Last time I wrote about the concept of the ombuds (or ombudsman or ombudsperson.) Traditionally, the ombuds serves as an all-around dispute resolution specialist in an organization: corporate (whether for-profit or not-for-profit), academic, or government agency. One of the great advantages of mediation and related approaches to voluntary conflict resolution is their flexibility. Because the […]
What is an ombuds or ombudsperson or ombudsman?
Last time I wrote about an online article from the UK describing a mediator making awards and compelling “settlements” — concepts foreign to mediation in the U.S. That same article referred to a financial “ombudsman”, and the term seemed to be used interchangeably with “mediator”. In this country, the concept of an ombuds (the term […]
