What's Happening in Conflict Resolution [07.08.14]

Serena Williams: Tennis Champion & Master Negotiator?

Jeff Thompson- How well does the information shared in negotiation books, blogs, and articles really work in the 'real world'?

We read so much about expanding pies, looking for joint-gains, the value of preparing, reducing the adversarial nature of the interaction, and working towards a (yep, here comes the cliche) win-win.

It's easy to think that in the fictional world of writing, the authors talk about previous real mediation or negotiation settings and tweak a thing here, modify a thing there, and bam- the impression is everything works and they are the masterful conflict resolution professional displaying the tools really work.

Well, have a look at this snippet from the New York Times...

Read more [HERE].

Workplace Bullying: Do You Recognize It When You See It?

You spread out the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle without a picture to guide you as to what the completed puzzle should look like. What factors do you consider as you attempt to fit the pieces together?

...Consider this scenario:

A co-worker confides in you and describes an upsetting situation regarding his supervisor, Mary. The co-worker says: “I just can’t take Mary’s disrespectful and demeaning treatment any longer. I think she’s trying to sabotage my career with this organization. I’m not sleeping and I’m having health issues. My doctor says they are related to on-the-job stress. What should I do?”

What factors may determine your reaction? Your position in the workplace hierarchy? Whether you personally know, or have any history with the employees involved? Do you indicate belief/disbelief of the employee’s description of the incident? Do you offer support or give advice? Do you deflect the issue believing “There are always two sides to every story”? Do you call for an in-depth investigation of the situation based on the company’s zero-tolerance harassment policy?

Read more [HERE].

Mediation and mindfulness

(via HR Magazine/Tania Coke)

Mindfulness has recently caught the popular imagination as a way to counter the stress of everyday life. Mediation has also caught on, as a way to minimise the suffering (both human and financial) caused by workplace conflict.

On the surface, mindfulness and workplace mediation are very different: the former is most often considered a silent, solitary practice aimed at self-development; the latter typically involves a conversation between at least two parties and a mediator, and its aim is business improvement. Nevertheless, by placing these two practices side by side, we find some striking parallels and far-reaching implications as to where responsibility for conflict management lies.

- See more [HERE].

JAMS Foundation and NAFCM Announce a Partnership to Fund and Suppor...

Matt Phillips- The JAMS Foundation and the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) unveiled the details for the new “Community Mediation Mini-Grant Program.” The program will provide approximately $85,000 in funding to the community mediation field the first year with the potential to expand to $150,000 in future years.

More [HERE].

Communication Stoppers – Part 1

The Olive Branch Blog- What can inhibit 2 way conversation?? A ‘communication stopper’ can.

What’s that?

A communication stopper is a phrase that discourages someone from expressing him or herself. It may not only shut down a conversation, but can also make it more difficult to connect again in the future.

I pulled out the manual for our 40 hour Basic Mediation class and reviewed the 11 communication stoppers that we shared with our students. And much to my dismay, I realized that sometimes …

Read more [HERE].

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