Mediation And Advocacy Essay

Conflicts and disputes are one of the major aspects in society that need to be dealt with on a regular basis. When these conflicts and disputes arise in the workforce, at home, in an institute, or/and in public, there needs to be some form of resolution in order to resolve and maintain a peaceful environment. Conflicts are a part of a healthy relationship, however at times, these conflicts need to be resolved using a conflict resolution process. Although there are several processes that can be used to solve conflicts, mediation and advocacy are two of the most common conflict resolution processes that can be utilized to come to a harmonious conclusion or resolution. Even though mediation and advocacy may seem to fall under the same category, these two are individually and specifically used for certain problematic scenarios as they both uniquely utilize distinctive skills and steps.

Mediation is commonly understood as an informal process whereby a neutral third party person helps the conflicting parties try to reach a mutual settlement and does so with no power to impose a resolution. The mutual settlement between two parties is often viewed as the primary or sole value and benefit of going through a mediation process (Baruch & Folger, 2005). Mediation is also seen as a voluntary method of resolving disputes with others. A mediation session is usually a confidential meeting and a safe place to air differences where the mediator or third party person helps participants communicate information and develop resolutions to address their conflicting views (Butler, 2004). Within mediation there are four main approaches: win/lose solution, hopelessness, war, and a win/win solution. The win/lose solution occurs when only one party benefits...

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Disputes or conflicts can arise in any workplace, family home, or institution and they exist when one or more parties disagree with each other’s views and require the help, support, or service of a third party person to find a resolution. A fair and balanced conflict resolution process is important for the most effective outcome between two or more parties. Advocacy and mediation are two of many conflict resolutions that can be used in order to solve a problematic situation. However, certain situations require the skills, processes, and procedures that are exhibited by one more than the other. In some scenarios there may be a need to use both conflict resolutions if one does not proceed accordingly. Understanding the circumstance of the situation is ideal in discovering which conflict resolution would allow parties to come to a mutual agreement or resolution.