An ounce of mediation is worth a pound of arbitration and a ton of litigation- Joseph Grynbaum
THE VICHARSHALA: The event came into play with the introduction of the legacy that ISTD holds as an initiative towards change. This chapter of vicharshala saw not only one but two highly enthusiastic and learned chief guests, Dr. Monika Aggarwal who has numerous research papers in national and international journals of repute along with three books to her name. Currently, she is imparting training at various locations on behalf of NCFE and SEBI and also acts as a trainer for various organizations in the field of HR and Dr. Deepak Jindal who is an advocate practicing since 2002 in the Supreme Court of India and High Court of Punjab and Haryana and also an added member, senate and guest faculty, Department of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Apart from that, he is also a governing council member of ICADR and an accredited mediator and master trainer of mediators.
The discussion revolved around the topic ‘Mediation as a conflict resolution strategy at workplace’ starting with how mediation as a process, has the power to remove many differences including cultural differences, personality differences, differences of opinion, and situational differences.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1) Stages of mediation
Opening phase –> Joint sessions –> Individual sessions –> Agreement
2) Components of mediation
Impartiality –> Confidentiality –> Voluntary –> Self determination
3) Communication in mediation
a) Listen- what did the person say verbally and non-verbally?
b) Think- what could this information mean?
c) Feel- what does this information mean in the context of the other person?
d) Plan- What will I say or do next, based on my understanding of this information?
4) Where does mediation come into play
a) High employee turnover
b) Tensions
c) Dissatisfactions
d) Personal vs organizational goals
e) Climate of distrust
f) Conflict as a cost
5) Why mediation
a) Release of tension
b) Analytical thinking
c) Group cohesiveness
d) Environment of healthy competition
e) Simulation for change
The event was nothing short of a huge success and came to an end with a few note-worthy discussions among the participants. Last but not the least a pleasant token of thanks was presented by Mrs. Gurnmala Suri and* Mr. Sachin Kumar*.
