How "Giving" Can Create a Positive Organization Culture

Organizations thrive when employees help each other by sharing knowledge and offering mentorship without the expectation of anything in return. This atmosphere produces “higher quality work than corporate cultures that encourage competition and duplicity among employees.” This “non-attachment” or “non-expectation of reciprocity” is discussed in more detail in Al Ritter’s book “100/0 Principle: The Secret of Great Relationships.”

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The End of Court Sponsored Mediation in Los Angeles

Yesterday I mediated my last case referred by the Los Angeles Superior Court mediation program (aside from a couple of cases I am still trying to wind up as private mediations). This last case turned out to serve as a good illustration of some of the problems with the LA program. It was a case involving a high dollar amount, making me wonder why the parties chose a randomly-assigned mediator for three free hours.

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Mother-Son Dispute Over Memorabilia Auction

Federal judge in Orange County kept a temporary restraining order intact for at least two more days. The dispute is over whether the auction house working for Kobe Bryant’s mother is legally entitled to sell nearly 1,000 pieces of personal memorabilia of the NBA superstar’s youth. The judge said, “I think there’s more here than $1.5 million in memorabilia. There’s hurt feelings and I just wonder if arbitration [in private] isn’t the best way [to resolve the dispute].”

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Why Only Humans Weep

The scientific debate about the origins of our weeping goes back some time: “In the past century or so a dozen theories have been proposed for why we cry, some of them are quite imaginative.” This article outlines a few theories, from the ridiculous to the sublime.

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Conducting a Multicultural Mediation

In our multi-cultural society, disputes arise between individuals from different ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds and between businesses, both domestic and international, run by these individuals. The cultural background of the parties to a litigated dispute plays an important role in how they approach dispute resolution generally and their comfort level with the negotiating process.

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Amazon Wants Seller Lawsuit to Go to Arbitration

Seattle-based Amazon says it had good reason to withhold seller payments but does not respond to claims that it broke state law. “Seattle-based Amazon, in a 28-page document filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, asks Judge Marsha Pechman to move the case to arbitration.”

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