Over the last 7 weeks, you learned about both the theoretical side and the practical side of the conflict. You’ve seen yourself in a conflict situation, and you’ve seen yourself as the mediator of a conflict.
This week, you will combine all the information, and then you will analyze and set the stage for successful mediation of the case found in your resources, titled Office Sharing. As you move through the process of case analysis and mediation preparation, answer the following questions:
What factors lead to this being an appropriate case for mediation?
What is the conflict about?
What are the positions and interests of each party to the conflict?
Who are the parties to the conflict?
How has the conflict progressed?
What type of mediation intervention would be most appropriate?
Who needs to participate in the mediation, and how would you involve/approach them?
What, if any, are the cultural, ethnic, gender, or other issues; and how will each affect your decisions regarding the entry phase of the mediation?
How would you conduct the first three phases of mediation (Moore, p. 186) and establish trust, rapport, and credibility among parties to the conflict?
What arena, physical arrangements and procedures would you choose, and why?
What might be some substantive, procedural, and psychological issues related to the parties – and how might you deal with them?
What strategy might you employ to address the above-mentioned issues if your assessment is correct and they emerge during mediation?
What conditions must be present for a win-win outcome to occur – and what do you foresee as a potential win-win for the disputants in this case?
How might psychological closure be important to redefining the relationship and supporting a lasting agreement? What actions might be necessary to bring this closure about?
What are some of the voluntary commitment procedures that may be employed here – and how might they enhance the success of an agreement between the parties?
Who are the parties that might threaten a good agreement – and how can those threats be addressed or neutralized during the mediation process?
In Week 1, you were asked what you needed in this course. Did you get want you needed? Why or why not?
