Scotland

Appointment of Mediators, Co-mediation, Commercial Mediation, Developing the Field, Discrimination, Experience, Future of mediation, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), Leadership, Mediation and Society, mediation as a career, Mentoring, Personal Development, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Scotland, Uncategorized, Young Mediators

(University of Strathclyde)/ /3 Comments
Do Black Lives Matter

“Racially discriminatory behavior may be reduced more effectively when racial issues are made salient rather than ignored or obscured.” (1) This week I’ve been thinking about white privilege. Ok, my white privilege. Like much of the planet I was horrified by the casual, almost routine asphyxiation of George Floyd. I wasn’t surprised by protest and…

Mediation Outcomes, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Mediation Reforms (Legislation, etc.), Mediation Users/Clients, Scotland, Uncategorized, Zoom

(Core Solutions Group)/ /2 Comments

Ten weeks ago, I had barely heard of Zoom. At that time, I was fairly sceptical about online mediation in the kind of cases I do. It could never substitute for face to face meetings with their intimacy and candour. Or so I thought. I have recently undertaken a number of mediations using Zoom. It…

COVID-19, Future of mediation, Mediation and Society, Policy, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /3 Comments

I was privileged recently to give opening remarks at a meeting of mediators in the International Academy of Mediators. The remarks were a reflection on the times we as mediators are living in. I share an adapted version here. “There is no us and them, only us”. These words were uttered here in Edinburgh in…

COVID-19, Public Policy, Scotland, Uncategorized

(University of Strathclyde)/ /2 Comments
Woman wearing facemask

‘He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars’ (William Blake, Jerusalem) The coronavirus pandemic deals its cards very unevenly. Some individuals get it lightly, if at all, and even countries seem to be spared, at least for now. For others it’s a catastrophe. Here in the UK we watch, helpless,…

Developing the Field, Economics, Efficiency, Environmental Mediation, Future of mediation, Leadership, Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, mediation process, Negotiation, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), Online Mediation, Promoting Mediation, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Understanding mediation

(Core Solutions Group)/ /10 Comments

“The ground is so wet; it wasn’t like this in the past. We can’t get started on this year’s soil preparation.” In a recent mediation involving farmers, this was the response to my early inquiry about how things were going, generally. These days, I find that the topic of climate change and its effects arises,…

Developing the Field, Dispute Resolution, Future of mediation, Growth of the Field (Challenges, New Sectors, etc.), History of mediation, Legal Issues, Mediation Outcomes, mediation process, Promoting Mediation, Research, Scotland, Uncategorized, Understanding mediation

(University of Strathclyde)/ /2 Comments
Stop apologising

(This blog is adapted from a longer version published by Prof John Lande as part of Theories of Change for the Dispute Resolution Movement: Actionable Ideas to Revitalize Our Movement. The Theory of Change symposium asked mediators and scholars to think big about their dreams and visions for the future, and was recently published on…

Creativity, cross-border mediation, Dialogue, Environmental Mediation, International Mediation, Public Policy, Scotland, Transformation, UN and International Organizations

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The start of a new decade offers a great opportunity to reflect and plan. There is a growing consensus that the 2020s will be crucial in transforming the way we live and work if we are to have any chance of ensuring the planet is able to accommodate our species. Nearly everything we do is…

Dialogue, Leadership, Negotiation, Policy, Scotland, Skills

(Core Solutions Group)/ /2 Comments

Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating a session at Scotland’s Citizens Assembly at which politicians from four political parties took the opportunity to discuss with the Assembly members (over 100 people randomly recruited from across Scotland) their vision for the future of the country. At the outset, I framed it as a departure from…

Mediation and Society, Mediation Practice, Philosophy, Scotland, The role of the mediator, Uncategorized

(Core Solutions Group)/ /1 Comment

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the festive season is receiving and reading books that one might not have come across otherwise. This year, I have been enjoying two quite contrasting works of literature. The first is a Manual for Spectrum Agents (Haynes Publishing) providing “detailed information about the Spectrum organisation”, based on the…

Below the line, Business, Causes of Conflict, Commercial Mediation, Conflict, Developing the Field, Economics, Mediation Practice, Practical Challenges for Mediators, Reflective Practice, Scotland, Uncategorized

(University of Strathclyde)/ /Leave a comment
money

Twice today I’ve found myself responding to mediator reflections in these terms: the money’s not about the money. Both cases involved financial negotiation, even haggling, but that’s deceptive. The key to settlement lay not in the realm of calculation and rationality but in the more opaque social world of face, punishment, justice and emotion. In…