Eskalasjon

Eskalasjon is the Norwegian term for escalation, the process by which an incident, conflict, cost or response intensifies or spreads beyond its original scope. The concept is used across disciplines—politics and military affairs, organizational management, psychology, information technology, and economics—to describe upward dynamics that increase severity, scale or commitment.

In conflict and international relations, escalation refers to the escalation ladder in which parties progressively adopt stronger measures, potentially leading to broader confrontation; phenomena such as brinkmanship and escalation dominance are studied to understand risks and deterrence. In organizational settings, escalation denotes the formal routing of issues to higher authority levels when frontline staff cannot resolve them; effective escalation procedures are critical in project management, customer support and safety-critical industries. Psychology describes escalation of commitment, where individuals persist with failing courses of action due to sunk costs or cognitive bias. Economically, price escalation indicates rising costs across markets or supply chains.

Drivers of escalation include miscommunication, competitive incentives, unclear authority, emotional reactions and systemic feedback loops. Consequences range from higher costs and disrupted projects to political instability and violence. Mitigation and management strategies emphasize clear protocols, proportional responses, transparent communication, early intervention, third-party mediation and deliberate de-escalation measures. Understanding the specific form and drivers of eskalasjon in a given context helps design interventions that reduce risk and restore stability.