Collaborative Edge - Summer 2007

Better Mediation Through Irreverance: Humor in Practice Done well, a little humor can really enhance a collaborative experience. Done poorly, it can drop a bomb in the room. In this article (originally prepared to support a series of seminars), Dave Ceppos, Managing Senior Mediator with the Center for Collaborative Policy and Carie Fox, President and Senior Mediator of Fox Mediation explore the ins and outs of the strategic use of humor. They review the research, provide a mediator’s humor toolbox, and discuss what makes good humor go bad.

Closing One Door as We Open a New Door In any collaborative process, people are asked to step away from “how it has been done” and move on to something new. This process of letting go of the past in order to create a different shared future can be challenging for anyone, especially those with a vested interest in historic practices that may no longer be workable. Using William Bridges’ Transitions Framework, mediator and facilitator Jodie Monaghan explores how collaborative professionals can help stakeholders face, and hopefully embrace, change.

California's Most Precious Resource In January of 2006, the Chairman of a California cabinet-level body asked staff to develop a five-year strategic plan to meet the Council's mission: coordinating and helping to improve the State's efforts to restore and preserve one of California's most precious and controversial resources. Six months later, that body adopted a strategic plan that was broadly praised and supported by affected agencies and stakeholders alike. In this article, mediator Mary Selkirk sheds light on three keys to the successful development of the California Ocean Protection Council's strategic plan: extensive up-front preparation, collaborative plan development, and broad public participation.

Book Review: Essentials of Negotiation by Lewicki, Roy J., David M. Saunders, Bruce Barry, and John W. Minton. Reviewed by Laura Kaplan, Center for Collaborative Policy. No matter how good you are at collaborative mediation and interest-based negotiation, in many complex situations, some elements are best resolved by distributive bargaining (dividing the pie, or horse-trading). This classic textbook provides a good overview of integrative (win-win) negotiation and an excellent in-depth treatment of distributive bargaining. Cross-cultural / international negotiation is also helpfully explored.

Collaboration: A Critical Emerging Trend For Emergency Management & Homeland Security How does collaboration fare in a field that has historically drawn its strength from strict chains of command, parallel silos of coordination, and rapid response –made all the more complicated by the reorganization that occurred after 9/11? In this article, mediator and facilitator Adam Sutkus shares some of the challenges and triumphs of working collaboratively with emergency management and homeland security interests in California