All too often, time, energy and money is wasted on talking about problems – not resolving them.
These words from Henry Ford are perhaps even more relevant today, as the complexities of the modern world seem to be creating more and more problems.There’s a pressing need to find efficient and sustainable ways to solve problems.
In some ways, the workplace is like a mini-world.Most workplaces are culturally diverse, with people from different cultures and backgrounds and with differing perspectives on life all working together. People have different ways of doing things and seeing things, and conflicts do arise.
Managers spend up to 25% of their time managing conflict, according to a study by the American Management Association.It has also been estimated that senior HR executives from companies in the Fortune 500 list spend up to 20 per cent of their day in litigation activities.And if conflict ends up in the courtroom, there is a big risk of reputational damage, embarassing public scrutiny, loss of productivity and staff morale – not to mention the actual cost of the litigation.Mediation is increasingly being used as a highly effective strategy for solving problems.
Workplace mediation is becoming an increasingly popular strategy for the management of disputes. It’s a quick, effective process which is also affordable.Mediations generally end in agreement between 70 and 80 per cent of the time, and generally have high compliance rates.
Unlike most court cases which are matters of public record, most mediations are confidential.As there are no strict procedural issues, mediation is a much more flexible, informal and less intimidating process than being in court. Mediation is an empowering process for all parties involved as they are directly engaged in the negotiations. Because the parties are actively involved in reaching a settlement, they’re more likely to uphold the terms of the solution.Mediation is also a much faster way of resolving issues as agreement can be reached in days, if not hours, unlike the lengthy court process.
The driving motivation behind mediation is to find a solution.Each situation is unique. The process aims at resolving the conflict in question as well as work out solutions for avoiding similar situations going forward.Workplace issues including bullying, discrimination, victimisation and serious misconduct can also be resolved with the help of a professional mediator without going through the courts.
J F Kennedy once said : “Let’s not seek to fix the blame for the past”.Let’s accept our own responsibility for the future.Mediation could be one of the ways that people could accept responsibility and take it forward into the future.
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