Disputes arise for all organizations. Dealing with a dispute constructively can enable the organization to achieve its ultimate objectives, save on resources, avoid financial exposure, and protect its reputation. In contrast, failing to effectively manage a dispute can negatively impact an organization and risks damaging internal and external relationships and morale.

It is beneficial for an organization to have an effective dispute resolution strategy to ensure that it consistently uses the most appropriate forms of dispute resolution. In order to add value the strategy needs to reflect the organization's mind-set, be flexible, and outcome-focused. The ultimate goal of such a strategy is to ensure that disputes are managed in a way that is in the best interests of the organization whilst also being cost- effective and protecting the organization's reputation.

Every organization is different and as a result no one dispute resolution strategy will work for every organization. With that in mind, in this guide we explain the different techniques that an organization can use to implement an effective dispute resolution strategy. As there is often less awareness of ADR processes, significant focus is placed on how to incorporate ADR into such a strategy. As all of the techniques can be used independently, organizations can pick any combination in order to create a tailor-made dispute resolution strategy which achieves their specific objectives.

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.