Parties can often get so locked in to their positions, that they “forget” or may even be unaware of the interests they are trying to satisfy. Solving a problem collaboratively involves helping parties explore their positions to better understand each other’s underlying interests so that together, a solution can be developed that satisfies the interests of all parties. 
Sometimes we find that parties with conflicting positions may actually share a common interest. Meanwhile differing interests allow for trade offs. The next section (8.2) discusses how to uncover these interests.
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Introduction to Collaborative Governance 
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