Bob Inkster, Co-director SCSU Mediation Program, 2004 status

Summary of Mediation Statistics for 2003-2004 (July 1 to June 30)

Total interventions 20

Total mediation staff

participating in interventions 11

Parties

IFO 63

MSUAASF 7

AFSCME 5

EXCMGT 7

Student 1

Other** 2

Types of interventions: We no longer see ourselves as strictly a mediation program. We have found that a variety of types of interventions are useful depending on the circumstances of the difficulty people are experiencing. In addition to official mediations, we often facilitate meeting, serve as neutral observers in departmental processes, do extensive coaching (both in connection with mediations and independently of mediations), and occasionally serve as informal ombudspersons.

Outcomes: Defining a successful outcome is difficult and obviously subject to interpretation. In every case, there has been some measure of success. To our knowledge, there has been no litigation or arbitration award related to any case the mediation program has handled, though there have been numerous cases where parties were considering or threatening litigation. That is one measure of success. A couple of cases have been resolved quickly by the parties themselves after coaching from a mediator. That's another measure. Nine of the cases that took the form of mediations were successfully concluded with a formal resolution. Some of our cases, especially cases involving whole departments that have long-standing conflicts, are ongoing and will continue into the coming year and perhaps even beyond. One question we ask ourselves is whether the parties have achieved an increased understanding of one another's issues and needs. This may seem a fairly low bar for measuring success, but in fact it's often the most important and transformative thing that happens in a mediation. And it happens in some measure in almost all of our interventions.

**Other: Intervention in a multi-party dispute at another MnSCU campus. Intervened directly with two of the parties.