Back to Conflict Management

Mediation

5 minutes 5 Questions

Mediation is a process where a neutral third party (the mediator) helps the conflicting parties to reach a mutually acceptable solution. Unlike arbitration where the arbitrator imposes a solution, in mediation, the mediator facilitates a dialogue but does not dictate the settlement terms. The end gā€¦

Test mode:
Start practice test
CAPM - Mediation Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Mediation

Question 1

You are a project manager and there is a dispute between two of your team members regarding their roles and responsibilities. You decide to appoint a separate, impartial third party to facilitate the conversation and guide them to a fair resolution. What form of mediation is this?

Correct Answer: Facilitative Mediation

Facilitative Mediation is the correct answer because it involves a neutral third party who facilitates the discussion without directing the parties toward a specific solution but helps them understand each other's positions. Evaluative Mediation is not the correct answer because in this approach, the mediator tends to offer their own evaluation of the issues and proposes a settlement, which is not the case here as the third party is only facilitating the conversation. Instructive Mediation does not exist and thus is not a relevant option. Enforced Mediation is also wrong, because in this scenario the third party is not enforcing a resolution but rather guiding the team members to a fair resolution.

Question 2

Two stakeholders can't come to an agreement about a specific element of the project. As the project manager, you opt to involve a neutral third party to analyze the situation from an independent standpoint and provide a resolution. What style of mediation is this approach take under?

Correct Answer: Evaluative Mediation

The best answer for this question is 'Evaluative Mediation'. Here's why. This approach to conflict resolution involves hiring an independent party who assesses the claims of all parties involved and offers a suggested resolution. Evaluative mediation is different from the other styles in that the mediator is more hands-on and typically offers their own advice or options based on their evaluation of the problem. This closely matches the scenario mentioned in the question. The other options, 'Facilitative Mediation', 'Transformative Mediation', and 'Indicative Mediation' are not the correct answers because they are different styles of conflict resolution. Facilitative Mediation focuses more on guiding the parties to come to an agreement on their own, while Transformative Mediation seeks to transform the relationship between parties, and Indicative Mediation is not a recognized style of conflict resolution within project management.

Question 3

In your project, there is a technical disagreement between two senior software engineers. Instead of providing a solution, you appoint a neutral expert who gives them specific recommendations after evaluating their code. Which kind of mediation method was used in this situation?

Correct Answer: Evaluative mediation

In this project scenario, the best mediation method used is 'Evaluative mediation'. This method involves a neutral expert or third-party who evaluates the parties' views, issues or positions. The fact that a neutral expert was appointed to give specific recommendations after evaluating the code between the two software engineers indicates that this is 'Evaluative Mediation'. 'Facilitative mediation' is erroneous because in this method the mediator simply facilitates the conversation without offering solutions or recommendations. 'Transformative Mediation' is also incorrect because transformation mediators focus on empowering the parties to resolve the conflict themselves. The last incorrect answer is 'Neutral mediation', as all mediations should be neutral by nature; this is more a characteristic of a mediator than a type of mediation.

More Mediation questions
20 questions (total)
Start 20 question test