Mediation

Workplace Mediation is an impartial, confidential, safe and cost effective way of defusing conflict between individuals or teams when all parties need to continue their working relationship.

It is a specific structured approach where an impartial mediator enables communication between those in dispute.  The mediator provides a safe and confidential space where through facilitated discussion disputants learn to understand each other and come up with mutually acceptable solutions that will improve their working relationship.

Mediation is suitable for all types of disputes at all levels within the organisations.  
For instance:

• Partners or shareholder disputes
• Conflict between colleagues
• Teams in dispute amongst themselves or with others
• Bullying
• Harassment

We use mediation when

• Disputants need to continue to work together and cannot resolve the differences unaided.
• They wish to keep control of the outcome
• Alternative such as litigation appear less desirable
• Confidentiality is important
• It needs quick resolution
• The issues are specific and the disputants have the authority to resolve them without recourse to others.
• As the first part of the company grievance procedure as long as all disputants participate voluntarily

Win/Win Solutions

Mediation designed to achieve a win/win solution that is designed by the disputants themselves. In all other types of conflict resolution the emphasis is either adversarial resulting in one side losing as in litigation or a compromise as in negotiation or arbitration. A simple example shows the difference

Two sisters want the only orange left in the house after the shops have closed.

• In negotiation they agree to have half each.  Compromise as neither gets what they want.
• Turning to their mother for a decision she decides to give them half each. Again a compromise.
• After a fight breaks out their mother intervenes and judges that neither of them can have it. Both sisters lose
• With their mother as mediator she asks each of them what they want to the orange for.
  One wants orange juice and the other wants the pith for an orange cake she is baking.
  So one gets the peel whilst the other gets the segments. This is a win/win.

To achieve the win/win, click here