The ADR Handbook: Principles and Practice of Alternative Dispute Resolution for Everyday Life

The gradual prominence of alternative dispute resolution is a result of the increasing dissatisfaction with the adversarial arbitration process, the negative dispute management in court litigation and later in arbitration which sees dispute only in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and in which disputants are either ‘winners’ or ‘losers. Another reason is the mounting costs of arbitration. All these go to enhance the status of alternative dispute resolution as a better option for resolving various kinds of disputes. This book discusses the principles and practice of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in a manner that is accessible to everyone. The goal is to increase understanding of the various mechanisms in such a way as to increase adoption across all sectors of the society instead of limiting them to the world of business and other formal settings. By imbibing the practical ideas in this book, we can learn to resolve conflicts – in wide variety of contexts – instead of merely managing them. This will help to create safer workplaces and saner communities which will not only lead to increased productivity but also improve quality of life.