5 Positions, needs and interests – onion tool
Conflicts are driven by each conflict actor’s positions, needs and interests. The ‘onion’ tool can help us differentiate and explain what these are, and how they differ and are perceived by those engaged in the conflict. It is important to understand each element to facilitate effective communication between the parties. The layers of an onion can represent their different positions, needs and interests. In times of conflict parties may not reveal their core needs, since this could weaken their negotiating power. They will tend to talk more from a ‘position’ and make statements about ‘interests’.
The outer layer of the onion represents positions or things we say publicly that we want. The next layer represents interests, or those things we actually want. Needs are at the core of the onion - things that we must have.
We can also explain the differences between these conflict elements by imagining a dispute over an orange. As can be seen below in Box 1, in the initial, seemingly contradictory statements of position of the parties in conflict, both state that they have to have the orange; but as their needs are revealed a resolution to the conflict becomes apparent.