Mediation and your business

This presentation, delivered to the regional business community at the Kent 20/20 event in April 2012, will provide an overview of the Mediation Clinic project at Canterbury Christ Church University, the first of its kind to be established in a UK University.

The aims of the project will be outlined, namely to provide mediation services to the local and wider community, to enhance teaching and learning across curricula and to encourage research in the area of dispute resolution.

In the context of the business world and the perceived value which the mediation provision offered by the Mediation Clinic can have for small to medium sized businesses, a case will be made to help business managers understand that mediation can have real and tangible advantages for their organisations. Successfully resolving internal disputes through mediation can assist with internal focus of an organisation in order to improve staff harmony and wellbeing, which in turn translates into profitability. Mediation can also assist with the external focus of the organisation by preservation of business relationships and maintaining reputation. The use of mediation as a dispute resolution process can have a really beneficial and positive effect on business savings in terms of time, money and reduced disruption.