Over 60 teams from
more than 20 countries are expected. See more details below and please
join us!
Listen to Part I of our Texas Conflict Radio show!
And Another One! Listen to Part #2 of Our Podcast Below!
Harvard Law School to include Brāv in Research!
“Conflict is a natural part of life, helping manage it is a natural part of what
we do.” – Harvard Law School
Current law students at Harvard Law School are working on a long-term
paper focused on Online Dispute Resolution. The premise of the research is
to trace the evolution of online dispute resolution (ODR), outline the
advantages and disadvantages of online resolution mechanisms, and try to
identify some best practices for effective online mediation. According to
one current Harvard legal scholar, “Brāv is an incredibly helpful data point,
since up until this point ODR has primarily been used for ecommerce
disputes rather than interpersonal conflicts.”
Look out for more soon!
The International Mediation Institute Partners with Brāv
The idea of using mediation to resolve conflicts in organizations, including
school and work is still foreign to many, yet in actuality it is a simple
concept with a high success rate. Specifically, disagreeing parties often feel
more empowered through mutual consensus and decision-making. One
group in particular is hoping to normalize this idea through making readily
available resources – globally: the International Mediation Institute (IMI).
IMI is a non-profit organization funded entirely by donations, that acts as a
central depot for dispute resolution resources. It serves a global base for
experienced mediators, advocates and others involved in collaborative
dispute resolution and negotiation processes. The Institute also convenes
stakeholders, promotes understanding and disseminates skills, all in a
non-service provider capacity. IMI has several great components:
(1) setting standards for mediators and mediation advocates/advisors on a
global scale.
(2) the unique mission to establish mediation as a recognized profession.
(3) holding consultative status with the UN economic and social council
(ECOSOC), and observer status with UNCITRAL.
(4) the IMI credentialing scheme sets high standards, but also makes those
standards transparent to Users by requiring IMI Certified Mediators to:
a – collect feedback from Users (disputants and their professional
representatives), on the experience they had in mediation and the
performance of a mediator;
b – appoint an independent organization or individual to summarize it into
a Feedback Digest, and include it in the IMI Certified Mediator’s Profile.
In this way, the mediator’s ongoing competency is validated by the
community they serve.
When high practice standards are developed, tested and implemented
consistently cross-border by recognized, professional experts, global
professional standards exist. IMI achieves this through the Independent
Standards Commission (ISC), a 70+ strong body of Mediators, Users,
Judiciary, Providers, Trainers, and Educators from 27 countries and
established system of the Qualifying Assessment Programs approved by
ISC.
For businesses, the widespread adoption of international credentialing
provides confidence to parties seeking help resolving conflicts and creates a
standard for every neutral to adopt. “It also means a greater ability to trust
choices of other parties (re-starting the relationship building process)
based on the known element of IMI Certification (even if the specific
individual is unknown). Making suitable choices between a number of
competent mediators is much easier.
Further, organization conflict management means a professional approach
to help parties negotiate through conflicts when bilateral efforts threaten a
sustainable outcome. Ultimately it means lower costs and less time focusing
on process aspects – leaving more opportunity to manage the conflict itself.
When organizations and companies propose mediation as part of their
ongoing business, it is viewed not as an expression of weakness but as a
strength and a genuine implementation of organizational and corporate
policy and ethos.