Business mediation is a process for resolving conflicts within or between businesses. Participation is voluntary, the sessions are confidential, and the mediator is a trained neutral who has no stake in the outcome. Mediation can be helpful at any point in the life cycle of a business, from formation to dissolution, and even in bankruptcy […]
Business Mediation in bankruptcy proceedings
Some may think that business mediation is limited to resolving conflicts before a lawsuit is filed or an arbitration begun. A little more broadly, mediation is certainly possible when a lawsuit is pending, before or during trial — or even during the appeal process. A recent article in the Times-Standard of Eureka, CA is a […]
Conflicting views on conflict in an organziation
Dale Dauten’s The Corporate Curmudgeon column in the November 19, 2007 Hartford Business Journal was titled “Fomenting Mutual Respect.” In it he quotes a study that found that executives felt that some 18% of management time was wasted resolving staff personality conflicts. He went on to discuss the completely divergent reactions of two management pros: […]
Communication, conflict, and e-mail
In a recent New York Times column, “Turkey Tune-Out Time”, Roger Cohen wrote about the case for “no e-mail Fridays.” His main point involved the overuse of technology to keep us connected to our work, to our peril. One of his comments about e-mail was especially interesting: “it’s a lousy tool for conflict resolution, a […]
Opting for mediation in mandatory arbitration cases – Part II
Last time, I described a bit about the Wall Street Journal Family Finances article titled “Trading Dispute? Try Mediation.” The WSJ article gave an overview of the manner in which two alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes could interface. Although the context there was brokerage account disputes, the same concepts apply to other areas where a […]
Opting for mediation in mandatory arbitration cases – Part I
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a Family Finances article titled “Trading Dispute? Try Mediation.” The article addresses head-on a couple of common questions about mediation. First, the parties to a dispute may have agreed in advance (say, in a consumer or brokerage contract) to pursue mandatory arbitration if a dispute arises during the life […]
