How-to Guide Mediation goes back as long as conflict. As long as there have been disputes there has been some system in place to help resolve them. Today the courts are our primary vehicle. But for many the court system is too expensive, drawn out, tedious and adversarial. For community groups with internal or external disputes, a mediator who is not an officer of the court may be a better choice.
Mediation has strong roots in civil law and in labor negotiations.
It is somewhat less developed in terms of community economic development. However many of the same principles which are applied in those fields can be carried over to community disputes. It is used in instances where two or more parties have very diverging points of view and where tensions are running high. It may be the culmination of years of unspoken frustration. It is generally applied when an impasse prevents a continued working relationship given current conditions.