Samantha Hardy

Navigating the Grey Zones: A Practical Guide to Ethical Decision-Making for Mediators

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The Conflict Management Academy has been running “The Mediator’s Dilemma Series” events this year, in which mediators explore a challenging hypothetical and discuss how they would deal with the dilemmas at various stages of the process. These events have been well attended and the discussions enlightening (and sometimes heated!) but what struck me after having […]

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: How to Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Richard Susskind

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I’ve been able to avoid much of the controversy around AI, just playing around with it for fun when I’ve had some spare time, until recently. However, two things really piqued my interest. One was working with iResolve on an AI Conflict Coach (which despite my dubiousness, turned out to be astonishingly good).  The second

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Mediating Underwater: Rethinking Mediation to Make It Inclusive for Neurodivergent Clients.

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This blog post is based on a presentation I gave at the Australian Dispute Centre conference in Sydney in May this year. Navigating a Sea of Conflict Put your hand up if: You can swim. You’ve ever been caught in a rip. You’ve ever been scuba diving. You can navigate underwater. You’ve ever been night

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Caught in the Gossip Trap: When Social Pressure Replaces Constructive Feedback in the Workplace

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“One obvious sign you’re living in a gossip trap is when the primary mode of dispute resolution becomes social pressure.” —Erik Hoel, The Gossip Trap I came across this quote after the first session of our Workplace Conflict Practice Group, where we explored the dynamics of workplace conflict—what fuels it, what silences it, and why

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Reflecting with Purpose: How Conflict Practitioners Can Build a Sustainable Reflective Practice

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We often talk about the importance of reflective practice in conflict work—but sometimes we are not clear about why it is so beneficial, what it actually looks like in action, and why is it sometimes so hard to do? In recent Conflict Leadership Program sessions, a range of experienced and emerging practitioners gathered to share

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Are Mediators Ever Liable? Rethinking Accountability in Our Practice

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By Dr Samantha Hardy Inspired by Jennifer L. Schulz (2023). Mediator Liability 23 Years Later: The “Three C’s” of Case Law, Codes, & Custom. Ottawa Law Review / Revue de droit d’Ottawa, 55(1):151–186. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7202/1112508ar A Quiet Assumption For many of us working in the mediation field, there’s a quiet assumption we rarely question:

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WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: What mediation romantics can learn from the Model T, by Nancy Welsh

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While this article is about the development of mediation as a field in the U.S. most of the points made apply equally to the Australia context. Welsh describes the idealised introduction of mediation in the 1970s as a “democracy-and-self-determination-enhancing, social justice ethos” which then became institutionalised into a process aimed solely at getting parties from

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Why Good Conflict Management Is Essential for Psychosocial Safety

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Imagine walking into a workplace where people feel anxious, silenced, or wary of one another. Collaboration slows. Creativity wanes. Absenteeism creeps up. Resignations start to pile in. What you’re witnessing isn’t just poor culture—it’s a breach of psychosocial safety. For leaders navigating an increasingly complex and people-focused workplace, this concept has never been more important.

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Now’s the Time to Train as a Mediator!

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If you’ve been thinking about gaining formal mediation skills — whether to launch your own conflict resolution practice, strengthen your leadership or HR capabilities, or simply become a more skilled communicator — this is your opportunity. The Conflict Management Academy is offering a brand-new Facilitative Mediation Course, combining flexible online study with an inspiring, in-person

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