NYU WAGNER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC SERVICE
PADM-GP.4101 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT & NEGOTIATION, SUMMER 2015
Mondays, June 1, 8, 15, 22 (5:30pm-8:30pm)
Instructor: Eric Max, Esq.
Professor: Eric Max
Email: em150@nyu.edu
Office hours: Before class and by appointment
Course Description:
Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more interdependent parties
who are seeking to maximize their outcomes. It is a way of getting what you want from others through
back-and-forth communication. This course provides the opportunity to develop your negotiation skills
in a series of simulations and debriefings that engage a variety of bargaining processes in the contexts of
negotiation and conflict management. Each simulation has been chosen to highlight the central
concepts that underlie negotiation and conflict management strategy. The course is designed to
address a broad spectrum of negotiation and conflict management problems that are faced by managers
and professionals in the public arena. A basic premise of this course is that while a public manager
needs analytical skills to develop optimal solutions to problems, a broad array of negotiation and conflict
management skills are needed for these solutions to be accepted and implemented. Successful
completion of this course will enable you to recognize, understand, and analyze concepts in negotiation
and conflict management.
Course Objectives:
The course is designed to assist you in:





Identifying your own strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator
Preparing for a negotiation
Determining how to act during a negotiation
Gaining confidence as a negotiator
Identifying, avoiding and managing conflict
Concepts that will be covered include:





Interests, positions, standards, BATNA and ZOPA
Distributive, cooperative and integrative bargaining
Claiming value vs. creating value
Active listening, re-framing issues, creating options
Facilitation and Mediation
1
Course Format:





Negotiation Exercises: The course is built around a series of negotiation exercises. We
will be negotiating in every class. As a result, class attendance is of paramount
importance.
Preparation for Negotiations: Your classmates expect you to be fully prepared for each
negotiation exercise. Prior to most negotiations, you will be required to submit a
planning document. Also, note that some exercises require students to prepare outside
of class as a team, either by phone, email, or in person.
Negotiation Debrief: We will debrief every negotiation in class. You are expected to
participate in these class discussions.
Learning: You are encouraged to experiment with alternative negotiation styles in this
“safe” environment. This is where you can lose a “million” dollars and in retrospect be
happy because you will learn a lesson you will never forget!
Guest Speakers: I anticipate having a number of guest speakers during the course.
Students will be expected to incorporate these discussions into their final papers.
Evaluation Criteria:
1. 50% - Class participation, pre and post negotiation analysis submissions. Students will be asked
to submit negotiation planning documents before certain negotiation role plays as well as
submit post negotiation analysis after these role plays. Students will be evaluated on the quality
and depth of the analysis found in these submissions.
2. 50%- The final paper should be no more than 1,300 words (approximately five pages, double
spaced, in the 12 point font, not including reference pages). The final paper is on a topic of your
choosing and must reflect the major concepts covered in the class. The paper is your
opportunity to show me what you have learned. You paper will be graded on the following
criteria:
*Ability to integrate concepts discussed in class and in the readings into the paper;
*Ability to apply these concepts to a negotiation, dispute or industry that interests you;
*Ability to communicate the above in an original and well-written manner.
Readings:
Available at the Professional Bookstore:
“Getting to Yes” by Fisher and Ury, Penguin Books 2011, (paperback)
“Bargaining for Advantage” by Richard Shell, Penguin Books 2006, (paperback)
2
Class Schedule
Class 1 – Monday, June 1: (5:30-8:30 p.m.)
Topics: Interests, positions, standards, BATNA
Readings: Getting to Yes, Chapters 1-5
Class 2 – Monday, June 8: (5:30-8:30 p.m.)
Topics: The six foundations of effective negotiation
Readings: Shell, chapters 1-6
Class 3– Monday, June 15: (5:30-8:30 p.m.)
Topics: The negotiation process
Readings: Shell, chapters 7-11
Session 4– Monday, June 22: (5:30-8:30 p.m.)
Topics: Negotiation ethics and conflict management
Readings: Handouts
3