A recent article in the India Times indicates that a growing number of Indian corporations are using Ombuds programs to handle internal and external grievances informally. In the past six months, HUL (Hindustan Unilever Ltd.), Ranbaxy Laboratories, SKS Microfinance Ltd., and Wipro Ltd. have created Ombuds offices. "It's not just about spelling out a whistleblower policy, but also about having a system that enables all stakeholders to raise concerns about wrongdoings fearlessly and have the…

Over the last few months I’ve found myself in conflict with a dear friend over and over again due to our inability to correctly recognize and predict each other’s emotional responses. But just as a lack of empathy can cause conflicts, empathy can be an important tool. Mauricio Hernández Sarti finds that

“empathy is one of the most powerful processes that allows forgiveness and understanding … to resolve conflicts” (…

One of the reactions to people who provoke us is to give them ‘the cold shoulder’. In the dictionaries I consulted, I found that the source of this is Sir Walter Scott. There is no reason explaining its derivation but rather descriptors of what the expression reflects, including words such as aloofness and disdain.

Idioms like this and others – for instance, ‘getting our noses out of joint’ - are vivid in the physical images they conjure up. When we are in conflict we usually show it…

In my latest blog entry, I describe a discussion I have frequently with litigators.  Many litigators are accustomed to an approach to mediation characterized by a mediator who evaluates the case - and by a process that doesn't value direct communication.  Here's the article that explains why transformative mediation is the way to go when it's all about money.

Beware of the Darkside?

For a long time now, I’ve been wondering about…

I haven’t posted in a while, so I thought it was time for a good old fashioned rant... J

Though I have a lot of friends who consider themselves anarchists, it’s a philosophy that I’ve never fully been able to agree with in any real sense. I often find myself in great debates over the practicality or some underlying, glaring contradictions that I can’t seem to wrap my head around. It’s not that I don’t see the problems with the way the world is currently being run, nor that I am…

Before we engage someone in a challenging conversation, it helps to think out what to say and how to be. We have already discussed this in a previous blog. It also helps to give some thought about what to stay away from in order to achieve what we intend. Our reactions, attitudes, manner, considering the other person’s hot buttons, and other things are all choices we have – that can make or break a conversation.

This line of inquiry is particularly about what we may do or say (or not…

According to a recent New York Times- "the newspaper of record"- mediation and arbitration are one in the same.  I came across this information on the very popular and very informative New York Dispute Resolution Community Listserv.  The listserv as a side note has +2,000 members and is not limited to New York area people.

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My latest blog entry, written by guests, Dusty and Vicki Rhoades, describes how transformative mediation has made a big impact in Maryland.  And they dispel some common misconceptions about the transformative approach.

It seems that at times after a dispute is over we second-guess what we said or did. This expression – second-guess – implies that we have made a first guess and the further implication is that we are now wondering about and doubting the wisdom of our initial way of handling the situation. This suggests the time-worn truth that thinking before we speak and act helps to eliminate regrets and self-recrimination that typically accompany second-guessing. The idea about this week’s blog is more…

The newest University of California campus has announced the appointment of Deidre “De” Acker as its first Campus Ombudsperson, effective July 16, 2012. Chancellor Dorothy Leland made the announcement earlier this week. Leland said that the new Ombuds “will actively engage students, faculty, staff and university constituents in dialog, negotiation and problem-solving to ensure that members of our campus community receive fair and equitable treatment.”

Acker has served as assistant…

When we expect that an interaction is likely to be contentious, the chances are that many of us get the jitters.  We worry about what the other person may say or do, how we will cope, whether things will get out of hand and other possible reactions. Often the reasons for these jitters do not have a basis in reality. However, previous experiences, others’ narratives about what has happened to them in like circumstances and a wide range of fears may preoccupy us and lead us to feel unsettled,…

(Originally published by the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation on June 20, 2012 under the title, Letting Clients Take Responsibility)

Recently, I mediated with a young couple where neither of the two had completed high school. As a transformative practitioner, I tried to ensure that I supported, rather than…

In this post guest blogger, Arnold Zeman, tells a story of two mediation clients who shifted toward working together much more effectively.  Arnold says it wasn't magic.  

Cinnie Noble- Welcome to this month's virtual book club! Over the month, my…

Originally posted at www.mediationbytes.wordpress.com

I recently attended a session entitled "What Mediators Can Learn from the Brain Science of Grief Counseling" at the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference in Seattle. I was interested that the lecturer, Professor John Medina, a molecular biologist fed up with current…

As do all human activities, our attempts to respond to and engage with conflict have environmental impact. Any intervention – mediation, peacebuilding activities, training, workshops, and so forth – can be performed in different ways, some of which are inherently more environmentally adverse than others.

In a new article, entitled …

Identity Can Be Lethal, Dr. Janice McRae 

Identity can be lethal.  It is a curious component of how we define our humanness.  In…