Wilbur Hicks, Ombuds of the International Monetary Fund (and before that for Shell and Princeton) has directed our attention to the Ombuds Blog. Even a cursory review shows that this is a robust and (for me at least) hitherto overlooked resource for commercial conflict managers. Read more »
The firm of Ogletree Deakins and St. Louis University recently held an all-day Employee Dispute Resolution Symposium at the University’s very beautiful Busch Student Center. The proceedings were well-attended and it was a privilege for me to be invited to present the opening remarks.
The comments of the various speakers, many from in-house corporate programs and some from outside attorneys, suggested that the “center” has shifted over the past few years, and that comprehensive conflict management programs that seriously address employee concerns rather than gearing up for employment arbitration are very much the norm these days. Read more »
(Scene: White Horse Tavern, Hudson Street and 11th Avenue in the Village in New York City. Roger Fisher is having a beer with Alexander Hamilton, who is nursing a brandy.)
Roger Fisher: Hamilton, I’ve been thinking….
Alexander Hamilton: That does not surprise me. You are after all a Professor. Read more »
If ever there were a “poster child” for commercial dispute resolution on the basis of shared interest, it is in the ongoing relationship between franchisors and franchisees. The franchisor makes money only if the franchisee sells, and the franchisee sells only if the franchisor supports. What better example of the mutual benefits of conflict management? Read more »