NCJ Number
195649
Journal
Negotiation Journal Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 29-49
Date Published
2002
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the relevant knowledge and skills necessary to insure accountability in the field of mediation.
Abstract
The author notes that as a profession evolves, certain standards of knowledge and skill also evolve to become a requirement of the people who practice the profession. This evolution is in the process of occurring in the United States in the profession of mediation. As courts, legislatures, and mediation organizations begin to demand certain standards from mediators, the profession needs to develop a clear understanding of what a mediator should know and what a mediator is expected to do in the course of their work. Thus, this article seeks to aid the profession in this endeavor by describing ways of insuring accountability in mediation practice. The authors also offer a case example of a recently completed job analysis to further illustrate where the profession is headed. The authors begin by reviewing the standards of quality assurance. They then move on to a discussion of what a job analysis means. At a basic level, a job analysis serves as a tool for describing what practitioners of any given profession should know in order to fulfill their duties responsibly. The discussion of a job analysis then turns to a case example of a recently completed job analysis in the field of mediation. In conclusion, the authors note that there are four main variables that come into play when attempting to insure accountability in a profession: (1) the tasks that are necessary to the profession, (2) the knowledge that each practitioner should command, (3) the skills necessary to complete the job, and (4) the ethics of the profession. Tables, notes, and references