ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present:
VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST
FINDING THE HIGHEST COMMON DENOMINATOR:
Organizational Decision Making and Conflict Resolution
A Quaker-Inspired Approach
THOMAS ROTHSCHILD
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Quakers use a non-hierarchical decision-making process based on finding “Unity,” the place where everyone says “Yes—we all agree to this because we are all inspired for it.” It is founded on the innate worth of every participant, the value of every person’s voice. This is the “Highest Common Denominator.” Consensus, by contrast, is often the place where whatever someone disagrees with gets eliminated, until what is left is without dissent but also often without enthusiasm—what might be called the “Lowest Common Denominator.” Consensus is often faster and easier to reach than unity; but when an organization faces serious conflict, or must find a new direction, a new vision, then this Unity of inspiration and vision is vital to reforge and renew the relationships needed to become an organization united in purpose, in direction and in action. With this perspective, Tom Rothschild has developed a unique approach out of his experience over the last two decades as a lawyer, a mediator, and as a Quaker.
How then does this process support the people of an organization—profit or non-profit, religious or secular—in finding their particular Unity? The key element lies in helping people listen to one another: Listen with respect for the other, past dislike or disagreement. Listen with an open ear, an open mind, even an open heart, without being caught in the binary logic that most of us learned in school which shouts at us, “I am right, therefore you must be wrong.” Listen past the words for the other person’s truth, so our combined and common truths can bring us together at the place of the Highest Common Denominator.
Join Tom for a participatory discussion, about this approach and its applications, both for organizations and in mediation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Since the Millennium, Tom Rothschild has worked at the intersection of facilitation, mediation, and conflict resolution. He brings a unique perspective that helps organizations grow into a common unity – a community – of wholeness, purpose and direction, informed by his outlook and experience as a Quaker as well as fifty years of experience as a lawyer, first in public service in the Legal Services Program and later in private practice. He brings the vision that the way decisions are made has as much importance for forming community as the decisions themselves.
Tom is a member of the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section. He is a member of the NY State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section, as well as its Real Property and General Practice Sections. He has frequently been one of the facilitators in Commercial Mediation trainings and has offered his own trainings in conflict resolution and related areas. He is currently working on a project to provide affordable mediation for small residential landlords and tenants who face great hardships in the midst of the pandemic, with limited options and resources .
In this time of divisiveness throughout society, Tom guides organizations to move beyond labels such as "conflict" which often oversimplify and inflame situations. This creates space where they can plumb the depth and scope of all that confronts them and unity to find the way forward.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING ON ZOOM.
8:00 am – 8:30 am | Join call to network with attendees
8:30 am – 10:00 am | Presentation and Discussion
* * * A ZOOM LINK TO THE ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST WILL BE SENT TO ALL REGISTRANTS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EVENT * * *
