In Justice, inAccord addresses the need for people to find a sense of
fairness and dignity when faced with inevitable life conflicts that include
miscommunications within couples, companies, or countries. Shauna Ries,
cofounder and President of Mediators Without Borders, and Susan Harter, a
renown research professor of Psychology, present the inAccord model of
Conflict Resolution and dedicate their book “to all of those in search of
justice.” In this book, the authors’ present the inAccord model of mediation
as a viable alternative for procedural fairness in the resolution of
conflict. In many cases, mediation represents an appropriate alternative to
lengthy and time-consuming litigation, which can break the banks and backs
of earnest citizens who are simply seeking fairness and justice.
The inAccord model of mediation actively engages the parties in a search for
a solution to their particular dispute. Empowerment is a major feature of
inAccord. With the help of a mediator, disputants are encouraged to find
their own personal voices in order to play an active role in resolving the
conflict at hand. A second principle of the inAccord model is transparency,
wherein all parties are encouraged to communicate from an authentic stance
based on increased self-awareness and increased appreciation for the
perspective of the other party. The inAccord mediator introduces three
Touchstone Skills of reflecting, reframing, and questioning. This prepares
the disputants to effectively negotiate with one another, by increasing
self-awareness, engendering compassion, and expanding awareness of the
perspective of the other disputant.
A novel component of the inAccord model is its emphasis on the role of
emotions that each party experiences around the conflict. Recognition of
these emotions at the outset of the mediation process is necessary in order
to achieve a lasting resolution. At the beginning of the mediation, the
disputants’ emotions are directly assessed through self-report surveys of
their own subjective evaluation of their feelings. Two classes of emotions
are identified, those viewed as empowering (e.g., optimism, hope) in
contrast to those that are disempowering (e.g., depression, despair). The
inclusion of survey instruments heightens the disputants’ awareness of each
others’ emotions and also allows for the research evaluation of the
effectiveness of the inAccord mediation process itself. For example, the
results of the first empirical study are dramatic, revealing that by the end
of the inAccord mediation, empowering emotions have increased in strength
whereas disempowering emotions decreased in st rength.
The heart of inAccord is captured in four stages, during which disputants
also complete surveys that address both their understanding and
satisfaction. In Stage 1, disputants share their respective perspectives. In
Stage 2, they develop an agenda and generate possible options. In Stage 3,
they develop joint solutions and an initial agreement. In Stage 4, they
craft the final Memorandum of Agreement. In Justice, inAccord concludes with
the Mediators without Borders economically-sustainable global network of
Centers that serve the public and teach inAccord and with a powerful
commentary on the implications for justice and peace, whether on the
personal, the organizational, or the global stage.
Author Bio
Shauna Ries, President of Mediators without Borders, is an international
educator and practitioner in the field of conflict resolution. Ries and
Harter created the inAccord Conflict Analysis model for facilitators,
mediators, and arbitrators now being utilized around the world to resolve
conflicts for couples, companies, and countries.