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16 The Mediation Process ability. Mediators are advocates for a fair process and not for a particular settlement. Conflicts involve struggles between two or more people over values, or competition for status power and scarce re- sources (Coser, 1967). Mediators enter a variety of levels of con- flicts-latent, emerging, and manifest-according to their degree of organization and intensity. Latent conflicts are characterized by underlying tensions that have not fully developed and have not escalated into a highly polarized conflict. Often, one or more parties may not even be aware that a conflict or the potential for one even exists (Curie, 1971). Changes in personal relation- ships in which one party is not aware of how serious a breach has occurred, future staff cutbacks, unannounced plans for the siting of a potentially controversial facility such as a mine or waste disposal site, or potential unpopular changes in public policy are examples of latent conflicts. Mediators (or facilitators) working with people involved in the resolution of latent disputes help participants to identify people who will be affected by a change or those who may be concerned about the future problem, assist them in developing a mutual education process about the issues and interests in- volved, and work with participants to design and possibly im- plement aproblem-solving process. Emerging conflicts are disputes in which the parties are identified, they acknowledge that there is a dispute, and most issues are clear, but no workable negotiation or problem-solving process has developed. Emerging conflicts have a potential for escalation if a resolution procedure is not implemented. Many disputes between co-workers, businesses, and governments illus- trate this type of conflict. Both parties recognize that there is a dispute, and there may have been a harsh verbal exchange, but neither knows how to handle the problem. In this case the me- diator helps establish the negotiation process and helps the par- ties begin to communicate and bargain. Manifest conflicts are those in which parties are engaged in an ongoing dispute, may have started to negotiate, and may have reached an impasse. Mediator involvement in manifest conflicts often involves changing the negotiation procedure or