When Is Third Party Intervention Useful High risk

When Is Third Party Intervention Useful? High risk with raising an issue Patterns of behavior are hard to change Potential for violence When the parties aren’t able to clarify the basis of the conflict When external parties request a third party Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

What Do Third Parties Do? • There are three general types of third parties --arbitrators, mediators and facilitators. They differ in terms of the degree of control they have over the settlement terms, their role in the negotiation or conflict dialogue process, and their knowledge of the issues in dispute. Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

Control Over Settlement Terms • Arbitrators Varies from a lot to none • Mediators Little, if any • Facilitators None Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

Role in the Process • Arbitrators Structures the process, may influence the process • Mediators Structures the process (with different levels of participant input) • Facilitators Structures the process Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

Knowledge of the Issues • Arbitrators Usually a lot • Mediators Little if any • Facilitators Little if any Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

The Nature of Mediation • Mediation is the involvement of an impartial third party in an existing dispute between two or more persons in which the mediator facilitates the communication between the parties and promotes the use of constructive conflict management behaviors. Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

When Mediation is Appropriate – A skilled mediator is present – Participants are willing to mediate – Extremely destructive relational patterns are absent – The balance of power between the parties is relatively equal – There are incentives to parties to try and make the situation better and/or to solve the problem(s) Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

The Mediator’s Job • Although there are different opinions about the style that a mediator should adopt, most people agree that a mediator has two general roles: – Facilitates communication by helping the parties talk together effectively – Encourages the parties to use constructive, integrative conflict management behaviors Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

More specific duties include: • Scheduling number, time, place of meetings • Establishing the general format of each meeting and the persons who participate • Helping interpret the ideas and expressions of the parties • Expanding the parties’ range of resources • Helping parties think about what they want to do and how they can achieve this • Helping parties assess the consequences and the S. Jones, Temple University, realities of their. Tricia suggestions copyright protect, Marchand 2006 actions