The Spectrum of Alternative Dispute Resolution

I heard Elaine Enns and Ched Myers speak about peacemaking a few years ago and it sparked my thinking about how to view a whole spectrum of responses in working with conflict. The diagram below assumes that one party wants to move toward direct negotiation with the other party in the dispute. Unequal power, levels of cooperation and the presence of a third party all have an influence on the method chosen. Increased trust, communication and decreased violence all helps move clock-wise toward the upper right hand corner, negotiation.