What I’ve Been Reading

Dr Susan David is an emotions researcher and executive coach. This book is essential reading for anyone working with clients in conflict, and anyone who experiences emotions (yes, that’s all of us)! ‘Agility’ is about breaking free from our emotional habits so that we can make more conscious choices about how to respond when our […]

This book has just been released by a UK mediator and former solicitor. It attempts to synthesize much of the recent research about the brain, emotions and behaviour and apply it to our work as mediators. The book chapters focus on Brain, Feeling, Thinking, Intuition, Self, Barriers, Bridges, Persuasion, Prediction, Perception, Money, Power, Truth, Fairness,

This is the newest book by Brené Brown, and as usual it provides an engaging and accessible overview of research about emotions, combined with Brené’s very personal anecdotes. The book’s raison d’etre is to help us understand how our feelings, thoughts and behaviours work together, and how our emotions shape our thoughts and decisions. These

This book is essential reading for anyone who is trying to change, or who supports others to change. The book explains why change is hard, why sustaining change is even harder, and then provides some very practical strategies and scaffolding to support people to do those hard things. The authors identify three surprises about change:

Conflict, power and organizational change by Deborah A. Colwill (2022) This new book explores the relationship between conflict, power and change as they relate to the everyday life of the organizational members and leaders. It includes chapters on each topic, and a concluding chapter about the relationship between the three. Each chapter provides a useful

Power and interdependence in organizations, edited by Dean Tjosvold and Barbara Wisse (2010) If you are interested in the relationship between power, conflict and leadership, this book contains a great deal of valuable information from authors with a wide range of backgrounds. I particularly liked Chapter 16 Leadership and Conflict: Using power to manage conflict

Acting with Power: Why we are more powerful than we believe, by Deborah Gruenfeld (2020) Gruenfeld is a professor of social psychology whose research has focused on power. In this book, she provides an easily understandable and practical overview of power based on extensive research, and also relatable stories and case studies. She takes readers

Chapter 6 “Power and Conflict.” Morton Deutsch and Peter T. Coleman, eds., The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000, pp. 108-130. If you are looking for a very thorough discussion of the relationship between power and conflict, this chapter is the place to go. It provides an overview of

“A book for one? A book for two? A book for different points of view!” This is a lovely book designed to be read together by two people, with each person sitting opposite each other with the book in the middle. Each page includes an image with text at the top and bottom (so that

This book is powerful, and essential reading for anyone who works with people in conflict. It will challenge your assumptions about the benefits of taking another’s perspective, and help you identify the limitations of trying to do so. The book provides some very practical insight about where to focus your energy when you are trying