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

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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

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.

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.

Theodore Kheel is a luminary in the world of ADR. Throughout the book, the reader gets a glimpse into the numerous and diverse mediations, arbitrations, and negotiations he has been a part of. In a couple of places, he tells us of how a U.S. president (Kennedy at one point, Johnson at another) had called him in to help with a situation. The incidents are fascinating and give the reader an idea of how important alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has become.

However, the subtitle for the books is "Proven Methods of Resolving Disputes Voluntarily." Okay, I have no doubt that the methods of arbitration, mediation, and negotiation do resolve disputes. The subtitle leads me to believe (and the title referring to the "keys") would lead me to more of a step by step approach to enhancing my skills in ADR. I really didn't see that here.

At the end of a couple of sections, Kheel gives us the Ten Commandments(for negotiators and for mediators). Although the stories in the preceding chapters help illustrate, I didn't find there was enough information given to effectively use this in my own work.

For readers looking for a self-help type of book, I would not recommend this. For readers interested in learning more about ADR and how it is shaping relations between people and organizations, then I would recommend this.

Ted Kheel has written a masterful, poignant and important book. In an increasingly litigious and contentious world, his is a voice of reason, compassion and true vision. As Karl Llewellyn observed, "Technique without compassion is a menace, and compassion without technique is a mess." Mr. Kheel gives us both, in a manner that is brilliantly accessible, thought-provoking and inspiring.

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 frequently find themselves in a role equivalent to mediator, so for the would-be facilitator 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 side, 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.