For executives and consultants in politics, the corporate world, and the legal profession, negotiations are everyday business. The spectrum ranges from daily decision-making in committees and working groups to corporate mergers and coalition talks to agreements between sovereign states and international peace dialogues. Unfortunately, in many, especially public, negotiations, one can observe how unprepared most of the people involved approach the issue – often with disastrous consequences for the outcome. Against this background, solid knowledge of negotiation dynamics is crucial for every decision-maker.
In this seminar we will look at the key techniques of negotiation. Participants learn the basics of negotiation and advanced negotiation tactics. Based on the contents of typical courses offered by business schools, law schools and diplomatic training institutions, interactive simulations are used in which the students themselves can negotiate with each other. The course aims to provide participants with the proper tools for mastering a wide range of bargaining problems. It will help students to sharpen their performance as a consensus-building negotiator in different situational contexts.
The first half of the course covers elementary concepts of negotiation theory that are primarily applicable to deal-making scenarios, while the second half introduces students to more advanced models of negotiation and presents a range of techniques for addressing the dynamics of disagreement. In addition, participants will develop the facilitative and mediative skills needed in today’s conflict-prone global environment, where intra- and inter-organizational disputes are more likely to emerge.
After the seminar, students should be able to address relevant issues to achieve a mutually acceptable, sustainable and resilient outcome for all participants of a negotiation. Furthermore, they should recognize and avoid the typical mistakes in interpersonal interactions.
Form of examination: Term paper according to the examination regulation. For didactical reasons, the amount of participants is limited to 18 students.
- Lehrende/r: Henning Höber