Relevance trees and mediation

Conclusion

Relevance trees attempt to capture the decisions mediators make at various times, and offer guidance as to which strategies may be particularly appropriate for particular types of disputes. The relevance tree can be useful for helping the mediator take a rigorous and systematic approach to problem solving. A relevance tree can call attention to features of a dispute that a third party—particularly an inexperienced third party—might overlook. Therefore, relevance trees have implications for mediator training.

The approach also has implications for the generation of testable research hypotheses. For example, experienced mediators should have more fully developed trees than inexperienced mediators. Researchers can also compare trees from mediators in various professions (e.g., labor mediators vs. environmental mediators) to determine whether different contingencies affect their decision-making processes or whether mediators generally attend to the same situational characteristics.

Finally, because they are dynamic models, relevance trees offer promise for theoretical developments. Current models do not explicitly incorporate aspects of the mediation process. Relevance trees offer a fresh approach that may eventually lead to a greater understanding of the dynamics of the mediation process.