Becoming the change we wish to see: The unexpected benefits of conflict resolution work

Abstract

Mediators, ombuds, and other peace workers generally see their work as a calling. They pursue this work because of a desire to help others while promoting healing and reconciliation. While their work helps clients, it frequently results in deeply personal transformations, changing the ways in which they relate to and communicate with their family, colleagues, and community members. After hearing anecdotal reports of these transformations, I designed this study to learn more about how the work of conflict resolution affects its practitioners. Data for this study come from interviews and surveys of peace workers in various settings.

On being nice and effective: Work‐related emotional intelligence and its role in conflict resolution and interpersonal problem‐solving

“…The parties to a conflict can become upset, defensive, and angry, for example, and they can become vengeful under such circumstances (Ogilvie & Carsky, 2002). Hence, issues of conflict, as well as the proceedings designed to deal with them, often involve the heart as well as the head (Jones & Bodtker, 2001;Raines, 2018).…”

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“…Nors galime rasti įvairių autorių straipsnių ir disertacijų apie mediacijos plėtrą, galimybes bei iššūkius Lietuvoje (Giedrytė-Mačiulienė ir Venckevičienė, 2016; Kaminskienė, 2013;Langys ir Tvaronavičienė, 2016;Saudargaitė, 2015), gilesnio žvilgsnio į mediatorių požiūrį į teisminės mediacijos praktiką nėra. Netgi nagrinėjant užsienio literatūrą, tyrimų, nagrinėjančių būtent mediatorių požiūrį į mediaciją, iššūkius, su kuriais jie susiduria mediajuodami, nėra daug (Raines, 2018).…”

“…S. E. Goldberg ir M. L. Shaw (2010) savo tyrime taip pat, atskleidžia, kad vienas iš mediatorius motyvuojančių veiksnių yra socialiniai ir politiniai pasikeitimai, nes bendradarbiavimo modelis priimant sprendimą, kuris yra mediacijos pagrindas, skatina socialinius ir politinius pokyčius. S. Raines (2018) tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad konflikto sprendimo specialistus motyvuoja savo darbo prasmės jautimas, galimybė prisidėti prie pozityvių pokyčių žmonių santykiuose ir visuomenėje, jie jautė pašaukimą dirbti šį darbą.…”

Reflective practice and mediator learning: A current review

“…Acts of writing about one's practice are arguably reflective exercises, and these can be found in abundance through books, journals (like this one), and blogs by mediation practitioners. Unsurprisingly, conflict practitioners who are conscientious about their practice take the time to reflect deliberately about what they are learning, the validity of the choices they are making, and how these lessons and experiences connect to their wider contexts (see, for instance, Helenek & Downs, 2018;Malizia & Jameson, 2018;and Raines, 2018, in a recent issue of Conflict Resolution Quarterly).…”