Abstractions and Generalizations — What Every Mediator Should Know
Introduction People use abstraction and generalization to order the world around them. They develop and rank categories, and use those categories—good person/bad person—to evaluate and interact with others. I think of these personalized categories as “hierarchies of abstraction” and have learned from experience that the better I understand them, the more effective I become as […]
The Cybernetics of Dispute
The Cybernetics of Dispute Imagine a hypothetical social system in equilibrium. We already know that there will be no conflicts being perceived by any member of this system, because the whole social system is in equilibrium, (refer to The State of No Conflict); however, members of this system are human individuals, and they are indeed […]
The Cybernetics of Learning
The Cybernetics of Learning Conflict denotes the existence of a difference between what has been sensed and what the individual believes it ought to be. Therefore, the response to a conflict, or in other words, the attempt to close the gap, can lead to no less and no more than two distinct behaviours: either focus […]
Transformational Process Design for Dispute Resolution
Introduction Before any dispute resolution process is designed or implemented, there should be a planning process to avoid surprises and pitfalls and minimize the risk of failure. Without advanced planning, there is no direction to go towards, no priorities to focus limited resources on, and no sense of progress and achievement. On the other hand, […]
The Cybernetics of Having a Thick Skin!
The Cybernetics of Having a Thick Skin! Human beings are survival machines; they, by nature, strive to reduce their discomfort as much as possible. When we are hungry, we search for food; and when in need of protecting ourselves against environmental elements, we secure a shelter. Understanding that conflict is a discomforting difference, any conflict […]
From Conflict to Dispute
From Conflict to Dispute The overuse and dramatization of the word ‘conflict’ in contemporary media, by employing terms such as armed conflict, countries affected by conflict, deadly conflicts, and such, have dramatically transformed the true meaning of the word. In contrast, the word dispute has gained more presence in legal and less dramatic disagreements. To […]
Why Cybernetics
Why Cybernetics In classical binary logic, Aristotle’s principle of non-contradiction states that things cannot be ‘A’ and ‘Not A’ at the same time, and therefore, everything can be categorized into a distinct group: Either ‘A’ or ‘Not A’; and furthermore, ‘A’ into ‘B’ and ‘Not B’; and so on, creating a hierarchy chart. As an example, a […]
Managing Value Conflicts
Introduction It has been suggested that conflicts or disputes that involve strongly held values/beliefs are the most difficult to resolve. Is this always the case? Are there specific ways to address these challenging cases and increase the potential for resolution? To answer these questions, it’s essential to understand more about the nature of conflict, what values/beliefs are, […]
Design a Conflict-Wise Organization
Effective Conflict Management system There are several key areas that probing them helps better understanding of (and designing) an effective conflict management system: What does success look like in a conflict situation? How can this success be measured? and How should a conflict management system be designed to achieve success? In search of answers […]
The Viable System Model – Part 3
If cybernetics is the science of control, management is the profession of control. Stafford Beer The design of a Viable System is not hierarchical and is not authoritative. Senior manager’s role is defined as a ‘Service Provider’ rather than a point of authority; and there is a very good reason for that: Laws of Variety. It […]