Case I: Use of Mind maps for Win- Win conflict resolution in a family dispute

In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Zack Anchors describes how financial advisor Rob O’Dell
of Wheaton Wealth Partners of Wheaton, Illinois used an unconventional technique in an attempt
to help a client negotiate the sale of his shares of the family business to his younger brother, who
hoped to pass the business on to his children. The brothers had become embroiled in a
dispute about who was more responsible for the business’ success and how to fairly split
its assets. The conflict was spilling over to cause divisions within the extended family. “It was an
ugly business divorce with a lot of moving parts,” O’Dell told Anchors. “There were other siblings
involved who didn’t have ownership in the business, there was real estate, there were family
dynamics and some complicated business finances.” The brothers needed to better understand
one another’s perspective, O’Dell realised. To help them do so, he drew upon mind mapping, a
technique for diagramming complex information. A mind map begins with a central idea. Related
ideas or sets of information are linked to the central idea as branches. O’Dell, who had been using
mind-mapping software to help manage his firm, realised he might be able to apply it to help
resolve his client’s dispute.

In a meeting with the brothers, O’Dell created a mind map with the family business located at its
centre. Working together, the three men added branches to the map (working on a computer with
a large monitor) that included the business’ interests, assets, and liabilities. A branch about
commercial real-estate holdings, for example, extended smaller branches that listed property
taxes, valuation, and other figures. “The brothers entered the negotiation with a competitive
attitude, believing they had to fight for what they deserved,” writes Anchors. “But the process of
creating the mind map required participation and collaboration, rather than confrontation.” As the
screen filled, it became apparent that their interests overlapped. The brothers reached a
negotiated agreement that satisfied them both. O’Dell now uses mind mapping with all of his
clients. Negotiators who would like to give this novel application a try can find free mind-mapping
tools on the Internet.

http://sfhelp.org/cx/example.htm