Negotiation

HPM 252 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

The ability to negotiate successfully rests on a combination of analytic and interpersonal skills. Negotiators must execute promising strategies based on their analysis of the multitude of factors that affect the negotiation and that structure the definition of a successful outcome.

Among these issues are the context and the structure of the negotiation, the interests of the other parties, the opportunities and barriers to creating and claiming value on a sustainable basis, and the range of possible moves and countermoves both at and away from the bargaining table, the value of the relationships, personal goals and ethical considerations.

Interpersonal skills are important because negotiations are interactions with counterparts. Effective negotiators influence the behavior of other parties, correctly read the actions, intentions and preferences of counterparts, communicate their own perspectives and intentions well, and are aware of and can correct for their own cognitive and emotional biases. Strong interpersonal skills make it possible to execute one's own strategy and react to moves by counterparts effectively.

This course will present conceptual frameworks that will help you analyze negotiations in general and prepare more comprehensively for future negotiations in which you may be involved. In class analysis of case studies and readings from applied game theory, social psychology, political theory, and behavioral economics, we will draw out lessons from ongoing, real-world negotiations. Through participation in negotiation simulations, you will have the opportunity to exercise your powers of communication and persuasion, and to experiment with a variety of negotiating strategies and tactics. The simulation exercises draw from a wide variety of contexts and their aim is to illustrate concepts and tools that apply to a variety of negotiations settings. In-class debriefs of your experience as well as your outcomes will help you make adjustments to your negotiating practice that better reflect your intentions and preferences.

I hope that in addition to developing a better understanding of strategy, you will learn a great deal about yourself in this course. You will have repeated exposure to situations that involve a shifting mix of opportunities for cooperation and competition as well as important ethical choices. The main pedagogical perspective is to improve your own repertoire of action practice and by reflecting on your practice. As a result, your negotiating effectiveness should increase significantly. Overall, I expect that you will finish the course as an analytically savvy, flexible, efficacious negotiator.

Registration Note: Students are required to attend class from the beginning of the term. The course begins with an in-class exercise. Throughout the semester exceptions are made for professional responsibilities, illness, and family matters.