Improvisers, Consolidators and Strategists: How Organizations Adopt Conflict Management Innovations

Recent research on the adoption of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices by organizations is narrower and more fragmented than classical scholarship on conflict institutionalization. This study restores the classical... [ view full abstract ]

Recent research on the adoption of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices by organizations is narrower and more fragmented than classical scholarship on conflict institutionalization. This study restores the classical perspective by showing how ADR innovations across a range of organizations in Ireland were shaped by the interactions of their external environments and internal features. Three types of ADR innovators are distinguished: ‘improvisers’, ‘consolidators’ and ‘strategists’, each shaped by different configurations of internal and external influences. The results challenge the dominant paradigm of ADR innovation, which is strongly influenced by the distinctive and indeed highly unusual features of US corporations and their environments.

Keywords: ADR, conflict management, mediation, conflict management systems. [ view full abstract ]

Keywords: ADR, conflict management, mediation, conflict management systems.