Conflict specialists as leaders: Revisiting the role of the conflict specialist from a leadership perspective

The aim of this article is to explore the cross fertilization between the emerging fields of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and leadership. The first section explores similarities in themes and characteristics of both disciplines that are influenced by the zeitgeist. The second section argues that the parallels between the disciplines challenge and call for further exploration of the conflict specialist's role. The third section offers a reading into skills emphasized in leadership scholarship not commonly stressed in ADR trainings, examining how conflict specialists can ameliorate their practice by incorporating a leadership mind-set and additional relevant skills into their work.