Perspective

Mediation Doesn’t Have a Marketing Problem, It Has a Clarity Problem

By Sarah Blake and Samantha Hardy Why the world needs mediation, but clients aren’t buying in We know the world needs mediation. The research is overwhelming: Dr Emily Skinner’s work, among others, shows that conflict is everywhere, in workplaces, communities, families, and politics. The cost to organisations and individuals is massive. And yet, despite this […]

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Wenn Entschuldigungen ausbleiben: Verstehen und Umgang mit der Weigerung, sich am Arbeitsplatz zu entschuldigen

Von Dr Samantha Hardy and Dr Judith Rafferty Hinweis: Dieser Beitrag wurde von Judith Herrmann-Rafferty aus dem englischen Original übersetzt und leicht angepasst, damit er speziell auf HR und Führungskräfte zugeschnitten ist. Den ursprünglichen Artikel in englischer Sprache, der den Blick stärker auf die Arbeit von Mediator*innen richtet, gibt es hier. Entschuldigungen können enorm kraftvoll sein.

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When Apologies Don’t Come: Understanding and Managing Refusal to Apologise in Mediation

By Dr Samantha Hardy and Dr Judith Rafferty Apologies can be transformative. A brief “I’m sorry” has the potential to mend trust, restore dignity, and signal a willingness to move forward. Yet in practice, many mediators have sat through sessions where one party waits, sometimes desperately, for an apology that never arrives. The other party’s

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Navigating the Grey Zones: A Practical Guide to Ethical Decision-Making for Mediators

The Conflict Management Academy has been running “The Mediator’s Dilemma Series” events this year, in which mediators explore a challenging hypothetical and discuss how they would deal with the dilemmas at various stages of the process. These events have been well attended and the discussions enlightening (and sometimes heated!) but what struck me after having

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Caught in the Gossip Trap: When Social Pressure Replaces Constructive Feedback in the Workplace

“One obvious sign you’re living in a gossip trap is when the primary mode of dispute resolution becomes social pressure.” —Erik Hoel, The Gossip Trap I came across this quote after the first session of our Workplace Conflict Practice Group, where we explored the dynamics of workplace conflict—what fuels it, what silences it, and why

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Reflecting with Purpose: How Conflict Practitioners Can Build a Sustainable Reflective Practice

We often talk about the importance of reflective practice in conflict work—but sometimes we are not clear about why it is so beneficial, what it actually looks like in action, and why is it sometimes so hard to do? In recent Conflict Leadership Program sessions, a range of experienced and emerging practitioners gathered to share

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Are Mediators Ever Liable? Rethinking Accountability in Our Practice

By Dr Samantha Hardy Inspired by Jennifer L. Schulz (2023). Mediator Liability 23 Years Later: The “Three C’s” of Case Law, Codes, & Custom. Ottawa Law Review / Revue de droit d’Ottawa, 55(1):151–186. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7202/1112508ar A Quiet Assumption For many of us working in the mediation field, there’s a quiet assumption we rarely question:

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Why Good Conflict Management Is Essential for Psychosocial Safety

Imagine walking into a workplace where people feel anxious, silenced, or wary of one another. Collaboration slows. Creativity wanes. Absenteeism creeps up. Resignations start to pile in. What you’re witnessing isn’t just poor culture—it’s a breach of psychosocial safety. For leaders navigating an increasingly complex and people-focused workplace, this concept has never been more important.

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