| Conflicts are inevitable when diverse populations of students, administrators, and staff function in close proximity in the community college setting. Effective methods of resolving conflicts focus on supporting both sides in a dispute while creating an environment within which the participating stakeholders benefit from their interactions. Common methods utilized in community college settings rarely achieve desired results. There is a growing need for campuses nationwide to shift from traditional methods that focus on the authority of central decision-makers to mediation-based approaches shaped by the underlying message of collaboration. Although, some community colleges have implemented these types of collaborative processes to resolve conflicts, not all conflict resolution approaches have been met with enthusiasm from participants. This qualitative study was designed to solicit opinions on conflict resolution practices from the three main stakeholder groups in community college settings: students, faculty, and administrators. Because stakeholder perspectives can impact commitment to mediation, the researcher focused on variations in stakeholder perspectives that impacted the success or failure of mediation approaches in the community college setting. This case study design included data collected from questionnaires, interviews, and information collected on best practice approaches from a national arbitration organization. The outcomes of this study inform best practice approaches for mediation in the community college setting by addressing gaps in existing research about the different stakeholder opinions impacting commitment to collaboration. |
