Walk Out Walk On. What a great title for a book. It could apply to many things. Yes? In this post it applies to the latest book from Margaret Wheatley, a book she co-authored with Deborah Frieze. Both women are associated with the Berkana Institute, an organization that believes “whatever is the problem, community is […]
Grandmothers and Collaborative Learning
August 22, 2011 by · 2 Comments
[Note: I originally wrote this post, and had it posted a couple of months back, as a guest blogger on Lorie Vela’s excellent Collaboration Ideas blog. Thanks Lorie. With children shortly returning to school, and parents, and others, occupied by thoughts of “good learning”, I thought it might be timely to post it again, here.] […]
10 Dispute Resolution Questions asked by a Rainbow Mediator
August 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
There are many ways to resolve disputes. Do a quick global tour of the dispute resolution landscape, and you’ll see just how many. It’s as if there is a rainbow of options. The rainbow mediator acknowledges the diverse approaches to resolution, and incorporates key elements into her/his practice. Kind of a think global, act local. […]
Reduce the gap: Integrate thinking and doing
July 12, 2011 by · 2 Comments
Sometimes the gap between people seems so big that no common ground exists, no collaborative solution possible. Sort of like the current gap between U.S. Democrat and Republican politicians, negotiating the national debt? Or maybe the gap in a project team, in which teamwork is just a notion? Or, maybe the gap between businesses, or […]
11 Reasons why Grandmothers are good Mediators
July 8, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Let’s leave our dispute resolution expertise aside for a moment. If I had to package up the skills that a mediator, or anyone tasked with facilitating negotiations, would do well to have, that package might surely remind you of a grandmother you know, or knew. Here’s why: Grandmothers are good at seeing the positive core […]
How to build dispute resolution capacity in public jurisdictions and systems
July 5, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Conflict is part of our lives, from Day 1. Disputes happen; all kinds of disputes. Public jurisdictions, and systems, should ensure that there are sufficient resources available for people and organizations to resolve disputes. They should. Few do. How to build local capacity Larry Susskind is a leading figure in the field of public dispute […]
Summer, jazz, and lessons learned
June 30, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Summer and festivals go together. I’ve been volunteering this week at Jazzfest, the Victoria International Jazz Festival. It’s the 27th annual. It’s a great festival. I’ve volunteered other years, too. It’s one way I show my appreciation for what jazz has given me. Jazzfest, the festival The Victoria Jazz Society is a professional arts organization […]
Getting ready for the future: Big Brother or Webmind?
June 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Thinking of the future offers us a choice. Will it be a dystopian one, a la 1984, George Orwell and Big Brother, or will it be one of abundance, and positive potential? It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. In his World Wide Web (WWW) trilogy (Wake , Watch , Wonder), science fiction author, par excellence, […]
