Some concrete cases:

• An International Aid agency invited us to explore a conflict issue between their Kosovan Albanian staff, and a small enclave of Kosovan Serb people contained in a UN protectorate in the newly post conflict Kosovan province.  We addressed the issues of fear, distrust and lack of communication using DPC techniques and within weeks, work was able to begin within the protectorate looking at issues of social welfare.  The communities now have their own Conflict Management workers.

• Two ex-prisoner groups in Northern Ireland invited us to explore the issues, which divided their communities.  Using DPC techniques we considered the nature of the local conflict, the broken relationships and the reasons for these fractures.  The groups were able to approach the community with a strategic approach to conflict management.  The communities are now working in their own right to move beyond violence.

• An International Aid agency invited us to consider the fractured relationships between the local community, the refugees, the local council and the non-governmental organisations in the border region of Afghanistan.  Using DPC techniques of active listening, conflict mapping and mediative dialogue, the different activists began to feel listened to and the conflict began to reduce.  The aid agency adopted the principles and developed their own Conflict Management Workers.

• A hotel invited us to consider the broken relationship between a chef and a Head Waiter.  Both staff were excellent workers, but both had strong personalities and were finding it increasingly difficult to work together.  Using the DPC techniques of mapping and mediative dialogue the two staff were able to clearly explore the needs of the other and as a result began to work in a more practical and effective manner.

• A leading community training organisation within Northern Ireland were experiencing increased tensions within their staff team due to the changing political climate as well as the changing demographic patterns due to migrant workers entering the country.  DPC methodology was used to help the organisation explore their understanding of the issues and dynamics that they were experiencing, and understand the cost for the organisation for not dealing with these issues. The programme then enabled the staff to begin the skills building process that would allow the organisation to deal with these issues more effectively.  As a result staff have begun to report an increase in confidence in meeting issues of diversity in a more constructive manner.