15.667 | Spring 2001 | Graduate

Negotiation and Conflict Management

Study Materials

Several resources used throughout the course are available:

  1. Negotiation 101, and
  2. lists of questions to help students analyze, give feedback, and observe the negotiations of others.

Negotiation 101

The most essential handouts from the course have been assembled into a packet called Negotiation 101. The individual contents are available in the table below, or the packet can be viewed in its entirety:

Contents of Negotiation 101:

PAGE # TOPICS FILES
2 Negotiation Quiz

A list of situations which may or may not represent a negotiation.

(PDF)
3-6 A Butterfly’s View of 15.667Negotiations and Conflict Management

A list of general questions from the course.

(PDF)
7-8 Negotiation Styles/Strategies

Diagrams of competition, avoidance, accommodation, collaboration, and compromise.

(PDF)
9 Conflict StylesThis handout answers the question, “When to use which style?” (PDF)
10-17 Negotiation Styles, Definitions, and Team Building (PDF)
18-19 **More Terms in Negotiation:

**Bargaining Range, Reservation Point, Expanding the Pie, and Positions vs. Interests

(PDF)
20 Strategy and Style Diagram (PDF)
21-23 Ineffective Competitives, Ineffective Cooperatives, Effective Negotiators (PDF)
24-25 Bargaining Tactics for Distributive, Integrative and Mixed Motive Strategies (PDF)
26 Basic Negotiation and Mediation Tasks (PDF)
27-38 **Sources of Power in Negotiations:

**Positional Power, Rewards, Sanctions, Force, Information, Expertise, An Elegant Solution, Charisma, Commitment, Relationship, BATNA

(PDF)
39 Preparing for a Negotiation (PDF)
40 Dealing with Difficult Tactics (PDF)
41-42 **Options for Complaint-Handling
**
Includes Problem-Solving and Formal Options
(PDF)
43 Changing Behavior (PDF)
44 How Would You Know If You Are an Effective Negotiator? (PDF)

Analyzing, Giving Feedback, and Observing the Negotiations of Others (PDF)

Here are questions that may be useful analysis – and feedback – especially when writing the Separate Page assignments.

Analyzing the Negotiations of the Other Negotiator

  • Did the Other appear interested in your interests? In your possible sources of power? Did the Other appear to listen effectively? (Note examples if you like.)
  • Did the Other appear to you to know his or her own interests? If so, to what extent were they clearly presented to you?
  • Did the Other appear to have a consistent strategy? What was the style of the Other? Which sources of power did you feel the Other was using?
  • Was the Other prepared on the facts, as far as you can tell? Did the other appear to be negotiating appropriately within the implicit or explicit “rules of the game” (or the laws of the land/company policy, etc.)?
  • What tactics did the Other use (refer to the Tactics sheet in Negotiation 101)? In particular, was there any shared development of options? Of principles to decide any given point in dispute? If there were concessions were they reciprocal? Did the Other exhibit any especially effective or ineffective tactic? Would this – in your opinion – have been effective or ineffective with others than yourself?
  • Did you feel respect or disrespect from the Other? How did you feel that the Other responded to your own strategy, tactics, uses of power, successes or errors?
  • Overall – how do you feel about the process? And about the outcome? Would you trust the Other with an important negotiation of your own?

Giving Feedback to the Other Negotiator

You may want to comment on all of the points above. Or you might want to elaborate on one or a few.

Effective feedback is specific and factual. It uses examples. It is couched in “I statements” ("I thought that you…" rather than “You did this…”). It emphasizes the positive and/or the future, where at all appropriate. It is always civil and respectful - with the intention to bring the Other to one’s side rather than making the Other defensive. (In general it is not useful to speculate on the motives of the Other unless you need to for a very unusual reason such as feedback in this class.) Wry or humorous feedback often works very well where the mode of humor is self-deprecatory or at least clearly not sarcastic or offering ridicule to the Other.

As you use this worksheet, you will obviously be thinking about your own negotiating. Please in specific think about which tactics and sources of power work best for you? To which are you personally the most vulnerable?

Observing the Negotiations of Others as a Third Party

  • Did A or B’s opening statements reveal any true interests?
  • Did A or B share relevant information?
  • What sources of power did each party appear to have?
  • What sources of power did each party appear to use?
  • Did either party use commitment tactics?
  • Did either party try to exploit weaknesses of the other?
  • What bargaining style did the parties exhibit: accommodative, competitive, compromising, avoiding, collaborative, or mixed?
  • What strategy was each party using? (distributive, integrative, mixed motive)
  • What tactics of either party were especially noteworthy?
  • Did either party seek to understand and respect the interests of the other?
  • Did either party help to develop new options?
  • Did either party participate in the creation of a face-saving solution?
  • Did either party emphasize the relationship as much as the settlement?
  • Subjectively speaking, do you trust either A or B?

Course Info

Instructor
As Taught In
Spring 2001
Level
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Written Assignments
Instructor Insights