” or “no” style questions were asked centering on the ideas and the core capabilities outlined in this paper so far. Respondents were asked whether or not they believe that their clients possess these capabilities. Five more questions were asked, centering on those same capabilities. These second tier questions were meant to elicit ideas and feelings as to whether the capacities are the result of nature or nurture. Each respondent was given the opportunity to explain each of their answers in a “please explain” area of the survey. Respondents were also asked whether or not they would use these capabilities if they knew their clients all came to the conflict with them. Respondents were then asked for other core capabilities they see in their clients that were not mentioned in the previous questions. They were also asked to explain how they would use any or all of the five core capacities to help their clients. The results are as follows: