Mediation is a practice that tries to resolve conflicts in an alternative way. The main objective is to arrive at a comprehensive solution in which the parties agree. Avoiding in this way reaching a judicial instance.
Among all the contexts, there is no one more suitable for managing conflicts through mediation than sport. Unfortunately, there are dozens of conflicts in sport. Internally in clubs, in competitions, with federations, referees, co-workers, fathers and mothers, sports companies … On practically all scales.
Sport promotes values such as sacrifice, teamwork and self-improvement. The latter conditions the appearance of conflicts, since in many cases, perceptions and motivations tend to be extreme in each situation. Sport, per se, is competition.
MEDIATION IN SPORTS
Mediation in sport must be driven by motivation and creativity . The people involved have to want to be protagonists. They have to be willing to create solutions. They don’t have to bypass and delegate.
When there is a conflict, the people involved have programmed reactions, since human beings tend to manufacture responses automatically. The problem is at the root. People assume what the solution is, instead of posing a situation in which they are motivated and create other responses.
HOW TO INCITATE MEDIATION IN SPORTS
Ideally, qualified people are there and involved to create and motivate responses. To promote mediation in sport you have to follow 3 points:
Free yourself from what is not useful (for example, from the regulation)
Issues that should not come from the private should not be raised to the public. The fact that there is a protocol tends to make us think that this is the procedure to follow. However, most of the time it is quicker, cheaper, and even comforting, to mediate conflicts personally.
This does not mean that all matters should be dealt with in this personal way. There are many issues that must be dealt with through formal procedures .
Be creative
It is important to give it a different approach and with a higher optimum. It is necessary to move away from the conflict itself, to approach the issue from the totality, looking for a common point between the parties.
Find a new method to deal with conflict situations
It is about seeing what others do not see, and having the ability to generate original solutions (Mr. Juan Diego Mata Chacón).
ADVANTAGES OF USING MEDIATION FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Mediation is usually the best alternative to conflict. There are numerous advantages to doing so:
It is exemplary in values
In a lawsuit, one party wins and the other loses. When mediated, the two parties reach a mutual agreement thanks to the impartiality of a third party, making both parties win.
Relationships are maintained over time
It is more possible that the decision taken will be carried out voluntarily and collaboratively, causing this to have a positive impact on the relationship between the parties for the future.
It’s faster
It is obvious that there is a substantial saving of time if we compare it with processes, for example, judicial.
It’s cheaper
Like saving time, saving money comes hand in hand with mediation.
There is less emotional and physical exhaustion
Although in the first instance it is difficult to take the step of understanding the need and benefits of mediating, during the process the wear is much less.
Confidentiality is maintained
No one has to find out that there has been a problem, or how the negotiation of the conflict has been managed. On the other hand, if it is raised to the public, there is a greater probability that people outside the two parties that were in conflict have knowledge of it.
Remember, every day is a new opportunity to resolve any conflict situation. Take advantage of now.
