MEDIATION AND CULTURE: Cross-Culture Considerations

ow different cultural backgrounds can affect the way people negotiate and resolve disputes.

“Mediation is a tool that helps to ‘bridge the gap’ between differences, and this requires knowing and respecting the culture of people that you meet.” by Alessandra Sgubini

Introduction by Alessandra Sgubini and Rachel Simon

During the transition from an Italian Attorney to an American Mediator, I have had to overcome the onerous challenges of starting a mediation firm within a different culture and legal system. One of the most significant challenges for businesses operation in an international arena is that of culture and communication. The single most important thing learned throughout my experience is that in order to build a communication “bridge” one must understand and respect the culture and communication styles of the other party.

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