1. Reflections and Emerging Themes from Seminar 3 Paul Latreille Richard Saundry

2. Innovation and mediation Innovation in conflict management in the UK centred on mediation Direct benefits – business case for mediation Broader impact – ‘mediation has the potential to lead to a major and dramatic shift in the culture of employment relations’ (BIS, 2011:13) Extent of mediation use in UK – mixed picture – Generally limited to larger, public sector organisations – WERS 2011 – mediation used in 7% of workplaces in the previous 12 months – Rhetorical volume outweighing uptake

3. Evidence Organisations claim high rates of success and satisfaction – Less evidence of sustainability of outcomes – ‘Success’ in mediation difficult to define – Positive outcomes possible even where resolutions not reached Evidence of broader impacts – Positive effect on attitudes and skills of mediators and participants – Less evidence of wider organisational effects – Success appear to be context specific and dependent on involvement of key actors Growing consensus that mediation more cost efficient than conventional procedures – Lack of robust evidence

4. Challenges and barriers Mediation – ‘just another tool in the box’ Mediation perceived by many as a formal process of last resort Managerial resistance to mediation Deficit in managerial capability and confidence Wider organisational perception of conflict as a transactional as opposed to a strategic issue Lack of authoritative evidence

5. Key questions Is there evidence of organisations developing innovative responses to workplace conflict? What is the role of mediation and ADR within such approaches? To what extent is conflict a strategic issue for organisations? What are the prospects for more integrated approaches to conflict management? What can policy-makers and organisational stakeholders do to improve workplace conflict management?