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 »
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Dr Judith Rafferty represented The Cairns Institute at the 2025 Conference of the International Association of Genocide Studies (IAGS) in Johannesburg, South Africa (20–24 October 2025). The event, themed The Challenge of ‘Never Again’: Engaging with Protection and Prevention of Genocide, brought together global experts to explore how research, justice systems,
In September, the Conflict Management Academy (CMA) hosted a vibrant stall at the National Mediation Conference. CMA Director Dr Samantha Hardy and Trainer & Coach Mentor Dr Judith Rafferty had a fantastic time connecting with friends, colleagues, and conference participants — and, of course, sharing our super-cool CMA merchandise! It was a wonderful opportunity to
Conflict Management Academy at the National Mediation Conference Read More »
Samantha Hardy and Peter Hanson Every mediator, at some point, has sighed over coffee or in supervision and said: “The cases are getting harder these days.” But is that true? Are disputes genuinely more complex and intractable, or are we simply remembering the past through rose-tinted glasses? This question keeps coming up in training rooms,
Are Conflicts Really Getting Harder, or Are Mediators Just Getting Nostalgic? Read More »
By Sarah Blake and Samantha Hardy Why the world needs mediation, but clients aren’t buying in We know the world needs mediation. The research is overwhelming: Dr Emily Skinner’s work, among others, shows that conflict is everywhere, in workplaces, communities, families, and politics. The cost to organisations and individuals is massive. And yet, despite this
Mediation Doesn’t Have a Marketing Problem, It Has a Clarity Problem Read More »
When we walk into a workshop or classroom, one of the first things we notice is how varied people are. Tall and short, loud and quiet, confident and hesitant. But sometimes it helps to step back from those obvious differences and look at something we rarely think about: eye colour. It’s a simple feature, but
Seeing Difference: Eye Colour as a Lens on Neurodiversity Read More »
Von Dr Samantha Hardy and Dr Judith Rafferty Hinweis: Dieser Beitrag wurde von Judith Herrmann-Rafferty aus dem englischen Original übersetzt und leicht angepasst, damit er speziell auf HR und Führungskräfte zugeschnitten ist. Den ursprünglichen Artikel in englischer Sprache, der den Blick stärker auf die Arbeit von Mediator*innen richtet, gibt es hier. Entschuldigungen können enorm kraftvoll sein.
By Dr Samantha Hardy and Dr Judith Rafferty Apologies can be transformative. A brief “I’m sorry” has the potential to mend trust, restore dignity, and signal a willingness to move forward. Yet in practice, many mediators have sat through sessions where one party waits, sometimes desperately, for an apology that never arrives. The other party’s
When Apologies Don’t Come: Understanding and Managing Refusal to Apologise in Mediation Read More »
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
Navigating the Grey Zones: A Practical Guide to Ethical Decision-Making for Mediators Read More »