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Reflections and Emerging Themes from Seminar 3. Paul Latreille Richard Saundry. Innovation and mediation. Innovation in conflict management in the UK centred on mediation Direct benefits – business case for mediation Broader impact
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Reflections and Emerging Themes from Seminar 3 Paul Latreille Richard Saundry
Innovation and mediation • Innovation in conflict management in the UK centred on mediation • Direct benefits – business case for mediation • Broader impact • ‘mediation has the potential to lead to a major and dramatic shift in the culture of employment relations’ (BIS, 2011:13) • Extent of mediation use in UK – mixed picture • Generally limited to larger, public sector organisations • WERS 2011 – mediation used in 7% of workplaces in the previous 12 months • Rhetorical volume outweighing uptake
Evidence • Organisations claim high rates of success and satisfaction • Less evidence of sustainability of outcomes • ‘Success’ in mediation difficult to define • Positive outcomes possible even where resolutions not reached • Evidence of broader impacts • Positive effect on attitudes and skills of mediators and participants • Less evidence of wider organisational effects • Success appear to be context specific and dependent on involvement of key actors • Growing consensus that mediation more cost efficient than conventional procedures • Lack of robust evidence
Challenges and barriers • Mediation – ‘just another tool in the box’ • Mediation perceived by many as a formal process of last resort • Managerial resistance to mediation • Deficit in managerial capability and confidence • Wider organisational perception of conflict as a transactional as opposed to a strategic issue • Lack of authoritative evidence
Key questions • Is there evidence of organisations developing innovative responses to workplace conflict? • What is the role of mediation and ADR within such approaches? • To what extent is conflict a strategic issue for organisations? • What are the prospects for more integrated approaches to conflict management? • What can policy-makers and organisational stakeholders do to improve workplace conflict management?