Case Study 1
Sue and Barbara were high school teachers. Although they were peers, Sue had worked at the school much longer than Barbara and felt she was Barbara's superior. Sue constantly tried to give Barbara directions on how she should run her classes and would not listen to Barbara's ideas to make the syllabus more interesting.
If Barbara challenged Sue's directions or made any suggestions of her own, Sue would refuse to discuss the issue, walk away and ignore Barbara for rest of the day.
Using communication skills, the mediator assisted Sue and Barbara to listen to each other and understand the other's perspective. Once this happened, both parties were then able to develop some strategies that would enable them to work together collaboratively and maximize their respective teaching skills for the benefit of the children and the school.
Case Study 2
David was a middle-level manager in the public service. His immediate superior, Suzanne, had a close working relationship with David's predecessor, Henry. Whilst Suzanne and Henry had much in common, Suzanne and David had totally different interests and lifestyles and were experiencing major difficulties working with each other.
Both described their relationship as a "personality clash".
David said that Suzanne never seemed to value his work output. He said she continually corrected his written work and refused to listen to any suggestions he made for workplace procedures or policy. Suzanne, on the other hand, said that although she found it difficult to relate to David, she valued highly his work contribution. The problem for her, she said, was that she just did not have the time in her normal working day to discuss policy or other matters with David.
Mediation helped David and Suzanne see the other's perspective as well as the need to improve their communication skills. 'Stepping into each other's shoes' for a short time allowed them to understand why they were having problems and identify some strategies that would enable them to work together more effectively in the future.
Case Study 3
Matt and Jane had an intellectually disabled 12 year old child, Tom, who required care 24/7. Because Jane was earning far more than Matt, they decided that Matt would give up his job to look after Tom on a full time basis.
As Tom was often active at night, to get some relief, the couple obtained the services of a carer four nights a week. The couple had no family living in the area.
Occasionally, situations arose where the couple needed additional care support. The problem was that, by his own admission, Matt lacked diplomacy and patience which often resulted in him being abusive to staff at the care agency when the agency was unable to meet their demands.
This situation led to a breakdown in communication with agency staff feeling threatened by Matt and reluctant to speak with him over the phone.
Mediation was carried out between the couple and management staff at the care agency. By getting both sides to listen and understand each other, the parties came to realize how their poor communication was not helpful for anyone, especially Tom.
The mediation concluded with an agreement by the parties to modify their behavior and improve their communication style when dealing with each other. They agreed to a trial period after which the couple and agency management would meet to review the situation and make any changes as necessary.
