This article examines some of the latest writing and research in relation to conflict in work and workplace mediation. It considers three specific issues of size and sector of organisations, the attitude of organisations to conflict and the employee relations environment in organisations. It reviews the various views in relation to fundamental aspects of mediation such as the neutral third party, voluntarism, informality and confidentiality to inform thinking as well as practitioner and academic conversations. The most recent research in relation to the use of workplace mediation, the agreement reached and satisfaction is also presented. Research into the use of workplace mediation demonstrates that there are differences across countries and sectors. The broader issues related to evaluation of workplace mediation and organisation culture implications of workplace mediation for conflict management are then considered.
This article is a practitioner reflection on taking a meta mediation perspective on working with two organizations in co-creating a positive and constructive working environment. This perspective is grounded in the theoretical framework of strategic conflict management systems. The approach taken is to consider a specific process for engaging with organizations by looking at the two case study organizations – one small and growing, the other medium-sized and resource-constrained. The reflection first considers the antecedents for both organizations in engaging in this way. It then sets out the process for whole organization engagement through dialogue. The outcomes for each organization are then shared. The conclusion reached is that both organizations benefited from the engagement in terms of improvements in work environment, working relationships, conflict competence and organizational performance. Some of the ethical considerations for mediators working with organizations in this way are reflected on including neutrality and impartiality, confidentiality and self determination.
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