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Another Look at Conflict Resolution in the Federal Government

© Joan Fumia

This month's article continues the series on conflict resolution sites maintained by various branches of the government. The fact that there are enough sites to constitute a series indicates that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has achieved legitimacy within the federal government. The widespread acceptance of ADR as a mechanism for problem solving should be a pleasing development for all ADR advocates.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to foster good relationships between labor and management. Although labor negotiation was the original purpose of the agency, today its work has expanded into other areas of conflict resolution in labor and non-labor setttings. In addition to serving in their tradiitional roles as neutrals and facilitators, the FCMS mediators now offer consultation and training.

ADR/International Services, created in 1998 with the consolidation of ADR Services and International Affairs, is one of the newer ventures of the FCMS. This program involves the sharing of FCMS expertise in conflict resolution with other federal agencies, friendly foreign governments, and private sector clients. As part of the project, the FCMS assists in training and conflict resolution program design, as well as direct administration of mediation services.

The FCMS web site at http://www.fcms.gov/ is searchable and offers a few links to other government sites, although these links are not ADR-specific. The Dispute Mediation, Preventive Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution sections of the site include accounts of disputes that the FCMS helped to resolve. The selected cases illustrate the range of services provided by FCMS and the variety of clients that have benefitted from their services.

For those who may have an interest in receiving mediation training or working as a mediator, the site also includes a section on mediation and facilitation courses offered by FCMS staff members and an employment opportunities section that has online application capabilities.

If you are looking for a no-nonsense site with a lot of information about dispute resolution activity within the federal government, check out the FCMS site.