Mediation and Business Consulting by Kathleen Kauth.
Mediation is often considered the best option to work out a conflict and salvage a relationship. When entering into a mediation, one hopes that a magic wand is waved and the problem is identified and resolved. Sometimes things work out just like this. It takes hard work and perseverance but it is possible to completely reverse the damage and come out stronger on the other end. This is the ultimate goal of mediation. But what happens when the problem doesn’t get resolved?
We tried but….
Sometimes mediations do not get the results the participants hope. This may happen for many reasons:
How do you know when to stop?
The questions to ask are:
Chances are if you ask those questions you may find some wiggle room to continue the mediation in some shape or form. However, if both parties feel that they tried everything, they were working on the right issues, the mediator was skillful and they are still not able to come to a resolution, that in and of itself is a resolution.
Sometimes, the answer is “no”
There comes a point when the parties may decide that mediation is no longer an option. This is of course the less desired outcome, but just going through the process of mediation and making every effort to resolve a conflict is a victory in and of itself.
There are no magic wands, mediation takes hard work and emotional commitment. The process of mediation itself will help clarify the issues and each individuals’ stance. It removes the ambiguity of what the conflict is, and how the participants feel. A mediation that results in no resolution is a mediation that points the participants in another direction.
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