Neighborhood Care, Inc.

SCENARIO:

Neighborhood Care, Inc. is a non-profit mental health organization that provides counseling and recreational health services to mentally challenged adults and teenagers. Neighborhood Care would like to rent space in a local church, and the church is interested. Local residents oppose the idea and plan on staging a protest at the next zoning hearing, when the church will seek a permit to operate the Neighborhood Care facility. The situation is also complicated by the fact that the church is located in a neighborhood with residents of a different religious faith.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

There are two versions of this exercise:

Original by Lawrence Susskind –
Each participant receives a single sheet of paper with a summary of both sides' views. The group is asked to discuss how a mediator, contacted by one side, ought to proceed. The group is then asked to discuss how a mediator, in the mediation, should proceed. The participants are then given a copy of the actual negotiated agreement and asked to evaluate it.

 

Revised version by Bruce Patton –
This is a mediation exercise. Each side receives its views as confidential instructions. The mediator comes to the meeting at the request of the parties. The parties may be represented by individuals and/or teams. Any agreement reached can be compared with the actual signed agreement.

 

Estimated Time Requirements:

Original non-mediated Version:
Group discussion on how a mediator ought to proceed after being contacted by one side: 15-30 minutes
Group discussion on how the mediator should proceed during the mediation: 15-30 minutes
Evaluation of an actual negotiated agreement: 15-30 minutes Total: 45-90 minutes

 

Revised Mediation Version:
Reading and preparation: 10 minutes
Mediation 60-120 minutes
Debrief: 45-60 minutes
Total: 105 – 190 minutes

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

• Partisan perceptions: This case illustrates how and why groups with competing interests or concerns can view the same situation in different ways.

• Mediator issues: The difficulties facing mediators trying to gain entry into community disputes are illustrated, especially the problem of maintaining neutrality.

• Identifying success: The prospects for developing written agreements in community conflicts are presented. The difficulties of defining a "good" outcome in a community dispute are also highlighted.

• Implementation: Review of the agreement reached in the real-life case highlights the problem of implementing informed negotiated agreements.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties: Non-Mediated Version

• Memorandum on the Neighbors' and Church's Views

• The Actual Signed Agreement (names blocked out)

 

Role specific: Mediated Version

• Confidential Instructions for the

• Neighbors' Representative(s)

• Church's Representative(s)

• Mediator

• The Actual Signed Agreement (names blocked out)

 

Teacher's Package:

• All of the above

• Extensive teaching notes for mediated version debrief

 

KEYWORDS/ THEMES:

Agenda control; Authority; Commitment; Communication; Competition v. Cooperation; Compliance; Constituents; Education, as a means; Emotions; Facility siting negotiation; Implementing informed negotiated public agreements; Interest analysis; Issue control; Linkage; Mediation; Mediation, negotiating entry; Meeting design; Negotiating in communities of faith; Objective criteria; One-text procedure; Options, generating; Partisan perceptions; Public dispute mediation; Public opinion; Reality testing; Relationship; Risk perception; Value-based disputes; Yesable propositions

 

SIMILAR SIMULATIONS:

Jefferson Hazardous Waste Negotiation

Siting an Asphalt Plant in the City of Mandroa

Neighborhood Care, Inc. Attributes

Time required:	2-3 hours
Number of participants:	3
Teams involved:	No
Agent present:	Non-lawyer
Neutral third party present:	Mediator
Scoreable:	No
Teaching notes available:	Yes
Author:
Non-English version available:	Spanish