Shiv Martin's Blog

Workplace conflict often isn’t about the issue, it’s about the principle. This article explores how values-based coaching questions and the SCARF framework help leaders and HR professionals reduce defensiveness, surface what’s really at stake, and resolve conflict more effectively.

Conflict is a normal part of high-performing workplaces. This article explains why leaders should not fear conflict, how business and corporate mediation helps teams move forward, and why 2026 is the perfect time to reset communication and strengthen relationships.

True change management is as much about navigating human behaviour as it is about rolling out systems. While it may be easy to change back and forth between technology systems, team culture is much harder to bring back once lost, and nothing threatens a team’s cohesiveness like organisational change.

The five most common patterns of AI-generated and AI-influenced complaints, and how Australian complaint handlers can respond to each fairly and efficiently.

How AI is changing mediation, conciliation and tribunal practice, and the practitioner skills that matter now. A practical guide for Australian dispute resolution practitioners.

A practical AI complaint handling policy for Australian public sector, Ombudsman, tribunal and regulatory teams, covering AI disclosure, verification, procedural fairness and staff use.

Professionals working in complaints handling, dispute resolution, HR and regulatory environments frequently encounter difficult, emotional and challenging behaviour. This article explores why labels can sometimes hinder resolution, how grievance and fear influence decision-making, and why curiosity, clear boundaries and procedural fairness remain essential de-escalation skills.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way people engage with complaints, investigations and dispute resolution processes. One party may arrive with a polished AI-generated submission while the other relies on their own words and limited resources. This article explores what procedural fairness requires in an AI-enabled environment and provides practical guidance for complaints handlers, conciliators, tribunal members and Ombudsman staff.

Compassion fatigue is increasingly affecting mediators, conciliators, complaints officers and dispute resolution professionals working in high-conflict and emotionally demanding environments. Drawing on research and lived experience, this article explores burnout, secondary traumatic stress, reflective practice and the organisational conditions that help dispute resolution teams remain sustainable, ethical and effective.

Workplace conflict is rarely solved by a single process. This article explains how HR professionals and leaders can choose between mediation, investigation, legal advice and coaching to achieve safer, more effective outcomes.

Stakeholder mapping is often treated as an administrative task, but it is really a strategic people skill. This article explores how thoughtful stakeholder mapping helps organisations improve communication, reduce avoidable conflict, and engage more effectively with the people who shape their work.

Backlogs in complaints and dispute resolution systems are often treated as a throughput problem, but they reveal deeper issues in system design, triage, leadership and culture. Drawing on cross-jurisdictional experience, this article explores practical strategies to improve timeliness, protect staff wellbeing and strengthen sustainable dispute resolution practice.