February 26: Problem Solving - The Nuts and Bolts

Carpenter & Kennedy, "Adopting Procedures" Ch. 6

This chapter deals with the procedural piece of conflict intervention and management. The authors discuss the importance of adopting procedures, educating the parties, and developing options. Like the Duke et al chapter, this chapter talks about ground rules and emphasizes spending time on making sure everyone is on the same page at the table. The authors talk about how many participants argue that there is not enough time to spend on this piece of negotiation, but it is important to try to get them to invest the time.
It seems as though it is natural for people to want to jump in and try to resolve issues. At the same time, it seems reasonable that if parties are already at a stage where they need intervention, a deeper process is important and likely to be helpful. Working together to develop procedures and ground rules could be a great way to get people to unite and agree when they haven't agreed on anything in a long time. Maybe demonstrating where parties do agree could be a catalyst to change; however, it seems like frustration from spending time not talking about the "real issues" could cause some people to close up.

Duke, et al. Reaching for Higher Ground, Ch. 5

This chapter discusses reaching "higher ground" by creating a group covenant. It outlines six elements for creating this covenant: 1. Establish the need, 2. Educate and inspire, 3. Begin by envisioning desired outcomes, 4. Promote full participation, 5. Be accountable, 6. Evaluate and revise. The authors give several examples of the importance of establishing an agreement between conflicting groups on basic values in gaining a successful resolution outcome.
I really liked the "toolbox" portions of this chapter. The authors gave a lot of specific examples of ways to incorporate their six elements for creating a covenant into real negotiation situations. It seemed to me as though some of the tips that were given could be dangerous in some situations. For example, they offered the idea of having participants "police" the negotiation in order to keep everyone in check on the ground rules. It seems like this could be highly offensive, though maybe this strategy is helpful because it makes people extremely cautious of breaking rules for fear of peer criticism.

Spangle and Isenhart: Negotiation Ch. 3

This chapter dealt with 7 theories that can be applied to negotiation settings. The theories introduced are: 1. Identity theory, 2. Social interaction theory, 3. Field theory, 4. Human need theory, 5. Rational choice theory, 6. Transformation theory, 7. Mutual gains theory. The authors argue that, although studying theories may be tedious, it is important to know the underlying causes and factors involved in conflict and negotiation when entering into a negotiation. The authors, in some cases, address how the theories apply to both the parties to the conflict and to the negotiators themselves.
I had already heard of many of the theories that are presented in this chapter; however, i thought it was useful to see them laid out in this way. I agree that it is important to understand different theories when going into negotiation; however, i disagree with the idea that it's desirable to jump into negotiation without studying the theories. Personally, I find knowing the theories comforting when trying to intervene in conflict or even when participating in conflict because I feel like it helps me to deal with differences in opinion without being insulted. I liked the application of the theories to negotiators because it is important to think about what the negotiators bring to the table as well and what assumptions they have that might get in the way.