Mediation – conflict resolution

Acquiring or selling an enterprise is a major decision. Mediation can be used in a conflict preventive manner while negotiations are ongoing.

Acquiring or selling an enterprise is a major decision – for both the purchaser and the seller. It is our experience that if thorough preparations are not made, conflicts with related parties, management, employees, family and other parties may arise.

Many considerations are required.

The purchaser assesses the risk exposure: will the investment in fact yield the return expected? What are the exposure to the family? Will there be a market in the future? Will it be possible to maintain the current standard of living?

The seller considers if the right time has come to sell the work of a lifetime? What is the right price? Who is the right purchaser? How to invest the proceeds? ....

These processes involve many aspects and such speculations are natural for both the purchaser and the seller to have.

Making preparations is very important and it may be difficult to foresee all implications.

Feelings, anxieties and expectations take up a lot of room in the family’s and the employees’ daily life during the process.

Mediation can be used in a preventive manner – to avoid conflicts.

By the means of mediation it can be assured that latent disagreements and conflicts are avoided. Furthermore mediation can focus energy in the sales process.

Mediation can be used to clarify expectations and worries and to take preventive actions against future conflicts.

Mediation is a staged process in which the mediator via dialog between the parts clarify the individuals’ interests and needs. The relations between the parties are always respected.

Mediation can be applied effectively when conflicts already has arisen. In this situation mediation aims towards win/win-situations – it is the goal to assure that the implemented parties leaves the mediation stronger then they arrived.