Improvisation and Mediation: Balancing Acts |
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| Authors: | Lakshmi Balachandra Frank Barrett Howard Bellman Colin Fisher Lawrence Susskind |
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| Institution: | Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. E-mail:; Graduate School of Business and Public Policy, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. E-mail:; Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations. E-mail:; Harvard University. E-mail:; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. E-mail: |
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| Abstract: | Improvisation can be an important element of mediation practice, and there are several ways in which mediation practice correlates to improvisational performance. In this article, two mediation experts and two skilled jazz musicians explore the improvisational aspects of mediation. Two central themes emerge: (1) mediators often use improvisational techniques, and (2) by being improvisational, mediators can create environments that would encourage the parties themselves to be improvisational. We argue that practitioners can enhance their effectiveness as mediators by mastering improvisational skills. |
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