Negotiating at an Uneven Table:Developing Moral Courage in Resolving Our Conflicts

The transcendent communication project: Searching for a praxis of dialogue

“…Sixth, we need to identify transcendent moves other than context shifting. Some possibilities include the discursive shift from argument to narrative ; the redefinition of relationships from hierarchy to equality (Kritek, 1994); a reorientation from individual perspective to community perspective (Mansbridge, 1990); and, I'm sure, many others. In practice, we need to notice how our interventions and designs lead to some form of transcendence; in theory, we need to translate these insights into generalizable concepts and principles.…”

The Authoritarian Reign in American Health Care

“…In the past few decades, since the advent of prospective payment mechanisms, health care has undergone revolutionary reform (Benjamin, 2000;Dougherty, 1996;Dudley & Luft, 2003;Kritek, 2002). Regressive redistribution of health care dollars, near total integration into a free market system, and rapid restructuring and downsizing have left the system in chaos (Evans, 1997, Dorfman, Wallack, & Woodruff, 2005Kritek, 2002). Issues related to cost, efficiency, and appropriateness of care are paramount to the corporatized bureaucrats controlling this system (Blendon et al, 1994;Dorfman et al, 2005;C.…”

“…In 2009, health care comprised one sixth of the gross domestic product, just more than 15%, and it has been projected to be more than 20% in the year 2018 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2010). In the past few decades, since the advent of prospective payment mechanisms, health care has undergone revolutionary reform (Benjamin, 2000;Dougherty, 1996;Dudley & Luft, 2003;Kritek, 2002). Regressive redistribution of health care dollars, near total integration into a free market system, and rapid restructuring and downsizing have left the system in chaos (Evans, 1997, Dorfman, Wallack, & Woodruff, 2005Kritek, 2002).…”

Critical conflict resolution theory and practice

“…Critical negotiation plies many of the same skills of traditional negotiation toward critical ends, while involving a degree of uniqueness. For instance, Kritek (2002) presents several examples of negotiations that she was a part of in health care as a nurse and administrator, which she used as opportunities to challenging existing systems of power for the benefit of marginalized groups. She engaged in negotiations with a state funding agency, social service agencies, university groups, and neighborhood residents to get more community control in a clinic serving the needs of racially diverse community residents.…”