Third-party intervention is a direction in conflict resolution where the parties involved refer to a third party, i.e., a person or group, to help the parties solve the conflict. Parties who turn to third-party intervention usually do so when individual efforts alone cannot decrypt the battle.
In that regard, there are several approaches for third-party interventions.
One of the approaches to third-party interventions is mediation. Mediation can be defined as “a process in which disputants attempt to resolve their differences with the assistance of an acceptable third party.” (Deutsch et al., 2006, p. 726) Accordingly, the role of mediators is to help the parties to resolve, rather than imposing a particular decision or solution.
The help might be seen by suggesting a solution, and it is the decision of the parties to accept the answer or not. Accordingly, mediators might help find an area of mutual interest. Mediation might take different implementations, were initially being a legal solution for resolving disputes, now mediation can be implemented as an intervention to interpersonal conflicts, “playing a role at all levels of society and in virtually every significant area of social conflict.” (Deutsch, et al., 2006, p. 276)
Mediation can be seen as a form of a collaborative approach to solving conflicts. One of the characteristics of mediation is that the parties themselves reach the result of the process. Accordingly, comparing mediation with other forms of third-party interventions, it can be seen that the main difference can be seen that arbitration has win-lose solutions. In contrast, mediation has a win-win, as arbitration implies that the arbitrator’s decisions are final and favor one of the parties.
Accordingly, collaboration implies that both parties seek the same single goal, which in terms of mediation is expressed through the voluntary nature of turning to such a process. Accordingly, in mediation, the parties have control of the process, unlike arbitration which represents a competitive approach.
It should be noted that the collaborative aspect of mediation as a third party intervention is a process of negotiation, after all, with the difference that a third person presents the common ground. Additionally, the emphasis on the relation in the collaborative approach can also be seen in mediation, where mediation “recognizes that the parties “have had some sort of prior relationship that will continue long after the dispute has been resolved.” (Wilmot & Hocker, 2007, p. 276)
It can be concluded that third-party intervention is an essential aspect of conflict resolution. The desire to use mediation can be seen as a collaborative approach to resolving conflict. Additionally, other forms of third-party interventions, such as arbitration, are more formal in that the parties acknowledge the one-sided result of the decision made by the arbitrator. Additionally, mediation is taking a comprehensive implementation recently, where even personal conflicts can be solved by referring to a third party (e.g., family counseling).
References
Deutsch, M., Coleman, P. T., & Marcus, E. C. (2006). The handbook of conflict resolution : theory and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Spangle, M., & Isenhart, M. W. (2003). Negotiation : communication for diverse settings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wilmot, W. W., & Hocker, J. L. (2007). Interpersonal conflict (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.