WNI offers mediation and facilitation services in a wide variety of sectors. In business, governmental, community, family, and non-profit sectors.
We work with individuals or groups to mediate a dispute or series of conflicts.
Our clients have experienced that the best and most impactful solutions are the ones obtained by the parties themselves. The parties generally know the business issues and priorities, personalities and obstacles to a successful resolution, as well as their own needs, better than any mediator.
Our mediators do not impose their views or make decisions for the parties. Rather, our mediators assist the parties in creating options that meet the needs and desires of both sides. When appropriate, the mediator is not averse to being proactive and offering a generous dose of reality. Particularly is this important when the process may have stalled due to unrealistic expectations of attorney or client, a failure to focus on needs rather than demands, or when one or more parties need to be reminded of the potential consequences of their failure to reach an agreement.
WNI’s forte is work-related mediations, and because of our preferred facilitative mediating style, we can take on assignments in other areas as well such as: family and kids, inheritance, interpersonal conflicts in the neighborhood, and commercial mediation.
We also offer teams or communities our facilitation knowledge and skills to create structured processes to reach their desired goals. Many teams get out of direction because they only focus on the substance of their work and are unaware or forget the crucial part of creating a structured safe and creative process. Perhaps your team needs help reach agreements on the strategy for implementing a new product or service. WNI help facilitate the process so you, who know the issues, needs, priorities, obstacles, and personalities, best can focus on the substance. Or maybe you need help to bring stakeholders together to work collaboratively to address a challenging issue of public concern. Is it the traffic patterns in a growing town center, should the high schools emerge or whether and where the new public pool should be built?
WNI can help!
Explaining the concept of mediation – to explaining the concept of mediation to the uninitiated we find it may be more useful to consider some of the key features of mediation.
Mediator
Is the neutral third party. The main objective is to help those involved sort out their issues and arrive at a consensus. The issues may range from finalising an agreement, resolving a dispute, developing effective communication to building or improving relationships.
Control
Parties have full control over the outcome. The mediator cannot impose a solution on the parties without both of their consent. This also provides the parties with more certainty over the dispute process because it is not left to a third party’s judgment.
Flexibility
Parties are free to propose and explore any variety of possible resolutions, not limited to simply seeking monetary compensation, including emotional or personal grievances. This tends to encourage parties to discuss issues having a significant impact on the dispute.
Confidentiality
A confidential process where what was discussed or agreed in private is not disclosed to others without the consent of the parties.
Lower Costs
Significantly lower than the cost of pursuing litigation. Also common for parties to share the cost of the mediator and the mediation service provider.
Option To Escalate
If the parties fail to reach an agreement, they may retain the option to escalate the dispute further to arbitration or litigation.
How can we help you?
Feel free to contact us if you need any further information about our services.