The value of professional mediation. (Human Resources).

In small-staff associations, where roles and responsibilities are more fluid than in larger organizations, internal conflicts, if not addressed, can damage an association faster than any external threat. Passively waiting out conflicts can mean losing key people, and when your staff is already few, that can be a terrible disruption. As one small-staff executive who was dealing with an internal conflict said, firing both individuals "would mean practically shutting down the place."

Bringing in a professional mediator can be an effective means of resolving internal disputes. Mediation is private, voluntary, and fast, usually resulting in durable resolutions.

Board and staff conflicts

Of course, managers should first attempt to resolve conflicts themselves using proven methods. (See "Constructive Conflict" in the August 2002 issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT.) But when your conflict resolution skills don't solve the problem, going to an outside mediator can be cost-effective and worthwhile.

Faced with the possibility of having to terminate two otherwise valuable staff members, the previously mentioned executive called on a mediator. The two staff members, whose conflict was rooted in differences in working style and personality, subsequently developed a productive working relationship. They understood that, with all other options having been exhausted, they both would lose their jobs if they could not work together.

A mediator can also be of invaluable help in board-staff conflicts. One CEO, for example, faced a new, inexperienced board that wanted to have input in all decisions--even the color of paper to be bought for the office. Rather than watching her effectiveness erode, she called on a mediator early on to help clarify respective roles and authority. The result? A one-page document with a line drawn down the middle clearly distinguishing responsibilities of staff and board.

Quality and value

In addition to neutrality, mediators bring a toolbox of techniques. They ask questions to uncover interests that underlie issues. They listen for areas of agreement. They help develop various options and nudge the parties toward a realistic agreement.

When weighing the expense of mediation, consider the cost of alternative outcomes, including litigation, knowledge loss should employees depart or be fired, rehiring costs, and so forth. The roughly $500 per day charged by an experienced mediator is usually a solid investment.

Some mediators charge by the hour, but I prefer a daily rate. You get better results if you don't keep an eye on the clock; and the process, which often concludes with a written agreement, takes at least a half day.

To find a mediator, start with the phone book. (Look under mediation or dispute resolution.) Talk to your lawyer friends, the local family court, the social work faculty at your local university, or contact your nearest office of the American Arbitration Association, New York City (www.adr.org). Ask candidates about their training, work style, and prior experience with your kind of interpersonal dispute.

Even if your organization currently has no conflicts affecting its performance, now is the time to consider how future disputes might be handled--before they erupt during a legislative session or annual meeting. Anticipating the need now keeps your association's people problems from smoldering or suddenly exploding into firings and lawsuits.

Submitted by Llona Geiger, executive director, United Faculty of Florida, Tallahassee (staff size: 7; annual operating budget: $900,000). E-mail: [e-mail].