Law, social responsibility or ethics

Running Head : DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Alternative Dispute Resolution in a Public Sector

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Alternative Dispute Resolution in a Public Sector

Abstract

Due to the extreme costs and time involved with litigating employee complaints and the bitterness and resentment felt between employees and management during the process , managers at the organizational level began looking for ways to improve the process and to resolve conflicts in a more efficient , effective , and amicable way . Although it is a relatively new concept to the public institutions , the means of

br employing alternative dispute resolution processes to settle complaints has been utilized for the mediation of international conflicts throughout history . This reviews the historical background of ADR and its origins as well as provides an in-depth analysis of ADR usage by federal employees and examines its efficiency

Introduction

From ancient times to the 21st century , alternative dispute resolution processes have brought together disputing parties in search of solutions . Today , ADR is used to settle a variety of disputes in American institutions , including in the family , churches , schools , the workplace , government agencies , and the courts (Spangler , 2003 . For over a decade , the idea of settling employee-related complaints by means of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR ) processes has been embrace by management in United States (U .S ) public sector organizations (Bland 2002

Simply defined , ADR is a means of solving employee-initiated complaints using a myriad of alternative methods other than courtroom trials or litigation (Spangler , 2003 . Processes may include an open door policy third party investigations...