ABSTRACT
References......................................................................................................................................604
The existence and rapid growth of the field of conflict management stands as an implicit challenge
to many of the assumptions of economic and utilitarian models of decision making. Academics and
practitioners in the field of Conflict Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
assume that decision making is an often messy process that involves egos and other psychological
biases, potentially clashing communication styles, leadership inadequacies, economic and non-
economic incentives, and limitations on the ability of individuals and groups to obtain and
process information. In fact, if decision making were as straight forward as traditional models
argue, we would predict that conflict would occur less often and only as the direct result of
mutually-exclusive or non-overlapping utility functions. Yet, we know from simple observations
that conflict occurs even when two or more negotiators have common interests and would be better
off cooperating. As Fisher and Ury (1981) succinctly observe: “Negotiators are people first” (18).
