The “long tail” for conflict prevention
The “long tail” applies to more than just business. It applies to our most basic needs, such as health and safety. The sooner we invest in positive prevention-oriented programs, the better off as a society we’ll be.
The long tail…
The long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the [...]
I dreamed the world had all agreed… To put an end to war
“I dreamed the world had all agreed… to put an end to war”. The lines are from Ed McCurdy’s song “Last night I had the strangest dream”. Written in 1950, this classic anti-war song continues to inspire and give hope to those in the peace movement. McCurdy was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television [...]
A few random questions about mediation: Any answers?
Here`s a few random questions related to mediation that have recently come to my mind. Hey, it’s summertime… the mind wanders.
Did the modern mediation movement come out of the Quaker tradition? This was a question posed by J Nyden in response to this post on Peter Phillip’s Business Conflict blog.
Is web TV the way to [...]
Constructive Conflict: Revisiting the genius of Mary Parker Follett
Last month, my collaborative-minded web friend, John Folk-Williams, introduced us to Mary Parker Follett, in this article on his excellent blog Cross Collaborate. Among the living humans from 1868-1933, her insights reflected a brilliant mind, systems thinking, and in retrospect, are visionary. I was totally intrigued, and so I followed up…
First, I procured a [...]
4 Factors that are reshaping the world of conflict resolution
From my feeds (RSS, Twitter…), I’ve recently come across some interesting goings on in the world of conflict/dispute resolution. And as much of it jives with my own experience and take on resolving conflicts, I thought I’d summarize, with a few examples, what I see as key factors impacting the practice of conflict resolution, going [...]
The Magic Relationship Ratio
In relationships, accentuate the positive. Negative interactions have more clout than positive interactions. It is not a balanced equation. You need to have many positive interactions for each negative interaction, if you want a healthy, sustainable relationship!
Relationship expert John Gottman sees each of our daily interactions with another person as “bids for connection”. By choosing [...]
Victoria’s Collaborative Family Law Group – raising the bar on ways to manage family conflict
The Collaborative Family Law Group (CFLG) is a Victoria-based interdisciplinary group of independent professionals, whose mission is to “encourage and promote a new process to create positive solutions for people in conflict and families in transition.” Indeed… that’s why I’m a fan of theirs.
Recently I attended, as a guest, one of the regular monthly CFLG [...]
Musings on “peeling the onion” and visual thinking
We all have needs. When we’re stuck, dealing with unmet needs can help get things moving forward again. Understanding needs can be like peeling an onion; there are many layers. It may be a bit painful in the peeling, yet good things can happen afterwards, not the least of which is crafting sustainable solutions, as [...]
Surprises in mediation can be a good thing
As a mediator or facilitator, its’ easy to feel you’re in total control of the process. Don’t hold that thought too tight though! Sometimes, giving co-ownership of the process, over to the people in conflict, can lead to surprising results. It doesn’t matter if it was your intention or it happens spontaneously, letting go can [...]
Break bread together: A rule of thumb for good collaboration
Have a meal together.
Why it matters
Eating together helps people connect; helps bond individuals into a collaborative whole.
It doesn’t matter what it is that you do, you need something to bring the team together — something that says we’re special, we value each other, and we’re in this together.
Food, dress, ceremony, celebration… rituals are developed around [...]
Ben Ziegler on 
