Foreign Direct Investment in Mandoa

OVERVIEW:

This exercise is designed to serve as a concrete basis for discussion of the choices faced by developing countries in designing a foreign direct investment strategy. It highlights the obstacles and opportunities presented by the imperative to integrate – and strike a balance among – the three pillars of sustainable development: economy, society, and environment.

 

SCENARIO:

The hypothetical nation of Mandoa faces many challenges typical of developing countries today: an economy based largely on the export of agricultural products affected by declining terms of trade, rural poverty leading to mass migration to urban areas, an impending health crisis related to the spread of HIV/AIDS, and environmental deterioration. A large multinational corporation, ACOM, is proposing to invest in two large projects: an aluminum smelting plant located in Mandoa’s capital, Chimbesi, and an inland dam that will provide sufficient energy to the industrial complex as well as other users. Mandoa’s government needs to make a decision as to whether and under what conditions and constraints, if any, it will allow ACOM to operate.

The exercise is conducted in groups of seven, including two Ministers of Trade and Industry, two Ministers of the Environment, two Ministers of Social Development, and a Prime Minister who facilitates the discussion and makes the ultimate decision regarding the terms and conditions of any foreign direct investment.

Potential debriefing topics include consensus-building techniques within a political context, the role of the facilitator/decisionmaker, and the tensions between more efficient vs. more inclusive decisionmaking.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties:

  • General Instructions

 

Confidential Instructions for:

  • The Minister of Trade and Industry (including the ICC Business Charter for Sustainable Development)
  • The Minister of the Environment (including the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index)
  • The Minister of Social Development (including the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises)

 

Teacher's package includes:

  • All of the above
  • Teaching note

George Mitchell in Northern Ireland – “To Hell with the Future, Let’s Get On With the Past”

Part of the PON Great Negotiator Case Study Series, this 46-age factual case study examines the strategies and tactics used by U.S. negotiator George Mitchell during his two-year tenure as chairman of the all-party talks in Northern Ireland between 1996 and 1998. His efforts culminated in the signing of the historic Good Friday Accords. In 2000, Mitchell received the Program on Negotiation "Great Negotiator" award.

This case study was prepared as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.

Global Management of Organochlorines

Also known as Chlorine Game

SCENARIO:

In light of recent evidence indicating that organochlorine compounds may pose serious risks to human health and the environment, the Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has decided to gather a Working Group composed of representatives from eight countries, as well as four representatives from various relevant non-governmental organizations to produce a draft of an international treaty which would call for a phase out some of the most harmful organochlorines. Such a process entails resolution, at some level, of the scientific issues surrounding the potential dangers of widespread chlorine usage. Some argue that scientific evidence pointing to the dangers of chlorine is inconclusive, while environmental activists cite the issue as urgent. The issues that must be addressed are (i) how quickly and at what cost should organochlorines be phased out; (ii), which parties should bear the cost of the phase out; (iii) how should the Working Group be administrated and (iv) what impact should NGO’s have on the Working Group.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • Underscores the relevance of general lessons about the "basic" skills of negotiations as they apply to multi-party, multi-issue negotiation: i.e. active listening, improving one's BATNA, focusing on interests instead of positions, inventing options of mutual gain, etc.
  • Enhances understanding about political dynamics and substantive outcomes likely to merge during an actual negotiation of a global treaty on organochlorines. Provides a means for exploring the technical, political and economic issues likely to be at stake in such a treaty negotiation.
  • Imparts an understanding of the dynamics of international environmental treaty negotiations as they are currently conducted.
  • Identifies who the critical actors in international environmental treaty negotiation are, what kinds of interests they bring to the table, why these interests are often seen to be in conflict, and how they might potentially be reconciled through a process of joint problem-solving.
  • Emphasizes the importance of understanding the interests of internal constituencies and designing negotiation strategies which manage the link between internal and external negotiations. This game also teaches the importance of creating external coalitions without letting internal coalitions crumble.
  • Demonstrates the value of organizing informal dialogue as a precursor to the formal convention-protocol treaty-making process.

 

MECHANICS:

This is a highly intensive exercise with considerable logistical requirements. A room with seating for 13 (or 25 depending on the number of participants) is required. Parties should be able to hear each other and the use of microphones is sometimes necessary. At least one break-out room is suggested. Given the long duration of this exercise, refreshments are also advised. This lengthy, complex case requires several hours of preparation time as well as several hours of negotiation time. Teaching staff are advised to be particularly well versed in these materials before commencing this game. Estimated Time Requirement8 hours spread over 2 days. The game can be played in an alternative short version which takes about 4 hours.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties:

  • General Information
  • Draft Convention on the Limitation of Chlorine in the Global Environment
  • Memo to Director of the Departmnet of Multinational Trade Issues re UNEP Working Group on Global Management of Organochlorines

 

Role specific individual instructions for:

  • International Council of Scientific Associations (ICSA) Negotiator
  • International Union for the Conservation of the Environment (IUCE) Negotiator (including Proposal to License Substitute Products and Processes to Address the Global Chlorine Problem)
  • Representative from GreenStrategies
  • Chair of United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
  • Representative from Czech Republic
  • Representative from People's Republic of China
  • Representative from Germany (including Chlorine Reduction Proposal from the Federal Republic of Germany)
  • Representative from the United States
  • Representative from Brazil
  • Representative from India
  • Representative from Japan
  • Representative from Norway (including Proposed Treaty Text for Licensing Agreement from Government of Norway)

 

Teacher's Package:

  • All of the above
  • Teaching Notes

 

KEYWORDS/THEMES:

Multiparty negotiation; multi-lateral treaty making; environmental dispute resolution; mediating science-intensive policy disputes

Great Negotiator 2002: Lakhdar Brahimi

Each year, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School presents the Great Negotiator Award to an individual whose lifetime achievements in the field of negotiation and dispute resolution have had a significant and lasting impact. In 2002, the Program on Negotiation selected Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi as the recipient of its Great Negotiator Award.

Ambassador Brahimi is a universally-admired diplomat whose renowned negotiation skills have been tested in the harshest of circumstances. A native of Algeria, he has devoted the greater part of his four-decade career to convincing people to choose peace over war. Highlights of his extraordinary career include mediating the Taif Accord, which paved the way for an end to the Lebanese civil war; heading special United Nations troubleshooting missions to hot-spots such as Afghanistan, Yemen, Liberia, Sudan, Nigeria, South Africa, the former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), and Haiti; and overseeing the production of the "Brahimi Report," a comprehensive critique of the efficiency and effectiveness of U.N. peacekeeping missions. In 2002, as the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Ambassador Brahimi took a lead role in orchestrating both the Bonn Conference that set up an interim Afghan government following the fall of the Taliban, and the June 2002 Loya Jirga, the successor negotiations to Bonn.

 

The Program on Negotiation honored Ambassador Brahimi in events on October 2, 2002. These began with an in-depth faculty-moderated discussion with a group of students, faculty, and guests at Harvard Business School. On the evening of the 2nd, Ambassador Brahimi received the Great Negotiator Award at a formal dinner at Harvard Law School. This DVD features excerpts from the award discussion with Ambassador Brahimi.

On the DVD, Ambassador Brahimi speaks from personal experience about strategies, tactics, and lessons learned as UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan both before and after the fall of the Taliban; and about general negotiation issues such as knowing what is and what isn't negotiable, taking account of outside players in a negotiation, the role of deadlines in negotiation, negotiating with parties together or separately, and knowing when to continue negotiating and when to walk away.

The DVD booklet includes a guide to the 24 DVD tracks as well as a complete transcript of the DVD contents. Used alone or with the Lakhdar Brahimi case study, it provides a wonderful opportunity to teach from recent history, using a living, working diplomat as a focus for learning about negotiation. The case study provides a wealth of factual details regarding Brahimi's negotiations, while the DVD features Brahimi's personal reflections and observations. An instructor might, for instance, use the case study as a basis for classroom discussion, and use excerpts from the DVD to offer Brahimi's own thoughts on the issues discussed in class.

DVD run time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Great Negotiator 2022: Christiana Figueres

The Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School periodically presents the Great Negotiator Award to an individual whose lifetime achievements in the field of negotiation and dispute resolution have had a significant and lasting impact. In 2022, PON selected Christiana Figueres as the recipient of its Great Negotiator Award.

As UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres was tasked with a seemingly insurmountable challenge of putting together an impactful, global climate agreement to save the planet. Coming out the dramatic failure of the Copenhagen summit, many believed that such an agreement was not possible. However, with persistent optimism and careful, targeted interventions aimed at building momentum, in 2015 the Paris Agreement was unanimously adopted by the 196 participating nations and set forth a new framework for international climate agreements.

PON honored Christiana Figueres as its Great Negotiator in April 2022. This included a public session interview attended by students, faculty, and guests at Harvard Law School, as well as an in-depth private session interview, where Figueres answered questions and offered insights on the negotiation process. Both the public and private video interviews are included in the Great Negotiator 2022: Christiana Figueres video package. Below, check out a preview of the private session interview with Figueres and Professors James Sebenius and Hannah Riley Bowles:

These videos can be paired with the Christiana Figueres and the Collective Approach to Negotiating Climate Action case study, available for purchase separately from the Teaching Negotiation Resource Center (TNRC).

Great Negotiator Case Study Package

Since 2001, the Program on Negotiation has bestowed the Great Negotiator Award upon distinguished leaders whose lifelong accomplishments in the fields of negotiation and dispute resolution have had compelling and lasting results.

  • 2000 PON Great Negotiator: George Mitchell."To Hell with the Future, Let's Get on with the Past" features former U.S. Senator George Mitchell's work on the all-party talks in Northern Ireland between 1996 and 1998 that culminated in the signing of the historic Good Friday Accords.
  • 2002 PON Great Negotiator: Lakhdar Brahimi. Negotiating a new government for Afghanistan, featuring former United Nations Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's involvement in negotiating an interim government for Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001
  • 2003 PON Great Negotiator: Stuart Eizenstat. Negotiating the Final Accounts of World War II, featuring former  EU Ambassador and Special Representative to the President, Stuart Eizenstat's work facilitating the award of $8 billion in reparations from multiple European governments, banks, and companies to victims of World War II
  • 2010 PON Great Negotiator: Martti Ahtisaari. Featuring former Finnish President and longtime diplomat's 2005 negotiation between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government. The resolution ended 30 years of violence and became known as "The Helsinki Accords". Includes both A Case and B Case.
  • 2014 PON Great Negotiator: Tommy Koh. Details the efforts of Singapore Ambassador-At-Large Tommy Koh to negotiate the United States-Singapore Free Trade agreement. Highlights Koh's successful actions to overcome the significant challenges presented by trade negotiations with the United States. Includes both A Case and B Case.

 

Each case study describes the featured negotiator's background and examines the context, strategies, tactics, and outcome of a particularly difficult international negotiation in which the negotiator was involved. Used together, the case studies offer a unique opportunity to learn from recent history and to compare and contrast the approaches of four renowned professional negotiators.

Each case study is also sold separately.

Guatemala Role Play, The

The Guatemala Role Play is a simulation from the Workable Peace Curriculum Series unit on Indigenous Rights and the Environment in Latin America.

OVERVIEW OF THE GUATEMALA ROLEPLAY:

Guatemala has been an ethnically, economically, and politically divided society for over 450 years. In the early 1960s, some army officers who opposed the military government organized small guerrilla rebel factions. Soon, these rebel factions organized into a larger military force known as the URNG. As the URNG began to defeat government forces in the countryside, the government decided to put pressure on the URNG and their supporters. Thousands of indigenous people were killed and their villages destroyed.

After years of negotiations, the Guatemalan government and the URNG signed an "Accord for a Firm and Lasting Peace" in 1996. Despite the peace accord, several issues remain to be resolved. This follow-up negotiation takes place in 1998. The Guatemalan Minister of the Interior will chair a negotiation that includes representatives from the Guatemalan military, the URNG, and the ethnic Mayans living in Guatemala, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala. The three issues on the table are how to protect human rights, how to deal with Mayan land claims, and how to recognize Mayan cultural and political rights.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • This role play underscores the relevance of general lessons about "basic" negotiation skills as they apply to multi-party, multi-issue negotiations: e.g., active listening, improving one's BATNA, focusing on interests rather than positions, inventing options for mutual gain, etc.
  • Provides a means for exploring the political dynamics and economic issues likely to emerge during an actual negotiation
  • Imparts an understanding of the processes of international treaty negotiations as they are currently conducted
  • Highlights the importance of understanding the human dimension in ethnic conflict and the difficulty of proposing solutions without grasping the complexity of the relationships.
  • Emphasizes the importance of understanding the interests of internal constituencies and designing negotiation strategies which manage the link between internal and external negotiations, as well as the importance of creating external coalitions without letting internal coalitions crumble.
  • Demonstrates how members of groups in conflict can take steps toward a workable peace by negotiating truces, recognizing each others' right to meet basic needs, and making rules for settling their conflicts and meeting their needs without violence.

 

Teacher's Package Includes:

  • Participant materials
  • Teaching Note
  • Master List of Player Goals
  • Framework for a Workable Peace
  • Workable Peace Self-Assessment Form
  • Overheads
  • Observation/Assessment Instructions

 

If you would like additional information about the Workable Peace framework and teaching materials, including information about teacher training and support, please contact Workable Peace Co-Directors David Fairman or Stacie Smith at:

The Consensus Building Institute, Inc.
238 Main Street, Suite 400
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-492-1414
Fax: 617-492-1919
Website: www.cbuilding.org

Hard/Soft Negotiation Choice Exercise

Free review copies of non-English Teacher’s Packages will be emailed upon request. Please contact tnrc@law.harvard.edu or telephone 800-258-4406 (within the U.S.) or +1-301-528-2676 (outside the U.S.).

SCENARIO:

The form asks, “What is your negotiating style?” In the left column it lists the key characteristics of relatively “soft” bargainers. In the right column are listed the corresponding characteristics of relatively “hard” bargainers. In between, for each key factor there are spaces for writing in where you come out on the spectrum. The factors addressed are concession strategies and offer strategies.

 

MECHANICS:

Distribute the form and allow ten minutes for participants to fill it in. It is particularly useful as a prelude to an overview presentation on effective negotiation. It was designed for use before an overview of principled negotiation, but in theory other approaches could also follow from it. It works even after participants have read Getting to YES.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties:

  • Two column form with blank centers.
  • Three column form with third columns listing the characteristics of principled negotiation.

 

PROCESS THEMES:

Assumptions; Competition v. Cooperation; Personality; Systems of Negotiation

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

This exercise stresses the fundamental elements of principled negotiation as logical alternatives to the seeming dilemma of “hard” or “soft” positional bargaining.

The final portion of the exercise provides a quick reference to the main elements of principled negotiation.

Hiring a Newtonian

SCENARIO:

This is a negotiation between a recently hired computer programmer and a Human Resources Director regarding the new employee's salary, benefits, and start date. The computer programmer, a recent immigrant from "Newtonia," has certain requirements that cannot be disclosed for fear of invoking bad luck. The Newtonian also has cultural expectations of how the Human Resources Director should behave in order to transact business comfortably. The Human Resources Director simply has the task of hiring this candidate who has been interviewed and recommended for hire. There is a given salary range, an established list of benefits, and regular start dates from which the Human Resources Director can operate.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • This exercise highlights the cultural elements of negotiation and helps sensitize participants to potential cultural differences.
  • This exercise also highlights the potential discrepancy between intent (by one party) and impact (on another party).

 

TEACHER'S PACK INCLUDES:

  • Participant materials and teaching note.

Hitana Bay Development Simulation

SCENARIO:

The city of Hitana lies next to Hitana Bay on the Caribbean island of Barhamia. The government of Hitana is currently considering several redevelopment proposals for the region. The Port Authority and major shippers are urging improvements to the deep-water port; the City of Hitana and a private real estate partnership seek to redevelop the warehouse district for business, commercial, and residential use; and the nongovernmental Coalition for Hitana Bay Heritage proposes to take environmental protection measures around Hitana Bay.

The Prime Minister's Office has convened a Task Force that includes representatives of the ten major groups involved in, and potentially affected by, the proposed projects. The ten representatives include the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Economic Development, the Deputy Minister of Environment for Coastal Zone Management, the Director of the Port Authority of Hitana, the Director of the City of Hitana Planning Offic, the Executive Vice-President of Harborside Properties Group, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Hitana Bay Heritage, the Vice-President for International Trade of the Barhamia Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Port of Hitana Workers Union, the Director of the Hitana Bay Fishermen's Federation, and the International Waters Division Chief of the Global Environment Fund.

This simulation is designed to include pre-meeting caucuses among selected Task Force members, an initial round of Task Force negotiations, and a final round of Task Force negotiations.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • Introduces participants to the challenge of integrating economic, environmental, and social goals at the project level
  • Raises questions of whether and how multi-stakeholder representation can work in social and political contexts where pluralistic decisionmaking is not the norm
  • Raises questions about the dynamics of multi-stakeholder representation where some interest group have weaker social organization and political representation than others
  • Illustrates the importance of individual preparation and group process to the outcome of multi-stakeholder negotiations
  • Encourages participants to experiment with "mutual gains" strategies such as distinguishing interests from positions; using joint-fact finding to clarify issues and options; using "what-if" proposals to develop mutually acceptable options; building and broadening coalitions in the search for consensus; and crafting contingent agreements to manage differences in beliefs about the likelihood and impact of various possible outcomes.

 

MECHANICS:

Participants are required to absorb a large amount of technical information in order to play this game. The game itself requires approximately 8 hours to prepare, play, and debrief. It is suggested that the game be run over 2 days.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

  • very extensive teaching notes
  • debrief notes
  • a spreadsheet (provided electronically) for debriefing
  • in depth confidential instructions for 10 different roles
  • the teaching package contains a total of 131 pages

 

KEYWORDS:

Sustainable development; international negotiation; environmental dispute resolution; consensus building; multi-party negotiation; joint fact finding; corporate assisted negotiation.

 

SIMILAR SIMULATIONS:

Managing Groundwater Beneath the Pablo-Burford Border

Hopkins HMO

SCENARIO:

Hopkins HMO is the largest independent managed health care organization in the regions. PharmaCare, Inc., a newly-formed pharmaceutical company, has just introduced "Profelice," the first commercially-approved antidepressant treatment of its type. Profelice is expected to replace Prozac and Zoloft due to increased efficacy and reduced side effects.

The Managed Care Representative for PharmaCare and the Pharmacy Director for Hopkins HMO have held several preliminary meetings over a contract for Profelice, but have made no commitments. The key issues to be negotiated include market share target tiers for Hopkins HMO, the discount pricing schedule for Profelice, marketing support, Profelice's formulary status, and the length of the agreement.

Now, the PharmaCare Managed Care Rep and the Hopkins HMO Pharmacy Director are meeting with PharmaCare's Contract and Pricing Manager to try to finalize the agreement. The Contract and Pricing Manager has final approval over all PharmaCare contracts. The simulation is arranged so that the Managed Care Rep will meet with each of the other two parties individually, and with both them simultaneously if desired.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • How perceptions of power can affect an agreement
  • The importance of understanding interests to developing a mutually beneficial agreement
  • The process of creating and claiming value
  • The effect of the relationship on the agreement and vice-versa

 

Teacher's Package Includes:

  • Participants materials
  • Matrix of possible agreements for debriefing

Hopkins Hospital

SCENARIO:

Hopkins Hospital is the largest and most influential teaching hospital in the region. PharmaCare, Inc., a newly-formed pharmaceutical company, has just introduced "Profelice", the first commercially-approved antidepressant treatment of its type. Profelice is expected to replace Prozac and Zoloft due to increased efficacy and reduced side effects. The Managed Care Representative for PharmaCare and the Pharmacy Director for Hopkins Hospital have held several preliminary meetings over a contract for Profelice, but have made no commitments. The key issues to be negotiated include market share target tiers for Hopkins Hospital, the discount pricing schedule for Profelice, marketing support, Profelice's formulary status, and the length of the agreement. Now, the PharmaCare Managed Care Rep and the Hopkins Hospital Pharmacy Director are meeting with PharmaCare's Contract and Pricing Manager to try to finalize the agreement. The Contract and Pricing Manager has final approval over all PharmaCare contracts. The simulation is arranged so that the Managed Care Rep will meet with each of the other two parties individually, and with both of them simultaneously if desired.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • How perceptions of power can affect an agreement
  • The importance of understanding interests to developing a mutually beneficial agreement
  • The process of creating and claiming value
  • The effect of the relationship on the agreement and vice-versa

 

Teacher's Package Includes:

  • Participant materials
  • Matrix of possible agreements for debriefing

Hospital Committee, The

SCENARIO:

A hospital located in a small town has a serious dilemma: the facility only has two dialysis machines which are now in demand by seven community residents with kidney failure. The patients include: a 33 year-old professional athlete, a middle-aged housewife and mother, a male model in his fifties, a 28 year-old factory worker, a corporate executive in his thirties, a child prodigy, and a middle-aged orthopedic surgeon. Without treatment, each patient will die, but only three patients can use the available machines. The machines are extremely expensive, and money to buy a third, let alone a fourth, is simply unavailable at this time. Accommodating more patients for fewer hours subjects each patient to substantially greater risk, and can postpone a choice for no longer than a week or two. The members of the Kidney Dialysis Committee are members of the community who have been asked to serve by the hospital administration. They have been given information about each patient, and have been asked to decide, confidentially, who will and who won't receive treatment.

 

MECHANICS:

The exercise works best in a group of three to five; seven is a maximum. Discussion time can range from 10 to 60 minutes depending on the objective, but 10-15 minutes is usual. Videotaping is recommended to illuminate nonverbal behavior. The exercise can be done before the camera and reviewed in front of the full class. (This makes most sense in a small class where everyone is doing an exercise like this, and where participation is voluntary).

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • This exercise can be used for a number of purposes. It was originally designed to explore psychological awareness and illustrate emotional reactions and nonverbal communication.
  • The intensity of the psychological dimension adds considerable power to struggles over group process and control.
  • Substantively, the case brings into high relief the question of what constitutes "fairness," "objective criteria," and societal "norms," and the extent to which those concepts can exist outside perceptions colored by our personal values. In response, some participants can be seen to search for refuge in some absolute standard, while others seem to construct some kind of calculus of partisan perceptions and consensus.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties:

  • General Information

 

Teacher's Package:

  • All of the above

 

PROCESS THEMES:

Closure; Commitment; Communication; Cost-benefit analysis; Delay tactics; Emotions; Ethics; Fairness; Group process; Interpersonal skills; Legitimacy; Nonverbal communication; Objective criteria; Personality; Psychological games; Separating the people from the problem

Hydropower In Santales

SCENARIO:

The Ortega Company is a new hydroelectric company that hopes to build a hydropower plant in the Cordillerana region of Santales, a fictitious South American country. In a departure from normal operations, the company has asked several different communities if they are interested in allowing a hydropower plant to be developed within their borders. Of the nine communities originally considered, two have expressed preliminary interest in the project. One is the town of Villaverde, located along the Reposado River. The development of the project could bring jobs and infrastructure investment to Villaverde, but would probably reduce the flow of the river, which could threaten the livelihoods of many community members.

The Ortega Company is seeking broad support for the project and has invited representatives from the nearby indigenous community, local residents, the mayor’s office of Villaverde, and the local environmental NGO (nongovernmental organization) to meet with a representative from the company to discuss their concerns. In addition, the company has hired a professional mediator.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Expose participants to different viewpoints and interests regarding energy development and related land use dilemmas
  • Importance of voicing those different interests and perspectives early in the project development process (e.g. for identifying project impacts and possible design alternatives)
  • Questions about the role and responsibility of the mediator in: helping parties listen to each other, raising constructive options, clarifying solutions reached, and drafting written agreements
  • Build competency with brainstorming creative options based on party interests
  • Address fundamental value differences as a key source of disagreement among parties

 

MECHANICS:

This negotiation itself may be run within 2 – 3 hours (which includes a 30 minute prep period at the beginning). An additional 30 minutes prep time could be added should the instructor ask participants who have been assigned the same role in separate negotiation groups, to gather and discuss their role prior to the actual negotiation.
The instructor should allow at least 1 additional hour for debriefing.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:
For all parties:

  • General Instructions
  • Transcription of the Local Radio Announcement


Role Specific Confidential Instructions:

  • Representative of the Junta de Vecinos – Villaverde
  • Mayor of Villaverde
  • Representative of Los Robles
  • Representative of the Ortega Company
  • Representative of the Environmental NGO
  • Mediator


Teacher's Package:

  • All of the above
  • Teaching Note

 

ENHANCED VERSION AVAILABLE:

A digitally enhanced version of this simulation is available through the iDecisionGames platform and includes the following features:

  • An Instructor’s Guide summarizing the negotiation concepts covered in the simulation, a quick review of simulation logistics, and a ready-to-use set of debriefing slides;
  • Highlights from background readings that will help both students and instructors gain a better understanding of negotiation concepts and methods covered in the simulation;
  • Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires instructors can use gauge each student’s grasp of the core concepts before and after participating in the simulation;
  • PowerPoint slides that introduce key concepts before the simulation and highlight lessons for debriefing;
  • Real time, interactive, data analytics provided via the iDecisionGames platform.

To order the Hydropower Enhanced Package click here.

In the Shadow of the City

 

Based on a factual case study by then-Harvard Business School Professor Anne Donnellon, In the Shadow of the City, simulates a mediation between an aid worker in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and a project funder. Bruce Patton of the Harvard Negotiation Project plays the mediator role in this simulation. He demonstrates many of the principles outline in Getting to YES, such as active listening, trying to understand differing perceptions, and focusing on interests rather than positions.

Indopotamia

Indopotamia is a nine-party, mediated, multi-issue negotiation game involving a dispute over the allocation of land and water resources shared by three countries in an international river basin. The game provides opportunities to discuss the natural, societal, and political dimensions of science-intensive policy disputes in which high levels of uncertainty are involved. The game also introduces water professionals and aspiring water professionals to the Water Diplomacy Framework (WDF).

 

MATERIALS INCLUDED:

  • Teaching Notes
  • General Instructions for each of the four segments of the game
  • The map in Appendix A is best viewed in color, but can also be viewed in black and white
  • Confidential instructions for each of the nine roles for each of the four segments of the game
  • The Mediator's Instructions include forms for reporting the results of Segments 2 through 4
  • Summary form for contrasting the results of Segments 2 through 4 if multiple groups play the game at the same time.

 

The game is designed to be played in four separate segments. Each explores an important element of the mutual-gains approach to negotiation.