Mediation and Practicing Project Management Skills

1. Mediation and Practicing Project Management Skills Clay Springer, PMP Managing Director Four Points, LLC

2. Adventures in Mediation • Tremendous growth experience • Never the same thing twice • Low Reward, High Reward • Success gets defined differently • Lucky you live . . .

3. For Today • Provide an understanding of the Mediation Process • Highlight Project Management Skills that are used during the process • Flag some of the Pitfalls that may occur along the way • Recap some techniques in Mediation that can be applied to your projects

4. Mediation and Project Management • Mediation shares several aspects with Project Management • Mediation underscores the power and importance of “soft skills” • Mediation skills serve to build stronger Project Leaders

5. Conflict and Project Management • Some degree of Conflict is present in all Projects • Conflict isn’t always a bad word • Success is in managing Conflict • Most conflict is managed through negotiation • But sometimes the stakes are higher . . .

7. A Look at Mediation • Cooperative process to resolve differences • Practical, relatively informal, and direct • Empowers parties to retain control of their decision • What Mediation isn’t: • Imposed solutions • One-sided • A legal proceeding

8. When does Mediation Work? • BEFORE Court • When Parties have difficulty working face to face • When the Participants are ready

9. The Mediation Process

10. POSITIONS What the Party Wants “I want my money back” “I want a published apology” “I want them to stop spreading rumors” “I want the same position back” INTERESTS Why it is Important RESPECT APPRECIATION REPUTATION SECURITY APPROVAL RECOGNITION SELF-ESTEEM Positions vs. Interests Mediation seeks to understand, but not necessarily change, interests

11. Setting the Stage • Gets peoples head in the game • Establishes trust in the people and the process • Provides the ground rules for the session 5 minutes • Skills for Project Managers: • Providing structure • Establishing Boundaries • Being Success Oriented • Building Trust • Removing judgment from the equation • Reinforces your Role as Facilitator

12. Advance Work • Meet your Co-Mediator • Review the Case Files • Recap Similar Cases • Agree on Approach 10 minutes • Skills for Project Managers: • Preparation • Surveying the Landscape • Bonding w/ Team Leaders • Clarifying Roles

13. Summarizing Issues • Each Party gets a turn • Gets Parties thinking about solutions • Reining in Parties • NOT a gauge of potential success 5 – 10 minutes • Skills for Project Managers: • Managing Emotions • Keeping Parties on Point • Keeping an open mind • Creating ownership • Note-Taking

14. The Mediators’ Caucus • Crucial component of the Mediation • Should be done after every round • Builds the relationship between the Mediators • Opportunity to confirm what’s being said

15. One on One SessionsInformation Gathering • One or two Alternating individual sessions • Equal opportunity isn’t always equal time • Getting both sides of the story • Uncovering Relevant Facts and Information 5 – 15 minutes each • Skills for Project Managers: • Creating Rapport • Documenting Facts • Confirming Information • Depersonalizing • Focus on the Task at Hand

16. One on One SessionsGetting at the root of the Mediation • Inventorying the important stuff “interests” • Open-ended and probing questions • Confirming key positions and interests 5 – 15 minutes each • Skills for Project Managers: • Active Listening • Knowing Personal Bias • Dropping Assumptions • Avoiding tangents

17. NegotiationWhat the Parties can live with • Tempering expectations • Protecting interests • Gauging comfort levels 5 – 10 minutes • Tools for Project Managers: • Focus on Stakeholders • Proposing options • Timing, Timing, Timing • Creating ownership

18. Creating the AgreementWhat both parties will walk away with • Often no more than a page • Clarity with flexibility • The agreement they own 10 - 20 minutes (often joint) • Tools for Project Managers: • Validating Scope • Closure with Stakeholders • Documenting appropriately

19. Reframing depersonalizes underscores neutrality Reflecting gets feelings out shows you understand Open-Ended Questions (remember: no therapy) where you find the iceberg gets Parties out of the shell Summarizing directs the focus of the conversation distills and confirms Identify “Currency” often isn’t money provides options Pacing Tempo and emotion are linked Back in the Driver’s seat Self-Checks Your solution, or theirs Keeping your stuff of the table BATNA Realistic possibilities Regenerate ownership Clarity The best agreements are short, simple, and straightforward Specific Techniques to Practice Fact-Finding and Active Listening Negotiation and Agreement

20. Anger Poor Communication Power Imbalance Impasse Cultural Differences Navigating Trouble Spots Trouble Spot Strategies • Notice • Acknowledge • Deflate • Temperature Check • Break or Reschedule • Translate non-verbal • Make it safe • Specify • Reinforce • Confront • Balance speaking time • Role Reversal • Saving Face • Separate people from problem • Partialize (chunk) • Sidestep, defer • Flag misperceptions • BATNA • Evaluate and confirm • Empathy • Watch non-verbals • Respect

21. Recap • Each step of Mediation pulls Project Management Skills into Play • Successful Projects are those where the Stakeholders own the Outcome • Mediation Reinforces the Role of the Project Manager as Facilitator • When your Teams feel that you are there for them, Winning comes easy

22. Questions?

23. Want to learn more? Phone: (808) 521-6767Email: mcp@pixi.com Phone: (808) 741-6953 Email: cspringer@fourpointshawaii.com