Conflict Resolution (2001) Dana, D., New York: McGraw-Hill

Dana, a mediation trainer of some standing, sees his book as the first treatment of self-help mediation tools for the workplace and highlights the need for workplaces to address conflict as a corporate strategic issue.  However, its best contribution is his shift of emphasis from professional mediation to self-help and empowerment - capability building as I call it.  As he says - he begs time of his fellow professional mediators to defend his heresy!

The focus is firmly on dispute resolution and as such suffers from the narrow interpersonal framing of conflict and the primarily extraverted methods that tend to accompany such an approach.  That said, it presents this approach very well and is an excellent starting place for those new to the field. It addresses both interpersonal and team conflict resolution in a practical and clear manner.

The chapters on prevention and strategic management of organisational conflict build on the interpersonal frame and add a valuable dimension to the book.  His vignettes of organisational cultures illustrating their prevailing approaches to dealing with conflict - power, rights, and interest based approaches - are timely and highly relevant in promoting more healthy ways of working with conflict in social, work and community contexts.

See also reviews on amazon.com