Article
Setting the Table fro Mediation Success: Supporting Disputants to Arrive Prepared
Journal of Dispute Resolution
(2021)
Abstract
Disputants in legal, workplace, and family conflicts often find themselves directed to mediation. Despite its widespread use, mediation remains a novel and unfamiliar process to many. Through a review of relevant literature and a survey of mediators, this article documents the importance and dearth of efforts to support disputant preparation. The survey revealed that a significant portion of parties had an inadequate preparation for mediation. However, there were important differences among single areas of mediation practice. For instance, family and small claim mediation were the areas of practice where the lack of preparation was more evident. Conversely, findings in workplace and public policy mediation showed that the majority of parties typically spent enough time to prepare for mediation, although still a large portion was not prepared adequately. Furthermore, mediators reported that parties’ preparation often focused on some elements of negotiation and ignored others, thus missing the potential for more comprehensive preparation and effective mediation. Based on the findings, possible implications for mediation programs and research are discussed.
Keywords
- Mediation,
- Mediation Preparation,
- Mediation Programs
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter December, 2021
Citation Information
Timothy Hedeen, Vittorio Indovina, Claudia Stura and JoAnne Donner. "Setting the Table fro Mediation Success: Supporting Disputants to Arrive Prepared" Journal of Dispute Resolution Vol. 2021 Iss. 1 (2021) p. 65 - 76 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/vittorio-indovina/3/