Trust in the Leader of Collaborative Process Design and Facilitation
SKILL SK-23 | Negotiation & Mediation
Impartiality & Neutrality
The active practice of maintaining a position trusted by all parties as unbiased - not just absence of explicit favoritism, but the visible, ongoing demonstration that the practitioner holds no vested interest in any particular outcome.
How to Develop It
1. Partiality audit
After a facilitation or mediation session, ask each party separately: did you feel I was treating all sides fairly? Document responses. If any party felt partiality, explore specifically what created that perception and revise your approach.
2. Conflict of interest mapping
Before any facilitation role, map your personal, professional, and institutional relationships with each party. Identify any that could create perceived or actual partiality. Disclose them before the process begins - not after questions arise.
3. Parity analysis
Review notes from a recent session. For each party, count the number of open questions asked, the number of times their concerns were reflected back, and the number of accountability challenges applied. Are these approximately equal? Adjust if not..
Why This Skill Matters
In SE-GRM contexts, perceived impartiality is as important as actual impartiality. If any party believes the facilitator is aligned with the other side, the process is compromised regardless of the practitioner actual position.
Observable Behaviors
+ Declares any potential conflict of interest before a process begins and seeks consent to proceed
+ Applies the same standard of engagement to all parties: tone, questions, and accountability
+ Does not offer personal opinions on the substance of the dispute
+ When asked to take a side, redirects to process: my role is to help you find an answer together
+ Monitors and manages the appearance of partiality, not only the reality
Self-Assessment
Read each Reflective Question below and honestly consider how consistently you demonstrate this in your actual fieldwork, not how you think you should behave, but how you do behave. Then assign a score from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest):
(1) Not yet developed: Rarely demonstrated in practice
(2) Emerging: Demonstrated sometimes, but inconsistently or only under favorable conditions
(3) Established: Demonstrated reliably in most situations, including moderately challenging ones
(4) Adaptive: Demonstrated reliably even in high-pressure situations, and practitioner actively helps
Common Gaps & Pitfalls
! Confusing neutrality with passivity - impartiality requires active, ongoing management
! Believing good intentions are sufficient - partiality is a perception and must be actively managed
! Not disclosing institutional affiliations that parties might reasonably interpret as alignments
Reflective Questions Score from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest):
I proactively identify and disclose any conflict of interest before accepting a facilitation role
I apply the same tone, questioning, and accountability standards to all parties
I redirect to process rather than expressing opinions on the substance of disputes
I conduct partiality audits after processes and adjust based on what parties report
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