Official Review: Mediation and Conflict Resolution

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joshfee77
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Official Review: Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Post by joshfee77 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mediation and Conflict Resolution" by Allen May.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Mediation and Conflict Resolution by Allen May is a comprehensive non-fiction guide for managers to carry out the process of mediation to resolve a conflict in their workplace. Based in Texas, May is a Certified and Credentialed Mediator, with a B.A. and an M.B.A. in Leadership, both from Adams State University. The five chapters of his book detail the mediation process in a logical order, from defining mediation and its benefits, the nature of conflicts in the workplace, how mediation works, the mediation process, and sustaining the agreement reached. Within these chapters, we see such topics as how to work best with the parties involved in a conflict, the key qualities of a mediator, question-asking techniques, setting up the mediation meeting itself, and reaching an agreement satisfactory to all parties.

May's book is neatly structured and organised, its logical chapters broken into subsections which follow the mediation process step-by-step. Neatly labelled with their own headings, these subsections are generally brief and to the point, but still contain enough information for someone unfamiliar with mediation. Having worked in people management for many years, I learned many useful tips to apply to employees at my workplace. The author certainly seems knowledgeable about all aspects of the mediation process. The book has a wealth of useful information on how to run a mediation, from the transfer of information, personal temperament, confidentiality, and many other issues. It is a detailed guide for anyone unfamiliar with the process, even including information about the best physical environment for the mediation (furniture, colours, and textures) and access to food/drink and amenities, as well as addressing more serious concerns such as the safety of the parties involved if their conflict devolves into physical violence.

This is an excellent book which is let down by some poor sentence structure and many typographical and grammatical errors. It seems inconsistent at times, as the latter part is generally polished, while earlier sections contain some almost incomprehensible sentences. There are ten errors in the first 14 pages, including one in the subheading on the title page, suggesting this book needs professional editing. The English used is questionable at times, such as the use of the word "into" where only "in" would be grammatically correct (eg. "resulted into unhappiness").

Certain sentences are difficult to follow; for example: "The cost will even go high if your customers realize it." Relating to petty conflicts among employees costing time and money, this wording seems vague. It could mean: "The cost will be high if your customers realize there is a conflict between your employees" or "The cost will be high if you pass it to your customers." Another clumsy sentence that stands out is: "You may not realize that there is a reduced productivity in the occurrence of a conflict, but you will later realize that there is a reduced quality in the work that is delivered." I think this is far clearer as: "During a conflict, you may not realize productivity has reduced, but the work delivered may ultimately be of lesser quality." The latter both clarifies and shortens a badly tangled and overlong sentence.

Overall, Mediation and Conflict Resolution is a structured and detailed guide to resolving workplace conflicts, let down only by poor editing. For this reason, I give it 3 out of 4 stars. With the English errors fixed and some sentence restructuring, I feel this is a 4-star book. It is an extremely useful how-to guide, well-suited to any manager looking to resolve a conflict in their workplace.

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T_stone
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Post by T_stone »

As one who's into management of activities and people, I will find gbid book very useful in settling conflicts between workers. Although there are many errors in this book; I don't think it will debar me from reading this book, therefore, I'm adding it to my TBR shelf.
Thanks for your review
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Post by fredrick otieno »

Apart from the errors noted, i think the author has done an awesome job, this book on meditation has been well executed and i think it is appropriate to even those in a formal setting. Thanks for the good review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

It's really too bad about the editing because this is a book we need more of today. Conflict resolution, especially in the workplace, is lacking from what I've seen. It sounds like the author has some good techniques but needs to present them more clearly. Thanks for the review.
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Post by wendos »

I haven't read a book on mediation yet and starting with this one doesn't sound bad. Mediation is key in human life especially in organizations, institutions and the like. With a professional proofreading, i think the book will be fantastic.
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Post by Jimi Adewole »

I absolutely liked this review; it sounded truly fair, appraising faults judiciously whilst still encouraging people to read the book. I expect to find the book full of lessons for conflict resolution and your review gets credit for that.
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Post by joshfee77 »

T_stone wrote: 19 Oct 2018, 03:56 As one who's into management of activities and people, I will find gbid book very useful in settling conflicts between workers. Although there are many errors in this book; I don't think it will debar me from reading this book, therefore, I'm adding it to my TBR shelf.
Thanks for your review
Yeah, if you read past the errors, there is a wealth of useful information here! Thanks.
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Post by joshfee77 »

fredrick otieno wrote: 19 Oct 2018, 07:36 Apart from the errors noted, i think the author has done an awesome job, this book on meditation has been well executed and i think it is appropriate to even those in a formal setting. Thanks for the good review.
Thanks. Yes, definitely a useful guide to mediation, with plenty of worthwhile tips to resolve conflicts in the workplace.
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joshfee77
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Post by joshfee77 »

kandscreeley wrote: 19 Oct 2018, 10:12 It's really too bad about the editing because this is a book we need more of today. Conflict resolution, especially in the workplace, is lacking from what I've seen. It sounds like the author has some good techniques but needs to present them more clearly. Thanks for the review.
Absolutely. There are too many conflicts in the world in general I think! This book now just needs some "sentence resolution"... :wink: Thanks for your comments.
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joshfee77
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Post by joshfee77 »

wendos wrote: 19 Oct 2018, 23:36 I haven't read a book on mediation yet and starting with this one doesn't sound bad. Mediation is key in human life especially in organizations, institutions and the like. With a professional proofreading, i think the book will be fantastic.
I totally agree. Excellent content, average presentation. Easy to fix though. Thanks!
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Post by joshfee77 »

Jimi Adewole wrote: 22 Oct 2018, 01:26 I absolutely liked this review; it sounded truly fair, appraising faults judiciously whilst still encouraging people to read the book. I expect to find the book full of lessons for conflict resolution and your review gets credit for that.
Thank you. I did find the book extremely informative - it was just the writing and editing that lacked a bit. With a decent edit, it will be great.
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Post by sszb »

Thank you for the great review. I will read the book to learn the art to manage my conflicts effectively with the help of meditation.
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

I appreciate that this comment is a bit on the late side, but I've only just noticed the book on the shelves, which is why I've only just read your review. Mediation and conflict resolution in the workplace is an area I know a bit about, so I'm delighted to find this book on OBC. I fully intend reading it,even though it's a bit disappointing to hear that the book is poorly edited. No matter the topic, I think that a poorly written or poorly presented text undermines the writer's credibility almost before he or she gets to present their case. Thanks for the review.
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