Training and conference rooms
available for hire in Melbourne
ACPACS workshops are run in intensive modes, and as a result we often have empty training rooms in between our workshop dates. This seems like a waste of space, so with this in mind, we are offering interested parties the opportunity to hire our sought after conference and training rooms located in Albert Park, Melbourne (if we are not training at the same time).
A variety of rooms are available for hire;
+ ACPACS Lecture Theatre - seats 40
(direct views of Albert Park Lake).
+ Seminar Room 1 - seats 4-6
+Seminar Room 2 - seats 4-6
+ Seminar Room 3 - seats 4-6
+ Seminar Room 4 - seats 4-6
ACPACS Board Room - Seats 12
Our modern facilities are ideal for executive workshops, small conferences, executive meetings and a variety of training and development needs.
For more information, please call ACPACS on 03 9863 2600 or email acpacs.melbourne@uq.edu.au
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ACPACS DOJ report
A timely and comprehensive research report completed by ACPACS on mediation in the Supreme and County Courts of Victoria was launched by the Victorian Attorney General Rob Hulls on 1 April 2009.
The Victorian Department of Justice commission Professor Tania Sourdin and her research team which included Nikola Balvin, Naomi Cukier, Alex Azarov, Lauren Freeman and Sandra Padova, to examine the effectiveness of mediation in the Victorian higher courts.
Criteria of effectiveness included accessibility, satisfaction, fairness, efficiency and compliance with outcomes. Research data was collected from court files, via written surveys from disputants and mediators and in focus groups with disputants, mediators and legal representatives.
The project objectives were addressed with the consultation of a highly qualified Advisory Committee which included judges from the Supreme and County Courts, representatives from legal bodies and associations and staff from the Department of Justice.
The report found that generally mediation was meeting its objectives and resulting in stable perceptions of fairness and satisfaction, while also saving costs for litigants. 19 recommendations were made for further enhancing the effectiveness of mediation in the Supreme and County Courts of Victoria.
The recommendations touched on issues such as earlier referral of some court matters to mediation, access to mediation programs in regional Victoria, ongoing data collection and evaluation, and the implementation of a Quality Framework for court-connected mediation services.
A copy of the report can be downloaded from the ACPACS website at http://www.uq.edu.au/acpacs/mediation-in-the-supreme-and-county-courts-of-vict
Try this link for the article featured in the Melbourne Age on Thursday, 2 April 2009.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/mediation-proves-quicker-and-cheaper-than-courts-20090401-9jt2.html
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Featured Workshop
Environmental Conflict Resolution
We are very lucky to have Peter Adler as a visiting trainer in August and September. Peter is President of The Keystone Center which builds applied, consensus-based policy solutions to science-intensive energy, environmental and public health-related policy problems. Adler’s specialty is multi-party problem solving. He has extensive experience with water, land use and business negotiations.Peter will be presenting a workshop on Environmental Conflict Resolution.
The workshop covers topics including: the concepts of the environment, dispute and resolution; the breadth of disputes encompassed by the term 'environmental dispute'; and, the unique characteristics that distinguish environmental disputes. Participants will learn to critically evaluate the existing adjudicative, administrative and consensual mechanisms for resolving environmental disputes; understand the compendium of dispute resolution methods covered by the expression 'alternative dispute resolution'. Focus will be on the basic principles’ impact upon the range of possible solutions to the resolution of environmental disputes, and the roles, functions and responsibilities of local government, with particular reference to the regulatory framework in which environmental dispute resolution mechanisms must operate.
For more information visit: Environmental Conflict Resolution
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Spotlight on Professor Daniel Druckman
Dan Druckman spends the first semester at ACPACS. He is also a professor in the Department of Political and International Affairs at George Mason University, where he teaches during the American Autumn semester. In addition, he has an appointment at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey where he teaches in the program on international conflict analysis and resolution. A Ph.D. from Northwestern University in social psychology with interdisciplinary work in sociology and international relations, Dan has pursued a considerable variety of topics during a prolific career: These include research on negotiations, group identity and nationalism, political stability and peacekeeping, nonverbal communication, human performance, research methodology, and simulation. His recent book, Doing Research: Methods of Inquiry for Conflict Analysis (Sage, 2005), received a best book award from the International Association for Conflict Management in 2006. That association also presented him with a lifetime achievement award in 2003 at their annual meeting in Melbourne.
In addition to having taught teaching courses on “Aggression and Cooperation†and research methods in the School of Political Science and International Studies, Dan has been working on several projects at ACPACS. One project on simulation pedagogy compares the relative learning benefits of role-play with design. The findings from experiments conducted at the UQ and in Israel are presented in a paper published in Simulation & Gaming (December 2008) with Noam Ebner. Another project on justice and the durability of peace agreements is being conducted n collaboration with Cecilia Albin of the University of Uppsala. Analyses of 15 cases show that when principles of justice (equality, proportionality, compensation, and need) are contained in agreements, violations of the terms are less likely to occur during a five-year post-agreement period. A second phase of this sponsored project examines the impact of principles of procedural justice on durability. A third project on peacekeeping, initially sponsored by the Australian government, is being conducted with Paul Diehl. A first report presented a wide variety of performance indicators linked to mission goals along with the benefits and limitations of each of the indicators. This work will appear as a book to be published by Lynn Reinner in 2010. A second report appears as an article in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of International Peacekeeping. It presents a variety of dimensions of the conflict environment that impinge on managing conflicts and transforming conflicts. The article should be of value to both peacekeepers and peace-builders.
Dan’s work on identity and collective action continues. Building on the scenario analyses reported in an ACPACS seminar (June 12, 2006), he is addressing the question of the role played by identity (vs. efficacy and motivational) variables in decisions to mobilize for action. This work will be presented at the ISA/Brazil meeting in July 2009. Experiments on turning points in negotiation, conducted with Mara Olekalns at the University of Melbourne, investigate the relationship between critical events and negotiated agreements. Of interest is the question about whether these events can be known in advance or only understood in retrospect. An article on this project appears in the January 2009 issue of Negotiation Journal. This is one of several questions being addressed in the studies conducted at the UQ and at Melbourne. Dan has also contributes to advising ACPACS doctoral students on their dissertation projects.
He serves on the boards of eight Journals and is an Associate Editor of the Negotiation Journal, Group Decision and Negotiation (GD and N), and Simulation & Gaming. With Mara Olekalns he edited a special issue of GD and N on emotions in negotiation (January, 2008). With Bill Donohue, he edits a book series on international negotiation. A half dozen books have been published to date. With Paul Diehl, he edited a five-volume set on classics and cutting-edge articles on conflict resolution (Sage, 2006). He continues his work on electronic mediation with colleagues in Germany and Austria and on dynamical models of conflict processes with colleagues in Poland and the US. And, he spends two weeks in May at the Australian National University in Canberra where he teaches a course on negotiation to students in the College of Diplomacy.
Dan worked with Nikola Balvin in the developing a new workshop in ACPACS' program called, "Advanced Skills in Managing Conflict (Emotions)" which was recently taught in Melbourne. He recently also taught "Negotiation 1" with Serge Loode in Brisbane from April 6-8, 2009.
For Dan, as for other ACPACS researchers, international experiences widen his perspective on conflict analysis and resolution. The ACPACS experience is a special opportunity to work with dedicated peace and conflict studies scholar-practitioners, to learn about Australian social science, and to foster collaborations that result in cutting-edge research. He looks forward to continuing to contribute to the vitality and sustainability of ACPACS.
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RECENT WORKSHOPS
MEDIATION IN BRISBANE
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CONFLICT COACHING IN THE DEFENCE FORCE
WITH HELEN MARKS (MELBOURNE)
On Tuesday 31 March Helen Marks was the guest speaker at the Melbourne Conflict Coaching Network meeting, hosted by ACPACS. Helen gave a very interesting talk about how conflict coaching is used in the Defence Forces, as well as how it relates to other services offered to staff, such as mediation and interactive problem-solving. She demonstrated how valuable conflict coaching is as part of a workplace conflict management program.
Helen Marks manages The Directorate of Alternative Resolutions and Equity which is responsible for the provision of advice on equity related matters and the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution processes across Defence. Conflict coaching is one of the many services provided by the Directorate. The process provides a process of ‘first choice’ for most personnel and is also a useful framework for developing ‘interactive problem solving’ skills in our Fairness and Resolution Centre staff, ADR practitioners, managers and HR professionals.
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ARTFUL APPROACHES TO MANAGING CONFLICT (BRISBANE)
On Saturday 28 March Dr Sam Hardy and Cathryn Lloyd ran a one-day
workshop on Professional Artistry for mediators and other people who
work with conflict. The workshop explored the concept of mediation andconflict management as a form of artistry: when done well it involvesmore than just application of technical skills and processes. Theworkshop also provided an opportunity for people to reflect on their
practice and to engage in creative processes (improvisation,storytelling, imagery and art) and conversations. By the end of the day a group of tired but happy participants left the workshop with a canvas that they had created using a range of materials, some new friends, and some new perspectives about their practice.
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