Maximizing Mediation – Assisting Participants to be at their Best in Mediation

with Jim Melamed                                                                                                                   

     

 

Course Outline:

copyright 2008 - All rights reserved

 

Maximization in Dispute Resolution

 

 

 

A. What do we mean by "maximization?"

     1. assisting participants to be at their individual best

     2.  assisting participants to most capably work together

     3. assisting participants to obtain the greatest possible satisfaction of their interests.

B. Mediation as best opportunity for maximized problem solving. 
Compare: Adjudication, Unassisted Negotiation and Mediation

C. Beyond Barely Sufficient Processes and Agreements to Most Capable Processes and Agreements

D. Maximization at Micro and Macro Levels

A Theory of Maximizing Mediation

A. Theoretic Options Regarding Power, Power Disparity, Competence and Mediator Response:

• Operate under the illusion that the mediator does not influence participant power
• Attempt to balance participant power
• Seek to "comparably" empower (or disempower) participants or
• Embrace empowerment and carry it to the fullest extent of "maximization"

 

B. Sample Maximizing Opportunities

• Location
• Early Communication with Parties
• Number and Length of Meeting(s)
• Homework
• Caucusing
• Use of the Internet
• Use of Cognitive and Resource State Anchors
• Use of Advisors
• Contemplation

C.  Suggested Adjustments to Evaluative Model

     1.  Mediators Moving Beyond the "Medical (evaluative) Model" to Reflect Responsibility back to Parties and Counsel

     2.  Become Capable at Problem Solving 
(need for complimentary approaches to guessing and evaluation)

 

Three Ways Mediators Work

A. The Interest-Based Option Generation (problem-solving) Approach

B. The Hypothesis Generation and Testing Approach (guessing) and

C. The Doubt and Dissonance Approach (evaluation)

Interest-Based Option Generation Approach

A. Consent to Process

B. Sharing Perspectives

C. Common Ground - Common Interests, Interdependence, Easy Points of Agreement

D. Problem Solving Statements

"How can we best . . .?" or "What is the best way for us to . . .?"

E. Desired Information and Documentation

F. "De-positioning" to Interests and Positive Intentions - resetting the table

G. Develop Options

H. Selecting from Options - The Exchange Environment and Package Dealing

I. Integration and Finalization

The Hypothesis Generation and Testing Approach

Mediation as a Process of Successive Approximation

A. Strategic Summarization

B. Hypotheses Development

C. Hypotheses Testing

D. Revise Hypotheses

E. Test Revised Hypotheses

F. Confirmation and Integration

Doubt and Dissonance - Creating a Healthy Tension of the Mind

A. Mutualized Dissonance vs. Individualized Heat

B. Two Sets of Arrangements

C. The Exchange Environment

D. The Hypothetical Question

E. Fact-Finding Analogue

F. The Parade of Horribles

 

The Challenge: Supporting Most Capable Problem-Solving

A. Structuring the Mediation

B. Locating the Mediation

C. Resistance and Homework

D. Memorializing Progress

E.  The Question: Can we do better than single sit crisis mediation?

The Internet and Mediation

A. Tailoring Communication  

B. Modalities of Communication: Text, Image, Audio, Video

C. Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication

D. Infinite Resources

D. Face to Face and Online Dispute Resolution

E.  Connecting the Dots – What the future holds