Beyond Resolution: Healing, Forgiveness, and the Future of Workplace Conflict with Prof Ken Cloke

In this episode, I was privileged to engage in a stimulating and thought-provoking podcast session with Professor Ken Cloke on Expert Views on ADR (EVA) Vid/Podcast Show. Prof Ken is a world-recognised mediator (he currently lectures in Pittsburgh), dialogue facilitator, conflict resolution systems designer, teacher, public speaker, author of numerous books and articles, and a pioneer and leader in the field of mediation and conflict resolution for the last thirty-seven (37) years. In 1983, he created the Center for Dispute Resolution in Santa Monica, CA. In 2006, he co-founded Mediators Beyond Borders (MBB), based in Washington, D.C. MBB is an organisation that mobilises mediators worldwide to support individuals, organisations, communities, and governments in building conflict-resolution literacy and capacity in underserved communities. Together, we analysed an important question: Is success in dispute resolution simply measured by settlement? Prof. Cloke distinguishes between four critical concepts in conflict resolution: settlement, resolution, reconciliation, and transformation and challenges the assumption that ending a dispute necessarily means the conflict has truly been resolved. We also raised an important concern is resolution sometimes just organisational conflict suppression? In furtherance, we examined the role of forgivenessin conflict. Is forgiveness primarily a psychological act that occurs within individuals, or can it operate at a relational or even institutional level? We further examined the conditions that allow conflict to become transformative rather than destructive, offering insights relevant to workplace disputes, mediation practice, and broader social conflicts. Drawing from his extensive global experience, Prof. Cloke reflects on his work in deeply polarised contexts, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Israel, and Palestine, sharing lessons from high-intensity conflicts that can inform how we approach disputes in organisations and communities. Prof. Cloke also recounts moments where he witnessed forgiveness emerge organically in entrenched conflicts, and reflects on the conditions that made those extraordinary moments possible. We also discussed why acknowledgement is often essential in divided societies and how this principle applies equally to workplace conflicts, where recognition of harm and experience can open pathways to healing. Finally, Prof Cloke shared what has surprised him most about human beings in conflicand the remarkable capacity people have for healing, transformation, and reconciliation. This episode offers insights for mediators, lawyers, organisational leaders, HR, academics, and anyone interested in the human dynamics of conflict and peacebuilding. #Business #Resolution #World

You can listen to Beyond Resolution: Healing, Forgiveness, and the Future of Workplace Conflict with Prof Ken Cloke online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Beyond Resolution: Healing, Forgiveness, and the Future of Workplace Conflict with Prof Ken Cloke is an episode from Expert Views On ADR (EVA) Show by Dr Chinwe Egbunike-Umegbolu.

This episode is 00:38:40 long.

This episode was published on Mar 16, 2026.

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