Peter's Research Proposal

Peter’s Research Proposal

Research Topic: A examination of those factors involved in the decision process to choose the transformational model in attempting to resolve a given conflict in light of the various methods that may be employed by mediators.

Annotated Bibliography :

Cloke, K., & Goldsmith, J. (2005). Resolving conflicts at work: Eight strategies for
everyone on the job (Rev. ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

This is a foundational work concerning conflict resolution in the workplace. There are transformational elements in the analysis as it examines the perspective of problems and disputes becoming opportunities for understanding and growth. These are hallmark attitudes of the transformational mediator and this piece gives insight into this approach within the work environment.

Dispute Mediation Service, Inc. and Eastfield College Continuing Education.
(2002, July). Basic mediation training handbook. Dallas, TX.

This text is a good overview of the goals and techniques in mediation, including a general view of the transformational approach and its perceived place within the field. This material provides a discussion of mediation and all of its traditional models including an emphasis on the traditional problem solving model.

Foss, S. K., & Griffin, C. L. (1995). Beyond persuasion: A proposal for an invitational
rhetoric. Communication Monographs, 62, 2-18.

This is a watershed piece advocating the elimination of traditional patriarchal perspectives as a means of moving past traditional rhetorical persuasion perspectives. The concept of “invitational rhetoric” is introduced calling on traditional feminist principles of equality, immanent value, and self-determination. With “understanding” as the goal of both invitational rhetoric and transformational mediation, this article informs the practice from a scholarly perspective.

Herrman, M. (Ed.). (2005). The Blackwell handbook of mediation: Bridging theory, research, and practice. Ames, IA: Blackwell.
This is a comprehensive reference for practitioners in the field of conflict resolution. It provides practical information in a changing and dynamic arena. It is reflective of current thinking in the areas of face work, empowerment, and the many techniques that comprise traditional mediation and the overarching theories of transformational mediation..

Mareschal, P. M. (2003). Solving problems and transforming relationships: The bifocal
approach to mediation. American Review of Public Administration, 33, 423-448.

This study is beneficial in that it is centered on interviews with 15 mediators in the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The mediators were asked to describe their experiences within the practice while focusing on three basic models; immediate problem solving, transformative, and bifocal. It concludes in part that a combined approach, including transformational aspects, is to be recommended.

McMillan, G. (2002). Keeping the conversation going: Jane Addams' rhetorical
strategies in "A Modern Lear.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 32, 61-75.

This article was interesting in several ways. It provides a historical perspective regarding mediation in looking at the Pullman Strike of 1894. It also chronicles the efforts and perspectives of a prominent female mediator in Chicago in the 19th Century in using some techniques that are now associated with the transformational model.

The Conflict Resolution Center. (2005, October). Civil mediation training manual.
Grand Forks, ND.

This text is the training manual used by those who train transformational mediators. It provides insight into the roll and philosophy used in the field as well as helping to distinguish transformational mediation as a unique communication tool in the field of conflict resolution.

RQ1: How do mediators choose their techniques for mediation; specifically, what factors are considered in deciding whether to employ transformational mediation as a communication path in conflict resolution?

RQ2: What is the role of the transformational mediator within the field of mediation?

RQ3: What aspects of the mediation process might drive the transformational mediator to abandon the pure concept and modify the transformation model?

Proposed Site: The Conflict Resolution Center at Grand Forks, ND; various offices of practicing mediators in the region; and seminars. As a certified mediator I have access to various gatherings of practitioners and to those who would look forward to the opportunity to discuss the factors considered in their analysis of methods selection.

Methods: interviews with transformational mediation trainers & practicing mediators, I may include a review of transformational training materials if time permits.

Summary: Every mediator is faced with a constellation of choices to apply in his or her efforts to resolve the conflict presented and must do so in a limited amount of time. Through interviewing, I should access those considerations of the practitioners that have become reliable over time and that direct the mediator to his or her choice of the communication path and tools selected to attempt to resolve the conflict. This might be contrasted or supported by interviews with those trainers who are immersed in the transformational model. The text materials should provide a technical backdrop against which to conduct these interviews, providing a framework for the transformational model.