Demonstrating Mediation (Ob’S Forgotten Topic) Through the Use of Role Playing

Abstract

Mediation is rapidly catching on in the United States as a technique for dispute resolution.However, the typical organizational behavior course includes, at most, only a brief introduction to the topic. This article provides a role-playing exercise that can be used to demonstrate mediation and supplement assigned reading on the subject. The situation presented involves a dispute between coworkers that has become violent. The students and/or professor play the roles of mediator and disputants in an attempt to resolve the conflict.