Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

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The growing pattern of violence in the American
workplace has had a far greater effect on the general
working environment than is apparent from the immediate
outcome of a single senseless act. It has contributed
to what Tia and Richard Denenberg call a “debilitating
pathology” that “leaves the workforce vulnerable to
aggression and plagued by poor morale.” The solution,
they say, may be a multidisciplinary approach to dispute
resolution with mediation as its centerpiece.

Hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes are dedicated to caring
for the sick and enfeebled, but many health care
facilities suffer from a debilitating pathology of their
own—a climate of conflict that leaves the workforce vulnerable to
aggression and plagued by poor morale. One such institution is
Senior City, a nursing home in an urban setting.1 But unlike most
of the others, Senior City has chosen to confront its problems
directly, using a dispute resolution approach to dispel the negative
climate, improve safety, and enhance productivity.