Category Archives: Negotiation Coaching
Special Challenges of Multi-Party Negotiation, Part 3: October Surprises
by Berton Lee Lamb and Susan K. Driver A few years ago we were involved in a multi-party negotiation that had an interesting dynamic. Two of the parties in this negotiation were allies. Although they supported each other, one of … Continue reading
Does Collaboration Make a Difference?
A study published in 2015 examined three hydropower licensing cases that were characterized as having high, medium, and low collaboration. The author, Nicola Ulibarri, found that high collaboration resulted in “jointly developed and highly implementable operating regimes designed to improve … Continue reading
Should Mediators “Evaluate?”
Here is a quote from a blurb that recently appeared in the International Chamber of Commerce webpage: “..the benefit of mediation was seen as lying in the mediator’s ability to look beyond the polarised positions of the parties and find … Continue reading
The Role of a Mediator
A blog post by Katherine Graham about the role of a mediator recently came across my desk. Ms. Graham makes a good point that mediators should avoid the very natural tendency to pull the parties toward a solution. She writes … Continue reading
Seeing the Big Picture: Strategy
Seeing the big picture in the midst of battle, or a rancorous negotiation, is difficult but important. A brief article on the website American Diplomacy traces the strategic consequences of three battles (Waterloo, The Somme, and Omaha Beach) to show … Continue reading
Doing the Impossible: Changing the Organization
“Only when certain political and organizational preconditions are met” can substantial improvements be made in big organizations. At least that is the conclusion suggested by a recent article in Public Administration Review. The authors suggest six preconditions (pg. 238): Support from … Continue reading
Workplace Conflict: A Developing Story
When did you first start thinking about conflict resolution techniques for the workplace? If you say you first tuned into methods to resolve conflict sometime in the 1980s your are not far off according to a new study in the … Continue reading
The Efficacy of Alternative Dispute Resolution
The efficacy of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) when compared with more formal processes has been a question much discussed in the literature of conflict resolution. A recent study, published in Public Administration Review suggests that ADR can be fairly effective. The … Continue reading
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