Gary Hattal
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Abstract
As a labor mediator, I find myself frequently injected, for very short but intense durations, as an internal change agent. We mediators seldom seek to establish ourselves as part of the furniture—we much prefer to make a strong initial impact and then leave (returning if necessary)—and even less frequently do we permit ourselves to become a part of the permanent landscape. As such, our greatest asset is our ability to quickly find acceptance among the parties, offer conduits for discussion and debate, and establish pathways to achieve resolution. Further, we must achieve all of these without damaging the ongoing relationship between the factions within the organization. We are servants of the mediation process, not the two (or multiple) sides, and we firmly believe we will be able to discern only some, but certainly not all, of the facets and politics in play.
