Some books inform you. Others transform you. Dean Yates’s memoir Line in the Sand does both, and it does so with a raw honesty that will leave you profoundly changed. Yates spent 26 years as a journalist with Reuters, much of that time in some of the world’s most dangerous places. He covered the 2002 […]
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Line in the Sand by Dean Yates Read More »
I was chatting recently with a mediator about a mediation that was mid-way through. A first joint session had taken place, with another scheduled in the near future. However, in the meantime one of the parties had potentially breached confidentiality of the first session. It was unclear whether there was a technical breach or not,
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Does a Mediation Process Have Integrity? Read More »
Robert Baruch Bush’s recent article in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review tackles something most mediators have noticed: we all agree that party self-determination is fundamental to mediation, yet we practice it very differently. The Gap Between Theory and Practice Bush identifies two distinct approaches: In facilitative mediation, self-determination matters, but it can be set aside
REAL WORLD INSIGHTS: Why We All Say “Self-Determination” But Practice It Differently Read More »
Many mediators have been taught, explicitly or implicitly, that part of our ethical role is to “balance power”. At the same time, we are told that we must remain impartial. Both are framed as professional virtues. Rarely do we pause to ask whether they can comfortably coexist. What do we actually mean by “power”?
Can a Mediator Balance Power and Remain Impartial? Read More »
I’ve just finished Defy by Dr Sunita Sah, and it’s one of those books that quietly rearranges how you see everyday interactions. This isn’t a book about being loud, rebellious, or dramatic. It’s about something far more familiar and far more uncomfortable: how easily we slide into compliance, even when it cuts across our values.
I’ve just finished Defy by Dr Sunita Sah, and it’s one of those books that quietly rearranges how you see everyday interactions. This isn’t a book about being loud, rebellious, or dramatic. It’s about something far more familiar and far more uncomfortable: how easily we slide into compliance, even when it cuts across our values.
A reflective look at impartiality, consultancy, and the blurry edges between them Many mediators encounter this tension. You are invited into a workplace to support the resolution of a particular conflict between two individuals, and along the way you notice broader structural or cultural problems. You may be qualified and well positioned to help. The
Mediator and Broader Consulting Read More »
Australian Walkley Award-winning journalist Tracey Spicer brings her investigative journalism skills and wicked sense of humour to explore AI’s past, present and future. Spicer uncovers the inherent biases the way AI works, as well as in the history of AI and who controls its future. She translates the abstract notion of systemic bias into concrete
Conflict really does have a bad reputation. We tend to treat it as something to prevent, contain, clear up, or make disappear. But what if we are wrong about conflict? Civil rights, women’s suffrage, and workplace safety laws did not come from people politely agreeing not to rock the boat. Progress came from people who
Tending the Fire: A Conflict Makeover Read More »
It’s a deceptively simple question. After all, mediation is voluntary. If one person says no, that should be the end of it. Yet, in practice, mediators are regularly drawn into the space between willingness and refusal. How far should they go in encouraging participation? When does providing information turn into persuasion? This blog post unpacks
How Do We Get Party B to Agree to Mediate? Read More »