MGMT 415/550: Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
Instructor: Dr. Rebecca J. Bennett
Class time: TuTh 2-3:50 p.m.
Classroom: U Hall 111
Office hours: Tu, W & Th, 9:30-11:30 am, M 1-5 pm
Office: CoB 324
Office Phone: 257-3293
Email address: RBennett@latech.edu
Or stop by anytime!
Course objectives:
Most of us negotiate every day, though we often do not realize it. We not only
negotiate contracts, leases, and purchases, but also we also negotiate over less
obvious issues. We need analytical skills to discover superior solutions to problems
and we need negotiation skills to get others to accept and implement these solutions.
Unfortunately, too many of us negotiate poorly.
The goal of this course is for you to become a better negotiator. That is, you will
develop the negotiation skills that produce more creative, satisfying agreements and
avoid the worst kind of compromises. In particular, you will accomplish the
following learning goals:
Mgmt 415 Students will learn how to:
1. Prepare strategies for negotiations
2. Collect and reveal information tactically
3. Set and reach goals to get a bigger “slice of the pie”
4. Discover others’ interests and use them to create mutually satisfying agreements
5. Manage ethical issues in negotiation
6. Realize the role of emotions in negotiations
7. Understand cognitive biases that affect negotiation outcomes
8. Create and neutralize power imbalances
9. Adjust negotiation style across cultures
10. Manage large numbers of negotiators
11. Negotiate in a team environment
12. Better understand themselves and their own negotiating styles.
Course Requirements:
1. A c c e s s t o Mgmt 415 Course Website on Moodle.
2. Subscription to ExpertNegotiator website. All students are required to purchase an
ExpertNegotiator Planning & Management Software student license. The license costs
$50 and I have posted instructions and a registration code to Moodle, as well as
scheduling a demo of the software during our second class meeting (September ).
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3. Lewicki, R.J., Saunders, D.M., & Barry, B. (2015). Negotiation: Readings, Exercises
and Cases. McGraw Hill, 7th edition (available at Tech bookstore).
Course method:
Handling conflict well is easier said than done. So, this class is about learning by doing.
That is, this class extensively uses negotiation simulation exercises, where you and
another student act out roles that are assigned and distributed in class. After each
exercise, the class will discuss all students’ performances. The purpose of the discussion
is to discover which negotiation approaches worked well and which didn’t. While
discussions center on your in-class negotiation experiences, we derive the lessons from
more than just students’ reports of those experiences. That is, we also borrow from the
economic, psychological, and behavioral-decision theories, some of which are discussed
in the textbook and some of which I present in class.
Important Information:
1. Qualified students needing testing or classroom accommodations based on a
disability are encouraged to make their requests to me at the beginning of the
quarter either during office hours or by appointment. Note: Prior to receiving
disability accommodations, verification of eligibility from the Testing and
Disability Services Office is needed. Disability information is confidential.
Information for Testing and Disability Services may be obtained in Wyly Tower
318 or www.latech.edu/ods
2. Emergency Notification System (ENS): All Louisiana Tech students are strongly
encouraged to enroll and update their contact information in the Emergency
Notification System. It takes just a few seconds to ensure you’re able to receive
important text and voice alerts in the event of a campus emergency. For more
information on the Emergency Notification System, please visit
http://www.latech.edu/administration/ens.shtml.
3. Course information is available on Moodle.latech.edu In case of an emergency,
class will be continued via Moodle.
4. Title IX Information: In accordance with Title IX and other applicable law,
Louisiana Tech University is committed to providing a learning, working, and
living environment that promotes integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an
environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual misconduct
which includes sex discrimination, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic
violence, sexual assault, stalking and retaliation. Louisiana Tech University
prohibits sex discrimination and sexual misconduct. This policy applies to all
persons without regard to sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender
expression. To report concerns regarding Title IX, contact University Police (2574018) 24 hours a day. Or, contact College of Business Responsible Employees
Dr. Rebecca Bennett (COBB 324, 318-257-3293, rbennett@latech.edu) or Dr.
Laura Flurry (COBB 341, 257-3768, lwflurry@latech.edu). Finally, you may also
contact Title IX coordinator Carrie Flournoy at 318-257-3785.
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EVALUATION & GRADES (100 Points Total)
Total course points translate to letter grades as follows:
Points
93+
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
Grade
A
AB+
B
B-
Points
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
60-66
< 60
Grade
C+
C
CD+
D
F
Your grade will be based on your performance in the five following categories:
Category
Course Points
Class Contribution
Participation in Exercises 15 points
Preparation for Exercises 10 points
Discussion Participation 15 points
Reputation Index
5 points
Baseline Paper
10 points
Reflection Papers
30 points total = 3 papers @ 10 points each
Skill Assessment Paper
15 points total
100 Points Grand
Total
A. Class Contribution (45 points)
Class contribution consists of participating in negotiation exercises and participating in
class discussion of those exercises.
1. Participation in Negotiation Exercises (15 points) I expect you to negotiate every
one of the 15 negotiation exercises. For each exercise you negotiate, you will receive one
point. For each exercise, you will be assigned another student with whom to negotiate
during class-meeting time. Students are assigned based on a rotation system, such that
each time you negotiate with someone different (of course there will be some repetitions,
especially in the group exercises). (My intent is to give students a variety of negotiation
partners throughout the semester.) Therefore it is imperative that I have advance notice of
any absences to prevent students from being “stood up” by an absent negotiation partner.
Specifically, I require two days advance notice of any absence.
Penalty for Missing Exercises without Advance Notice: If you do not negotiate an
exercise, but give me at least two days’ notice, you lose only the one point that the
exercise is worth. However, if you miss an exercise and fail to give me two days
advance notice of your absence, there is a penalty in addition to losing the one point. The
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penalty is that your final course grade will drop by one grade (e.g., A- to B+, B to B-).
There are two exceptions to this rule:
• The first absence without prior notice is a “freebie” and there is no grade
penalty, only the one-point loss.
• If you can convince your assigned negotiation partner to negotiate with you at
his or her convenience, but before the next class meeting, then the penalty will be
waived.
2. Preparation for Negotiation Exercises (10): Negotiating an exercise without
preparing for it leads to a worthless experience for you and your partner. Therefore, a
total lack of preparation is unacceptable, and will be counted as “missing an exercise
without advance notice,” penalties included. Moreover, an additional ten points (one
point per exercise for all of the individual role exercises) is awarded for the quality of
preparation on the ExpertNegotiator website. How much preparation is high quality?
That varies by the complexity of the exercise, which grows more complex as the semester
progresses. Generally speaking, however, complete all fields in the ExpertNegotiator
plans for each exercise, while applying the course concepts — including those from the
textbook — and you will be sufficiently prepared. Y o u m u s t d o t h i s b e f o r e
t h e e x e r c i s e b e g i n s . Also, consider this rule of thumb: if, at the beginning of
an exercise, you find yourself spending more time reading through your role information
than looking your negotiation partner(s) in the eyes, then you have not prepared
sufficiently.
3. Participation (15 points)
Good participation from students is what makes this course effective, so I expect each
student to contribute their own insights to the discussion. "Good" discussion includes
helpful comments and thoughtful comments. I reward for each.
Helpful comments include: describing your tactics to the class, answering my questions,
backing up someone's comment, refuting someone's comment, and clarifying what
someone else has said about your negotiation behavior. A couple helpful comments will
earn you up to 1/2 point for the day. Numerous helpful comments will earn you the same
half point — i.e., there is no extrinsic reward for piling on helpful comments and
dominating discussion.
However, thoughtful comments will earn you additional points for the day. One solid,
thoughtful comment can earn you an additional half point. If you become a discussion
leader for the day by making a few very thoughtful comments, you can earn up to a total
of 1.5 points. Those students who make thoughtful comments are those who:
o express a viewpoint about what negotiation behaviors are good or bad.
o not only take a stand, but back up one's views with original (i.e., not said yet that
day) evidence and logic.
o express views that are relevant (i.e., interesting and useful to classmates).
o views are based on course concepts, including those from the textbook
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You may comment orally in class or in writing on the Moodle discussion forum. On the
discussion forum, you may ask questions and post comments that occur to you after class
ends, or that you never got a chance to say during class. I prefer that students answer
each other’s questions, but occasionally the TA or I may post or answer questions.
I grade oral discussion immediately after each class meeting ends. I grade discussion
forum posts each Thursday morning. Finally, all categories of discussion combined, it is
impossible to earn more than two points for any one week, and it is impossible to
accumulate more than 15 discussion points for the term.
4. Reputation Index (5 Points)
Toward the end of the semester, every student will complete an evaluation of every other
student’s reputation in class. Reputation is affected by actions one takes during
negotiation exercises (e.g., preparation, seriousness, aggressiveness, honesty), how one
discusses such exercises publicly during class or on the discussion forum (e.g., candor,
insightfulness, relevance), and how much one contributes to other students’ learning (e.g.,
providing a challenging negotiation experience, providing useful feedback on a reflection
paper). Every student rates every other student, both on reputation as a negotiator and on
reputation as a contributor to class discussion.
B. Papers (45 points)
1.
Baseline Paper (10 points)
Write a paper that describes and analyzes your approach to negotiation and conflict
as it exists prior to Sept 10. The analysis in this paper will give you a baseline for
measuring your altered beliefs and improved performance at the end of the term. In
your paper, address all of the following questions, in the following order:
1. In your opinion, what attributes or behaviors differentiate "good" negotiators from
"poor" negotiators?
2. Do you enjoy bargaining? Do you enjoy being in situations of conflict, an/or do you
enjoy attempting to persuade others to your point of view? Why?
3. How effective are you at persuading others? How effective are your verbal skills in
arguing your points?
4. Do others see you as a good bargainer? Are you seen as strong or as weak? Are you
perceived as one who gives in easily? Or who holds out too long? Or who knows
when to make concessions and tradeoffs?
5. How do you see yourself in relation to #4 above?
6. At what time do you feel most competent in bargaining? Least competent?
7. How do you respond when you hold the power in a situation? How do you respond
when you have little or no power in a situation?
8. Overall, what are your major strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator, and what kind
of learning goals must you set for yourself in the future?
9. What aspects of your approach are you hoping to improve through this course?
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This paper cannot exceed five pages in length. This paper is due Sept 15th at the
beginning of class.
2. Individual Reflection Papers (30 points: 3 @ 10 points each)
You must write three papers for three of your negotiation exercise experiences. In
each paper, address the following:
1. What were your tactics and strategies for the negotiation? How did your tactics and
strategies help you and how did they hurt you? (3 points)
2. What were the other party’s apparent tactics and strategies for the negotiation? How
did these tactics and strategies help them and how did they hurt them? (3 points)
3. What did you learn from this exercise in particular? How will you apply this lesson
in future negotiations, both in class exercises and in your own real negotiations?
(4 points)
Each reflection paper cannot exceed five pages. For each reflection paper, you must
deliver multiple copies: I get one copy, and the other copies go to the other party or
parties with whom you negotiated the exercise discussed in the paper. You are
responsible for delivering the other copies to the other parties. The first reflection paper
will analyze the “Employee Exit Interview” negotiation, and it is due on 9-29. The
second reflection paper will analyze the “Drug Testing in the Workplace” negotiation,
and it is due on 10-15. The final reflection paper is on the “Twin Lakes Mining”
exercise. It is due on 10-29. Each paper is due at the beginning of class.
Note that your grade for a reflection paper is not a function of your performance as a
negotiator. Rather, it is a function of how well you reflect upon and analyze your and
the other party's performances. That is, while grading, I look for insightful criticism—
both complimentary and critical evaluation of both you and the other party. What
tactics worked well? What tactics worked poorly? Say what you really think, and if
you can’t think of more than two pages worth of constructive criticism, then you have
not thought hard enough.
Be sure to utilize the language of negotiation (e.g., BATNA, Reservation Price,
Target, Framing, etc. as well as referring to phenomenon discussed in your reading
and in class (e.g. Anchoring, hidden assumptions, fairness norms, accommodating
vs. collaborating, rights vs. power) Remember to base your analysis on course
concepts, including the concepts introduced in the assigned readings rather than
just give me a play-by-play of who said what. (You might want to bold/italicize key
words in your analyses.)
In writing a reflection paper, one common error students make is to spend several pages
describing the negotiation, listing every offer and counteroffer in unbroken sequence.
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Such pure description leads to little insight and is therefore bad. A combination of
description and critique produces the most insight. Description must be included, but
only to illustrate or prove insightful points. That is, I want analysis more than
storytelling. And deep analysis will require use of negotiation concepts from class and
from the text.
Another common error is to summarize information straight out of the role-playing
information documents. This is unnecessary and wastes space because everyone gets to
read the other side’s role information after the negotiation ends and before writing the
reflection paper. So, be sure to tell your audience (i.e., your partner and me) something
at least one of us does not know, something beyond what we learn from reading the role
information.
3. Skill Assessment Paper (15 points)
Before beginning this paper, reread your Baseline Paper. In this Skill Assessment paper,
you will compare and contrast your current, evolving negotiation approach with your preMgmt 415 approach. The purpose is to analyze how your negotiation skills and
knowledge have improved.
1. Answer the baseline paper questions again, comparing and contrasting to your initial
answers. What is different? Give concrete examples of if/how your behavior has
actually changed so far. Utilize the feedback you received from the reputation index and
the reflection papers you received from your negotiation partners during the course to
answer the questions regarding what others think of your negotiating behavior (q4 & 5).
Attach your baseline paper, reputation index report and copies of the relevant sections of
others’ reflection papers to your Skill Assessment Paper as appendices.
2. New Insights: What are the three most important lessons you learned about
negotiations? For each lesson, which exercise drove home the lesson? Briefly
describe what happened in the exercise that made the point.
3. Weakness: What is still your single, biggest weakness in negotiations? Why do you
have this weakness? What specific and active steps will you take to correct it in the
future?
This paper is due November 19th, at the beginning of class.
Extra Credit (2 points)
You may earn extra credit for contributing to "Movie Day" on May 19th. To contribute,
find a short (2-8 minutes) video clip from a movie or TV program, and then lead a 5-10
minute discussion on it in class. If the clip includes potentially offensive content (e.g.,
foul language), before I let you present it you must justify to me why the value of the clip
exceeds the potential offense it may cause. If you choose this option, notify me by no
later than May 12th, describing the clip, the lessons, how much time it requires, and if
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there is potentially offensive content. If too many students want to present a clip (i.e., the
sum of the various clips plus discussion exceeds 110 minutes), then I will choose who
presents. I will make my choice based on a first-come-first-served basis of acceptable
clips.
Note that it is likely you will lose the opportunity to present if you wait until the last
minute and look for clips in the same place as everyone else — i.e., the first couple
pages of hits on a YouTube search on the word “negotiation” — because it is probable
that another student has already claimed that clip. Therefore, I recommend strongly
you search for clips early and elsewhere. You may use YouTube as the vehicle by
which you play the clip in class, however, I recommend you do not use YouTube’s
search functions to find the clip. If too few students want to present clips, then I will
show a hostage negotiation video and discuss it, or find another guest speaker.
WRITING STYLE REQUIREMENTS
(Specific to Mgmt 415)
Your written work will be graded explicitly or implicitly, by the following seven criteria.
1. Instructions. Follow them.
2. Format.
• Put your NAME, not Student ID number, on your assignments.
• Print on only one side of a sheet of paper, identify each page with a page
number, and use staples - not binders - to attach pages to each other.
• Use one-inch margins, 12-point font, and double-spacing. Note that an attempt
to make a long assignment fit within the page limits by reducing margins,
fonts, or spacing is unacceptable. Also, an attempt to make a short
assignment appear longer by increasing margins, fonts, or spacing is
unacceptable
• Use headings to separate answers to numbered questions; sub-headings are
helpful too.
• Concise and logical paragraphs are required. Large blocks of
rambling text are discouraged and will negatively impact the
grade.
3. Apparent Effort. As with most classes, trying counts for something. I favor papers
that demonstrate high effort, and I disfavor those papers where the authors merely went
through the motions the night before. Effort becomes apparent when you use the
assignments as an opportunity to learn class concepts, practice writing skills, and wrestle
with personal circumstances. Apparent effort also means keeping within the page limit,
rather than exceeding it.
4. Clarity. In clearly written assignments: each point is understood without having to
read it twice; the order in which points occur is predictable and flows smoothly; writing
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is very concise; and the reader is not distracted by errors of grammar, syntax,
punctuation, or spelling.
5. Insight. In insightful writing, the intelligence behind an analysis is apparent. What
makes it apparent are the following items:
a. Depth: The insights penetrate beyond the obvious, surface issues to the
underlying assumptions and causes. Thus, avoid superficial comments and
strive to make some of your insights original.
b. Breadth: Your analyses should be broad as well as deep — i.e., not only
make deep insights, but make many insights. How many is enough? For each
numbered item in an assignment description, a maximum point value is
specified. Items worth more points should contain more insights. Thus, items
worth more points should produce longer answers than items worth fewer
points.
c. Rationale: It is not enough for your insights to be correct; you must provide
convincing support for them. Support that convinces is copious, logical, and
backed up with evidence. Spell out your logic: how do you get from A to B?
Be specific about examples and conclusions.
d. Examples. Provide examples that illustrate your points. Describe what
happened and the insights you gained from the experience.
6. Application of Class Concepts and Principles. The major purpose of these
assignments is for you to practice using class concepts and principles to diagnose
problems and invent solutions. Thus, you must show that you can use class
concepts and principles. Using class concepts and principles means generating
insights; it does not mean merely matching jargon with the right examples. In
short, make sure that you use class concepts, principles, and jargon correctly and
often, and you must produce insight from their use. The only exception is for
the Baseline Paper, which is to use no class concepts because it is designed to
capture your pre-Mgmt 415 beliefs.
7. Audience. Consider who your audience is: it’s me. Think about what I
know, don’t know, and what I want you to demonstrate. This will help you
select content, jargon and supporting evidence. Also, in your Reflection Papers,
you have a second audience – your partner(s) for that exercise. Include insights
that will help them become better negotiators. Finally, remember that I (and your
partners) have read everything assigned to you, and therefore summarizing
readings is not necessary, although short quotations and citations may help when
provided in moderation.
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Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university and will be strongly enforced in
this course. Any student found in violation of the academic integrity policy will receive a
grade of zero on the assignment in question. A second offense, or an egregious first
offense, will result in a grade of “F” for the course.
http://www.latech.edu/documents/honor-code.pdf
Students shall be guilty of violating the honor code if they:
1. Represent the work of others as their own.
2. Use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
3. Give unauthorized assistance to other students.
4. Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record or report for the
purpose of obtaining additional credit.
If you are unclear whether a particular action may violate the honor code, then consult
me before acting.
Academic Dishonesty Specific to Mgmt 415 That’s Not Obvious
In Mgmt 415, four more actions are explicitly defined as cheating, and are thus forbidden:
1. Reading anyone else’s confidential role information, or confidential
preparation information, for an exercise before or during the negotiation of that
exercise.
2. Consulting past students of MGMT 415 about an exercise you have not yet
negotiated or even yet discussed in class.
3. Consulting the notes of any other instructor at any college anywhere (e.g., through
an internet search) about an exercise you have not yet negotiated or even yet discussed
in class.
4. Making up facts in your papers about your history or experiences.
Late Papers
Any paper that is late will have points deducted from it. The deduction will be equal to
10% of the total possible points allowed for that assignment for each business day that it
is late. Any exception to this rule must be discussed with me prior to the due date. Note
that late preparation for an exercise is not acceptable and thus will receive no points if
entered into ExpertNegotiator after the exercise has begun.
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TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
(*subject to change at discretion of instructor)
Date Topic
Reading
Assignment
Activity
9-10 Course Overview Demo of EP
& Introduction to Case (handed out in class)
Expert Negotiator
(EP) software
9-15 The Nature of
Lecture
Negotiation
Distributive
Bargaining
9-17 Integrative
Bargaining
Syllabus
1.1, 1.2,
3.4
Negotiate Used Car
Debrief Used Car
Item Due
Exp.Neg. Plan for Used
Car
Baseline Paper Due
1.3-1.9
Exp.Neg. Plan for
Universal Computer
Negotiate Universal Computer
9-22 Planning &
Strategy
Debrief Universal Computer
Negotiate Employee Exit
Interview
9-24 Ethics
9-29 Emotion &
Cognition
6.8,
Exp.Neg. Plan for
Exercise 4: Employee Exit Interview
Planning
Debrief Employee Exit Interview 1.11-1.13 Exp.Neg. Plan for
Knight Engines vs.
Negotiate Knight Engines vs.
Excalibur Engine Parts
Excalibur Engine Parts
Debrief Knight Engines vs.
2.1-2.5
Reflection Paper #1 Due
Excalibur Engine Parts
on Employee Exit
Interview
Decision Making exercises
10-1 Communication, Guest Speaker
Power &
Influence
Negotiate Sea Tech
2.6-2.11
Exp.Neg. Plan for Sea
Tech
10-6 Communication, Debrief Sea Tech
Power &
Influence
Negotiate Beauti-Rest vs.
Sleepwell
6.4, 6.5
Exp.Neg. Plan for BeautiRest vs. Sleepwell
10-8 Constituencies & Debrief Beauti-Rest vs. Sleepwell 3.6-3.9
Audiences
Negotiate Drug Testing in the
Workplace (mediation)
Exp. Neg. plan for Drug
Testing in the Workplace
(PON case)
Fishbowl
11
10-13 3rd parties in
Negotiation
(mediation)
Debrief Drug Testing in the
Workplace
3.5, 3.10, Exp.Neg. Plan for Diego
3.11
Prima Donna (PON case)
Negotiate Diego Primadonna
rd
10-15 3 Party
approaches
(agents)
Debrief Diego Primadonna
6.7
Prepare your role for
Towers Market
Negotiate Towers Market
Reflection Paper #2 Due
10-20 Multiparty
negotiation
Debrief Towers Market
3.1-3.3
10-22 Multiparty
negotiation
Negotiate Twin Lakes Mining
6.1, 6.6
10-27 Intra Team
negotiations
Debrief Twin Lakes Mining
3.12
Prepare your role for
Twin Lakes Mining
Negotiate Operation Expansion
(materials handed out in class)
10-29 Intra-team
Negotiations
11-3 Individual
Differences
Debrief Operation Expansion
11-5 Negotiation &
Culture
Guest Speaker
Reputation Index Due
11-10 Negotiation &
culture
Negotiate & Debrief 500 English 5.1-5.3
Sentences (fishbowl)
Exp. Neg. Plan for 500
English Sentences
11-12 Best Practices
Job & Salary
Negotiations
Negotiate & Debrief Jane Tech
and Robust Routers
Exp. Neg. Plan for Jane
Tech & Robust Routers
Collecting Nos Exercise
Reflection Paper #3 Due
4.1-4.3
Do Collecting Nos
assignment
Requests to present Ex
Credit videos due
11-17 Individual
Differences
Strategic Moves and Turns
Exercise
11-19 Video Day
Videos need to be submitted
ahead of time for approval
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7.1-7.5
Skill Assessment
Paper Due