The Keys to Conflict Resolution: Proven Methods of Resolving Disputes Voluntarily [Hardcover]

Theodore W. Kheel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 1999

What do the NFL, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., and the U.S. government have in common? All have been clients of Theodore Kheel. Here, the master mediator describes the ten commandments for negotiators and shows how applying a soft touch produces results in any situation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In The Keys to Conflict Resolution, noted mediator Theodore W. Kheel tells how he helped resolve some of the great showdowns between management and labor over the past 50 years in America. Tapped as a mediator by presidents, governors, and business leaders, Kheel is a veteran of more than 30,000 labor disputes. He was in the thick of the national railroad strikes of the 1960s, the nasty fights between New York City's longshoremen and shippers, and the contract wars involving players and owners in the National Football League.

While most books on negotiating teach you to beat an opponent, Kheel stresses the art of persuasion and the techniques of compromise. "There are times when a tough-as-nails approach will work," he writes. "But the basic aim of negotiation is to get your opponent to agree to give you what you want. You may be able to bully him into doing that. You can also be successful by being skillfully persuasive." Kheel is an expert at the three types of "alternative dispute resolutions": mediation, arbitration, and negotiation. And in separate chapters he explains his "ten commandments" and other fine points for mastering each. Kheel peppers the book with anecdotes about his efforts to settle labor disagreements throughout his long career, including those involving personalities such as comedian Carol Burnett and the late Washington newspaper publisher Philip Graham. This book is for anyone seeking advice on how to reach a deal that's best for all sides at the table. --Dan Ring

From Library Journal

With more than 60 years of experience negotiating agreements with such clients as the New York Times, Actors Equity, the U.S. government, and the AFL-CIO, master mediator Kheel provides dozens of firsthand examples in this discussion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Kheel characterizes ADR as voluntary or "do-it-together" conflict resolution, which "challenges all of us to learn to get along with each other." This is an intelligent presentation of clear principles for resolving conflict effectively, applicable to both international political situations and backyard disputes. Kheel clarifies the distinction between rights-based and interest-based disputes and discusses three principal ADR options: negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. He stresses the importance of defining the issues at the outset and assuring that if the issues are resolved, the dispute will end. Kheel predicts a bright future for ADR, citing the increasing number of organizations putting internal ADR systems in place. Recommended for larger public libraries and law and business collections.AJulie Denny, Resolutions, New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Four Walls Eight Windows (March 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568581343
• ISBN-13: 978-1568581347
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I heartily recommend this book on conflict resolution., April 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Keys to Conflict Resolution: Proven Methods of Resolving Disputes Voluntarily (Hardcover)

I recently read "The Keys to Conflict Resolution," by Theodore W. Kheel (Four Walls, Eight Windows Press, 1999) and loved it. I strongly recommend the publication to your other readers.

The author, who is nationally renowned for his skills in conflict management, shares his wisdom on the subject in the most accessible form imaginable. The book is profound yet simple. It teaches, yet it is not didactic. The invaluable insights of a gifted man are brought to life with anecdotes drawn from years of experience, and examples drawn from current events. Sitting down to read the book is as enjoyable as picking up an issue of your favorite magazine.

I especially recommend the book as a resource material for graduate and post-graduate courses dealing with conflict management-- whether it be in the field of labor relations, community relations, foreign relations, or even domestic relations. The material provides a goldmine of information, presented in a form that would be ideal for stimulating class room discussion.

J. Stanley

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't Find The Keys, March 3, 2003

By 

Andrew A. Hoover (Mumbai, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Keys to Conflict Resolution: Proven Methods of Resolving Disputes Voluntarily (Hardcover)

This book is a short, but thorough overview of the dynamics of mediation written by someone with a lifetime's experience in the field. While the book's title promises the "keys to conflict resolution" and the subtitle the "proven methods of resolving disputes voluntarily", the work delivers neither substantially. To its credit, the book provides plenty of useful advice and some wonderful inside information on many newsworthy labor conflicts of the past fifty years. Organizational development facilitators and school leaders frequently find themselves in a role equivalent to mediator, so for the would-be facilitator/leader the book is worth the short amount of time it takes to read it.

The book is light on the specific techniques of mediation, but heavy on the approaches and thinking that an effective mediator requires. According to Kheel, a mediator's role is to bring negotiators together and to help two (or more) sides find an agreeable resolution to their disagreement. To do this, a mediator helps the sides define and frame the issues, agree on procedures for resolving the issues, and then talk through their positions and interests to find reasonably common ground. An effective mediator must "enjoy the confidence of both sides", remain neutral throughout the negotiations no matter what s/he believes to be right, and avoid making recommendations for resolution. On page 82, he offers the ten commandments for mediators (on page 48, he provides an equivalent list for negotiators, who try to get the best deal for their sides, and on page 96, he offers another set of commandments to arbitrators, who decide how a dispute should be resolved). The tenth mediator's commandment reads: "Bear in mind at all times that you are the friend of contesting adversaries. Give them no reason to share you as an enemy." This, among other pieces of seasoned advice, seems worthwhile to anyone who has the task of helping multiple parties move forward on a disagreement.

Typically, negotiations have a three stage life cycle. In stage one, the parties exchange demands; in stage two, they discuss them; and in stage three, they reach accord. Resolutions are usually most effectively found against, what Kheel calls, "the crunch" (a deadline), the point after which the parties have no control over what decision will be made. Without a deadline, parties will see little risk in coming to no decision. A mediator can help negotiations by either keeping the deadline in front of the parties or helping them find one, when none seem apparent. In the everyday workings of an organization, oftentimes a "crunch" is absent. Certainly, interventions in schools might be well-served by some creative thinking around a crunch point.

Chapter five, which describes the five roles of a mediator, serves as the book's fulcrum. These roles are useful intervention approaches for any facilitator. They are: (1) The housekeeper, who keeps track of the details (2) The ringmaster, who helps define, group, and prioritize issues (Kheel offers no techniques on how to do this) (3) The educator, who helps both sides understand the other, and tries to get them to walk in each other's shoes (4) The communicator, who serves as the intermediary and conveys messages accurately and directly, and (5) The innovator, who may offer suggestions for consideration. This chapter, like the others, is filled with stories of real world disputes, which make the book an interesting, if not a fun read. While Kheel holds back on the strategies needed to become an effective mediator, he provides plenty of practical wisdom, which might be helpful for anyone looking to improve their approach to conflict.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Survey of ADR Techniques, October 25, 2001

By 

M. A. ZAIDI "Ali Zaidi" (Karachi; Pakistan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Keys to Conflict Resolution: Proven Methods of Resolving Disputes Voluntarily (Hardcover)

In The Keys to Conflict Resolution, Ted Kheel details the workings of negotiation, mediation and arbitration: the voluntary techniques of conflict resolution. In easy-to-follow language, citing examples from his own experience, he shows how the techniques can be used to produce positive results in all types of disputes. In basic, straightforward prose he lays out the Ten Commandments for mediators, arbitrators and negotiators: guidelines for generals as well as foot soldiers on the battlefield of conflict resolution - and for those of us who merely want to convince the neighbor to mow the lawn at a normal hour.