Mediation & Facilitation Books to Inspire Action

Affordable Justice, Elizabeth L. Allen and Donald D. Mohr

Affordable Justice tells you how to keep your personal and business disputes out of court, and how to avoid large legal fees. It gives you practical advice about how to use mediation to settle conflicts of all kinds. You will benefit from examples that show you how real mediations worked out. All of the information that you need is contained in brief chapters, which deal with specific subjects, so that you can easily take what you can use and leave the rest.

Getting to Peace, William Ury

William Ury, co-author of Getting to Yes, has written an even more important book, suitable for professionals and clients alike. Going beyond negotiation and mediation, Ury looks at peacemaking opportunities for individuals, organizations, communities and nations. This book is a foundation for any mediator or conflict resolution student and for lawyers, therapists, business managers and educators

The Promise of Mediation, Robert A. Baruch Bush, Joseph P. Folger

Tap the transformative potential of mediation and discover the full promise of the mediation process. In this insightful work, the authors present an alternative theoretical framework that affords a deeper understanding of conflict and mediation — one based on respect for personal strength and compassion for others.

The Change Handbook, Peggy Holman, Tom Devane

Describes change methods that are based on two powerful foundation assumptions: high involvement and a systemic approach to improvement. These methods are designed to help you initiate sustainable improvements in your organization or community.

The Mediator’s Handbook, Jennifer E. Beer with Eileen Steif

Mediation is a respected and effective alternative to courtroom litigation. The Mediator’s Handbook is an invaluable resource for people working in corporations, government agencies, community organizations, schools, or any other situation where there is a need to build bridges between diverse perspectives. The Mediator’s Handbook is a “how-to” guide walking the reader through the steps to an effective mediation. The Mediator’s Handbook can assist in conflict resolution for anyone working in corporations, government agencies, community organizations, schools, or neighbor-hoods where there is a need to build bridges and compromises between diverse perspectives and conflicting interests.

The Skilled Facilitator: Practical Wisdom for Developing Effective Groups, Roger M. Schwarz

This book is a classic work for consultants, facilitators, managers, leaders, trainers, and coaches–anyone whose role is to guide groups toward realizing their creative and problem-solving potential. Revised edition provides the essential materials for facilitators and includes simple but effective ground rules for group interaction. Filled with illustrative examples, the book contains proven techniques for starting meetings on the right foot and ending them positively and decisively. Also offers practical methods for handling emotions when they arise in a group and offers a diagnostic approach for identifying and solving problems that can undermine the group process.

Strategic Planning for New & Emerging Businesses, Fred L. Fry, Charles R. Stoner, Laurence G. Weinzimmer

This book gives owners of new and/or emerging businesses extensive knowledge of the steps of strategic planning. They learn how to assess the external environment, how to address competitive forces, how to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, and how to and develop a strategic thrust for their emerging enterprises.

The Logic of Failure – why things go wrong and what we can do to make them right, dietrich dorner

This book systematically and logically diagnoses the process of why we fail. dörner begins in the Introduction by providing snippets of computer situations and how two individuals fail to resolve problems. He then continues by presenting psychological reasons in blunt terms why they failed. He establishes the path to failure in rather stark and almost fatalistic terms. It is as if we are all doomed to fail, unless we heed the correct procedure to problem solving, which is the subject of his book.

Time to Think, Nancy Kline

The power of effective listening is recognized as the essential tool of good management. Showing that a thinking environment can have a powerful impact on the working life, this book seeks to illustrate how hostility and entrenched views can be removed and innovative ideas put into practice.

The Icarus Factor: The Rise and Fall of Edgar Bronfman Jr., Rod McQueen

In this unauthorized biography, Rod McQueen tells the gripping story of an empire’s demise.

The Art of War for Executives, Donald G. Krause

A comprehensive interpretation of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War combines the original classic’s advice on leadership, strategy, organization, competition, and cooperation with the ideas of contemporary business philosophers.

The Art of Systems Thinking: Essential Skills for Creativity and Problem Solving, Joseph O’Connor & Ian McDermott

The mysteries of systems thinking unlocked with practical suggestions, exercises, and tips.

When Giants Stumble; Classic Business Blunders and How to Avoid Them, Robert Sobel

A noted business historian presents captivating profiles of corporate blunders, with illuminating insights into the misguided motives that make promising concepts fail and industry giants crumble. Packard, E.J. Korvette, RCA, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Pabst, Schwinn. Once industry leaders, these companies all suffered devastating–and, in some cases, fatal–setbacks because of one pivotal mistake. A fascinating look at fifteen glaring and enlightening product flops and management foibles. Rather than call attention to corporate greed or foolishness, the author reveals surprisingly sound reasoning behind some of the worst moves in modern business history.

Why Smart People Do Dumb Things, Mortimer Fenberg, John J. Tarrant

Culled from business headlines and corporate files, this examination of the ultimate in boardroom breakdown describes, in entertaining anecdotes, the mega-mistakes made by highly regarded leaders in business and public life.

Learning From the Future; Competitive Foresight Scenarios, Liam Fahey & Robert M. Randall

Reveals how innovative organizations harness imagination and strategic management techniques to create scenarios that simulate future opportunities and threats. Shows how scenario learning readies companies for industry and market evolutions and customers’ new needs.

Wrongful Dismissal, Barry Fisher, Patrick Benaroche

Letting an employee go without cause is never easy. Determining the appropriate severance package that can help you avoid a costly lawsuit can be even harder. With the courts generally giving higher awards than the minimum requirements as set out in Employment Standards legislation, this database will ensure that your severance package is not only fair, but “bullet proof” as well. This popular database contains over 1,600 wrongful dismissal cases from across Canada.