As a certified mediator I was excited to expand my understanding of conflict resolution. I most wanted to develop skills to lead change, deepen my understanding of frameworks for analysis and expand my understanding of the role social relationships of interdependence and accountability play in conflict.

 

One court mediation I did years ago still bothers me. Even though an agreement was reached, it was not a win-win resolution. My inexperience contributed to the unsatisfactory outcome. Thinking about the different stakeholders, their relationships and the context of the conflict, I see skills gaps that lead to the less than optimal outcome. A transformational approach which requires restraint against urgency and the desire for a quick solution would have facilitated a more equitable agreement. John Paul Lederach (2003) advised looking at presenting issues as a window. A window has two lenses. “One brings into focus the substance of the content and the other seeks to see in and through the context to the nature of the context and relational patterns” (p.49). Looking through the window allows for differentiation between the symptomatic content of the problem and the underpinning emotional process. I failed to see the underpinning emotional process effecting both parties and succumbed to the urgency to get a resolution within the time allotted by the court. This failure allowed one party to manipulate the mediation and deprived the other party of a more agreeable resolution. This class filled gaps in my understanding and skills. I learned to manage complexity and acquired techniques to hold contradictions and paradoxes long enough to generate options for change and opportunities for forward movement. 

 

Lederach, J.P. (2003). The little book of conflict transformation. New York, NY: Good Books.