Overview

The Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution & Public Collaboration (MODR) is a free-standing institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston established by statute (G. L. Ch. 75, Section 46), formerly a state agency within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

Mission

MODR builds capacity for conflict resolution and prevention and facilitates collaboration and consensus-building within public entities and across sectors state-wide. MODR works with government agencies, courts, businesses, non-profits and citizen groups to address complex issues related to economic development, environmental resource management, land use, agriculture, transportation, housing, health care and other important community objectives. MODR's work results in cost savings for the state and its citizens through reduced litigation and settlement expenses and enhanced capacity for effective problem-solving and civic engagement on major public initiatives in the Commonwealth.

Partnerships

MODR works in partnership with an affiliated network of nationally-recognized practitioners, university-based public dispute resolution programs and state offices of dispute resolution throughout the country. At the University of Massachusetts Boston, MODR collaborates with academic investigators, centers and institutes including the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, the College of Public and Community Service, the Urban Harbors Institute, the Center for Social Policy, the Venture Development Center and the Graduate Programs in Dispute Resolution. These connections provide the Commonwealth with access to proven and innovative methods of facilitating conflict resolution, collaboration, and civic engagement.

Services

MODR provides services that support conflict management and collaborative governance including conflict assessment, consensus building/collaborative problem-solving, deliberative dialogue, dispute systems design, evaluation, facilitation, joint fact-finding, mediation, public participation, regulatory negotiation, training, and workplace climate assessment. Services are provided through highly-experienced conflict resolution and collaboration practitioners who are MODR staff and affiliates.

Affiliate Practitioners

MODR maintains a panel of over 40 affiliated practitioners who are qualified to provide conflict resolution and collaboration services. These practitioners work with MODR on a contract basis. MODR affiliate practitioners have knowledge, skills and competencies working within legal and regulatory frameworks at all levels of government and in addressing issues at the community level. Many of them have nationally-recognized practices. MODR has established standards that guide the selection, assignment and conduct of mediators, facilitators, trainers and systems design consultants. MODR pioneered the development of a comprehensive, performance-based evaluation process using rigorous qualification standards for mediators. In addition to qualifying its own affiliate practitioners, MODR administers a Request for Responses (RFR) to qualify ADR contractors and expedite procurement of dispute resolution services for Commonwealth agencies. Go to www.comm-pass.com to access the RFR. Search under solicitations for document number 7H05ADRS.

Funding

Funding for MODR comes from an annual legislative appropriation, grants and sponsored projects, and fees-for-services. Two types of fees are typically charged for MODR services: fees for MODR staff time in designing, convening and coordinating services, and fees for the work of MODR affiliate practitioners and consultants who provide services.

History

For over 20 years, MODR has been assisting public agencies and communities to use proven approaches in resolving conflicts and building agreement on contentious public issues. MODR has designed and operated successful dispute resolution programs for the state trial court and a variety of public agencies, trained hundreds of public officials in conflict management, mediated numerous divisive public disputes, and facilitated consensus building for many important public initiatives. MODR functions as in-house technical advisor to government agencies in building their own capacity to use dispute resolution and collaborative processes to further their public missions and be more responsive to citizens. MODR also acts as a state-level advocate and resource for community mediation programs in Massachusetts.

MODR began in 1985 as a pilot project within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, with funding in part from the National Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Boston Foundation. MODR was one of the first five state offices of dispute resolution established in the country. After continued growth the agency was established by law in 1990 (G.L. Ch. 7, Section 51). From 1999 to 2003, MODR led the implementation of Executive Order #416: Integrating Dispute Resolution into State Government, modeled on the federal ADR Executive Order. In July 2005, the office’s functions and personnel were transferred to the University of Massachusetts Boston (G. L. Ch. 75, Section 46), a land-grant university with an urban mission and public service focus. This new institutional base enables MODR to partner with the outstanding environmental, public policy and dispute resolution programs within the University of Massachusetts system, expands the research and educational resources for students and faculty, and enhances outreach services to local communities. Recently, MODR became a Kettering Foundation public policy institute for the purpose of partnering with community and civic organizations in framing pressing public issues for public deliberation, convening deliberative dialogues, and training dialogue moderators.

Staff

MODR staff are experienced professionals who serve as mediators, facilitators, trainers, dialogue moderators, dispute systems designers, program coordinators, and project managers. The breadth of expertise and experience embodied in MODR’s professional staff assures that recipients of dispute resolution and collaboration services receive the highest quality service. All of MODR staff have undergone extensive training and/or earned advanced degrees in conflict resolution, process science or public policy. MODR’s Executive Director and Deputy Director are both lawyers who have dedicated their professional careers to public sector dispute resolution and collaborative governance.