When business partners are on the brink of splitting up, the consequences are often significant. If the business dissolves, employees may lose their jobs. Creditors may go unpaid. The goodwill of the business can be at stake. Legal fees may mount during this time. In order to prevent dissolution or sometimes to minimize the hardship that occurs during this process, the partners may wish to mediate their partnership dispute.

Many business partnerships struggle because they fail to properly plan for the future. With a busy business, partners often focus on running the business, employment disputes, marketing and other aspects of the business. This takes away their focus from the partnership. When things are going well for the business, they may overlook planning. However, when conflict arises, the partners may not be equipped to deal with it effectively.

In order to stop disastrous results, it is important to implement conflict prevention with partners. It is important that the parties define expectations and agree on the proper way to deal with conflicts as they arise. It is often critical to employ the mediation process as early as possible when they are getting along better than after they have become adversaries.

Mediation allows the parties to sit down in a neutral setting and truly focus on their partnership. They are often able to work out difficult problems and resolve interpersonal issues. Mediators are trained at resolving conflict through expressive communication techniques. The mediator can point out the negative possibilities that are associated with not settling the dispute, such as increased legal expenses, loss of employee morale and allowing a judge to decide the fate of the business. With these guidelines, the parties are often able to center their focus on a peaceful resolution of their dispute while retaining the power to make decisions important to their business.