Mediation. Alain Lempereur
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Название: Mediation

Автор: Alain Lempereur

Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited

Жанр: Зарубежная деловая литература

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isbn: 9781119805359

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СКАЧАТЬ step, grasping the deep sense of words pronounced by each person … and guess who crosses the finish line first?

      Besides, if it takes some time for a case to be litigated, the time dedicated by the judge to review it is short, really too short: the parties have the feeling that “their” case is expedited in minutes, stuck between dozens of others. In front of a civil judge, the parties' arguments are so brief that deep explanations are impossible. It is true that mediation will take more time: first to understand (one another), then to listen to one another until a solution is reached. In brief, in litigation, the frustration of the waiting time for a decision adds to that of a shortened hearing. By contrast, mediation intervenes more quickly, and then, as Talleyrand says, knows how “to take one's time.”

      Other forms of external decisions (the vote, a hierarchical decision, etc.) are settled quickly – limited time for a debate before a vote or for an explanation to a hierarchical authority. But again, parties often feel they lack the time to explain themselves, as in court. The way mediators manage information exchanges will thus be perceived as a loss or gain of time, depending on the length of time it takes to renew the relationship, to dig into a problem deeply, and to brainstorm solutions.

      Thus, mediation manages time well. It consumes a little but utilizes it well.

      Cost Control

      What about the mediator's compensation? In general, informal mediators are not paid. Institutional mediators are paid by their organization and not by the parties. What about ad hoc mediators? Many practices exist, responding to different contexts. Certain associations give unpaid services to their members, like the French Mediators' and Arbitrators' Association (AMAPA), which settles conflicts between audiovisual professionals. In this case, mediators voluntarily give their time. If not, as for all services, private advisory firms or liberal professions charge a flat fee, hourly fees, or an amount that depends on the total amount that is contested in the mediation. Certain complex affairs require a lot of time, not only for preparation but also in sessions; they require experienced and specialized mediators, whose services are valuable, and therefore expensive for parties. Even in this hypothesis, if two parties agree on the name of one mediator, rather than each one appointing a lawyer – thus two professionals – the incurred fees remain lower and are split between them.

      It is up to each person to appreciate the value of the service rendered by paid or unpaid mediators (see Chapter 4). It would be dogmatic to consider that a mediation solution should necessarily be free. The more individuals, companies, and organizations are accustomed to work with lawyers whom they pay well and from whom they demand a lot, the higher‐quality services they will expect from mediators. Inevitably, a mediation market is put in place, and the law of supply and demand will apply. Reputable and experienced mediators will naturally be more costly. It is important to follow the evolution of the mediation costs, because the risk is that mediation will be viewed as an expensive process, like arbitration. Free mediations will persist in ad hoc mediation under the form of pro bono action and will continue to prevail in informal and institutional mediations.

      Search for a Well‐Accepted, and Thus More Sustainable, Solution

      In conflictual situations, emotions and tension between parties enable an entrenched position to emerge: mine. Here, only “my” solution can be the right one. The conflict, where one digs in one's heels, is also a way of preserving one‐sided self‐esteem: “I am a good person. The one who is at fault is the other.” On the other hand, if mediation works, the parties find sufficient time to explain their perspective to the other and to really understand one another. The self‐esteem of both parties is preserved and reinforced. Each person is considered, and more easily recognizes some legitimacy in the other's words and actions. The mediation process helps the parties to formulate acceptable solutions that were not imaginable at the beginning, but that emerge when one better understands the deep motivations of each party.

      A divorce – “$2,000 of alimony, too much!”

      This example underlines that beyond negotiators – the ex‐spouses – quasi‐negotiators, however absent from exchanges, exercise an important influence on the choices of official negotiators (Colson 2007). A party's refusal in mediation is sometimes rooted in the fact that another stakeholder, absent but decisive, is not taken into account in the solution. That is why the mediator's approach claims to be as inclusive as possible. To assure a durable agreement, it is important to map out all the relevant protagonists who might be impacted by the consequences of the agreement, block it, or, on the contrary, encourage it.

      The following example illustrates the advantage of mediation in finding solutions that integrate the needs of all parties and in organizing the agreement's sustainability by anticipating changes in circumstances and their potential consequences for the initial agreement.

      Inheritance: To sell or not sell the house?

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