The Mediators

This is a study of what mediators actually do across agencies. The cases and settings suggest that mediator practice tends to follow predictable patterns in terms of roles, strategies, and relations with the disputing parties.

Based on close field observation, Kolb's study shows how labor mediators in two government agencies, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and a state agency of conciliation and arbitration, assist parties to resolve their contract disputes. One of the more surprising findings is that the state mediators tended to be "dealmakers," while Federal mediators were "orchestrators." The book also discusses meeting patterns, mediators and spokesmen, and the mistakes and errors in judgment and timing that affect the mediator's ability to aid the parties in the resolution of their disputes.