This article reviews the conflict literature, first examining the causes of conflict, its core process, and its effects. Subsequently, we probe into conflict escalation (and de-escalation), contexts, and conflict management. When examining this last topic, we note that conflict can be managed by the disputants themselves, by managers, or by other thirdparties. In conclusion we suggest directionsforfuture research and provide recommendations for practicing managers.There ain't no good guys There ain't no bad guys, There's only you and me, And we just disagree.-Dave MasonWhen we're in a conflict, we don't see it that way. There are good guys; there are bad guys; we don't "just disagree." Conflict-to most of us-is mighty unpleasant.It's like the common cold. We all know what it is, but objectively analyzing it can prove difficult, as can identifying the causes and understanding the effects. And most difficult is discovering a cure.In this article we'll undertake these tasks-for conflict. First offered will be a general overview of the conflict process, immediately followed with a definition or explanation of the construct. In subsequent sections we will delineate the causes of conflict, examine the core process, and identify its effects. Then we will look at conflict escalation and the context in which conflict takes place.With these ideas under our belts, we'll turn to the management of conflict, closing with some suggestions for researchers and managers.

In this article, we review the mediation literature from the past decade, utilizing a cybernetic mediation paradigm to organize the material. In this paradigm, we note that the type of conflict, country, culture, and mediation institutions affect the mediation process. Within this process, the mediator and disputants interact with each other, attempting to reach their own goals. This interaction produces outcomes for the disputants, the mediators, and other parties. The literature -organized using this paradigm -indicates that mediation is frequently practiced in many venues; the literature also provides an exhaustive list of mediation goals, describes many mediation strategies, and reports manifold mediation outcomes. Unfortunately, the number of studies examining the relative effectiveness of specific strategies (e.g., pressing, relational, and analytic) seems insufficient. Few studies have used control groups or reported observations of mediator and disputants' behavior in actual mediations.

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This study investigated the mediations of ninety-seven community mediators in the People's Republic of China. The mediators' reports on two mediations each — one successful and one unsuccessful — indicated the frequency with which they use twenty-seven mediation techniques. In addition, their information revealed the strategies — assist, procedural, educate, and external reliance — they employ in their mediations. It was found that Chinese mediators utilize the same techniques and strategies in successful versus nonsuccessful mediations; yet, their techniques and strategies differ in couple (husband-wife) as opposed to noncouple disputes.

This article reviews the impact of the (a) negotiator's characteristics, (b) negotiator-opponent interaction, (c) constituencies (the parties represented by the negotiator), (d) third parties, and (e) situational environmentalfactors on the negotiation process and its outcomes. We offer suggestions to researchers for enhancing the external and internal validity of their studies. And for practicing managers, we provide recommendations to improve their negotiations.