Theoretical basics of mediative-negotiation technologies of conflict resolution

Abstract

The actual issues of theoretical conceptualization of mediation and negotiation implementation experience in our country and abroad are discussed in the article. The authors note the controversial character both of the issue of necessary developing theoretical basis for these alternative methods of conflict and significance of theory for resolution of the problems related to their essence and specialists’ efforts integration in this sphere. They analyze the sources of disagreements on many issues in the sphere of different school mediators’ activities. They reveal the principal similarities and key differences between negotiation and mediation technologies, and their peculiarities. They also propose to use the complex notion of “mediativenegotiation technologies”. The authors reveal the essence of this notion and its understanding based on objectivity, valuelessness and mutual profitability of these technologies for conflicting parties. The article studies technological constituents uniting accomplishments of original components. These are such instruments as single informational field creation, differentiation of emotional and cognitive aspects, dividing people and problems, transition from positional bargaining to interest-based collaboration and others. The authors show advantages of integrative technologies compared with separate using of their components - negotiation between parties and negotiating with neutral mediator’s assistance. The article discovers the role of mediative-negotiation technologies and the sphere of their implementation including possibility of mediation practice wider spreading. The authors develop the concept of “builtin mediator” based on integrative technologies. They emphasize conflictology’s interdisciplinary character from which the necessity to use theoretical resources from different scopes of knowledge follows. The authors propose the number of criteria for theories’ classification based on these technologies and reveal the roles of different types of theories in mediators’ community problems resolving. The authors note the benefits of integrative mediation model as the essence of professional standard to be used in the process of specialists’ preparation in different spheres of conflict management. They provide examples of positive experience of this theoretical approach implementation and reveal its potential for mediative-negotiation technologies development and spreading.