The theory underpinning our approach to the retreat is that you cannot separate the people from the problem (Fisher and Ury in ‘Getting to Yes) or the problem from the people (Baruch Bush and Folger in ‘The Promise of Mediation’).
The people and the problem are so entwined that any division devalues both. Humans are defined by their interactions and are more than the sum of the parts.
The retreat is built on the creative power of human interaction rather than mediation as a purely transactional ‘art of the deal’ process. It is humanising the mediation process.
For an in-depth analysis see our 2012 (updated) paper:
‘Shifting the Focus from Mediating the Problem to Mediating the Moment – Moving Beyond ‘Getting to Yes’ and ‘The Promise of Mediation’ see this link: Beyond Getting to Yes and Transformative Mediation
