Oregon State Agency Dispute Resolution Programs and Collaborative Problem-Solving Activities
On April 2nd, 2009 the Oregon Department of Justice published a report on state agency dispute resolution programs. The report reviews the impacts, trends and activities of Oregon’s dispute resolution programs and collaborative problem-solving efforts over the last two years, including:
- Increases in calls to state unemployment insurance centers and legislation offering mediation for residential home foreclosures as examples of conflicts stemming from the current economic downturn.
- Agencies are increasingly requiring collaborative problem-solving and consensus-building skills in job descriptions for public employees.
- The wide use of stakeholder advisory committees (Over 100, standing committees.)
- A variety of metrics used by agencies to measure the effectiveness of dispute resolution programs.
- The principles and criteria agencies consider when making decisions regarding settling, litigating or mediating disputes.
- The state has twenty-one formal mediation programs.
- Tensions between the need for candid dialog and the importance of open government.
The report is available at
http://www.doj.state.or.us/adr/pdf/2008_state_agency_adr_update.pdf. Additional ADR-related information from the Oregon Department of Justice can also be found at:
http://www.doj.state.or.us/adr/index.shtml
Biography
Mike Niemeyer is the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Justice where he supports Oregon State agency dispute resolution and collaborative problem-solving activities. He was previously the Executive Director for the Oregon Dispute Resolution Commission. He has also provided ADR-related assistance to other state governments, federal agencies and the State of Israel. Before coming to Oregon he established a large community mediation program in Orange County California and was the Executive Director for the Victim-Offender Mediation Association. He has mediated hundreds of controversies from complex water disputes to workplace interpersonal matters. He has an M.A. in Negotiation and Conflict Management, MA in Theology and B.S. in Microbiology.
Mike Niemeyer
ADR Coordinator
Oregon Department of Justice
(503) 947-4570
Email Author
Website: www.doj.state.or.us/adr/index.shtml
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