Too often we think of mediation as a process to financially settle disputes and prevent a full-blown jury trial. It can be so much more. An example can be found in William Bridges’ book, Managing Transitions. In one chapter he talks about a scenario that was very similar to a real-life situation in which I was involved. The mediation had little to do with money but all about people and how to get people to let go.

A hospital administrator decides to consolidate maternal and pediatric services. The reorganization makes terrific sense from the patient’s point of view—and customer service is the name of the game these days! It will also save overhead costs, and cost-cutting is just as important today. So the idea is a real winner. But right now there are two completely different organizations, two different patterns of loyalty, two different career paths, two different sets of procedures. There are even two organizational cultures— one developed from working with adults and one developed from working with children. Each of these differences is a part of the unit members’ separate identities. People in both units talk about “us” and “them.” People will have to let go of a whole world of doing and thinking to make the new arrangement work.