Family Business Mediators Are Third Party Conflict Resolution Providers
Conflict is a natural part of human affairs. We often try to avoid it, but when we embrace and work through conflicts, this can lead to new levels of creativity in the workplace.
The problem is that most people do not have very good conflict resolution skills. They tend to get defensive and too personal and they don’t believe in the possibility of win/win solutions.
So when two people have a conflict in the workplace, it is often necessary to meet with a neutral third party who can facilitate a mutually agreeable solution. In this article, I will teach you the basics of how to do third party facilitation.
It is a very useful skill to have because resolving conflicts successfully strengthens teamwork and morale. It also tends to raise productivity and reduce absenteeism and turnover.
Before I begin, I would recommend that you do some reading to gain some basic concepts and skills. I would recommend Getting to Yes, the classic negotiating book by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, and Forgive for Good by Fred Luskin. These are very useful books in this area.
