25 Role Plays to Teach Negotiation

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation Volume Two

Ira G. Asherman and Sandy Vance Asherman

HRD Press, Inc. Amherst, Massachuset

© 2004 by Ira Asherman and Sandy Asherman The materials that appear in this book, other than those quoted from prior sources, may be reproduced for educational/training activities. There is no requirement to obtain special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following statement appear on all reproductions: Reproduced from Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation, by Ira Asherman and Sandy Asherman, Amherst, Mass.: HRD Press, 2004. This permission statement is limited to reproduction of materials for educational or training events. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution, or inclusion of items in publications for sale, may be carried out only with prior written permission from the publisher.

Published by HRD Press 22 Amherst Road Amherst, MA 01002 1-800-822-2801

ISBN 0-87425-763-8 Cover design by Eileen Klockars Typeset by Pracharak Technologies (P) Ltd, Madras, India Editorial services by Lisa Wood

Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Section I: Internal Negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Chapter 1: Negotiating with Co-Workers—Auditing (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 The New Audit System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Plant Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Site Audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Study Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Chapter 2: Negotiating with Co-Workers—Miscellaneous (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 The Subsidiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 The Reporting System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 The Affiliate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 The Fisher Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Chapter 3: Negotiating with Co-Workers—Engineering (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Division/Corporate Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Engineering Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Chapter 4: Negotiating with Co-Workers—Teams (6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 The New Project Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 The Co-Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 The Team Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 The Difficult Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 The Beta Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 The Difficult Discussion/Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Section II: External Negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 Chapter 5: Negotiating with Vendors (10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120 The Contract Manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 Bad News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 The Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 The Final Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 iii

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation The Market Research Study New Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clean Data File . . . . . . . . . The Late Reports . . . . . . . . Wrong Work . . . . . . . . . . . . The Telephone Call . . . . . .

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.147 .153 .159 .165 .171 .177

Support Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183 Skill Identification Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . Planning Worksheet Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Negotiation Planning Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . The Successful Negotiator Observer Worksheet Practice Negotiation Debriefing Worksheet . . . .

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Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

iv

Introduction This is our second book of role plays on the subject of negotiation. As with the initial volume, this book has been designed for the management training and development specialist who needs one or two role plays to use in a negotiation program. Most of the practice negotiations (role plays) in this book were originally designed for use in The Successful Negotiator, a program we have conducted over the past twenty years for a variety of clients. We use role plays in the course to enable the participants to practice what they have learned—hence the term “practice negotiation.” We will use the terms role play and practice negotiation interchangeably throughout this book. All of the role plays have been used in our programs; you won’t be the first to use them. We have worked hard to provide you with practice negotiations in areas not covered in the initial volume. We created two sections in this book: Internal Negotiations and External Negotiations. We placed the role plays in each section under several headings in order to make them easier to identify and find. The role plays in the section on Internal Negotiations are with co-workers in Auditing, Engineering, and Teams. In the External Negotiations section, the role plays are with outside vendors in several fields. All role plays come from a variety of corporate settings, including pharmaceutical, medical equipment, retail, publishing, and chemical. Each negotiation role play comes with a cover sheet containing information about the role play: the time necessary for completion, the objectives, and notes about any special issues the trainer should be aware of. The “Time” designation reflects only the time needed to conduct the negotiation; it does not cover the time required for planning or debriefing. Feel free to change the time estimation to fit your program and its objectives. The Objectives section details the objectives the negotiation is designed to address. Special issues that might come up during the role play are highlighted in the “Trainer Notes” section. Most of the practice negotiations are straightforward, although some of them will require special treatment if they are to work properly. For example, several of the role plays are better suited than others for practicing the Issue Identification step in our negotiation process. This information is provided in the “Trainer’s Notes,” along with directions that tell you how to frame the role play instructions.

1

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation

Our Approach These practice negotiations were designed to teach the SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATOR approach to negotiation. This approach incorporates four critical concepts: • • • •

Successful negotiation is NOT an adversarial process, but one that establishes a collaborative framework for creative problem-solving. The needs and interests of BOTH negotiating parties must be addressed if there is to be a long-term solution. Negotiation is an ongoing process. Today’s negotiation will affect the long-term relationship between the parties. The negotiating process can be broken down into six distinct steps: 1) Planning 2) Climate Setting 3) Issue Identification 4) Bargaining 5) Settlement 6) Review

These six steps form the major units of the Successful Negotiator program; the practice negotiations in this book are designed to illustrate these important steps. In more detail, these steps are: 1)

2)

3)

4)

Planning This step stresses the importance of planning, and discusses in detail the factors to consider when preparing for a negotiation. Climate Setting The first few minutes of the negotiation set the stage for what is to follow. Will the proceedings be formal, collaborative, business-like, or antagonistic? This step places the control over the tone of the meeting in the hands of the negotiator, and discusses the steps to take in establishing an appropriate climate. Issue Identification All too frequently, negotiators move from a few words of greeting at the beginning of the negotiation to hammering out the details of the agreement, without first outlining the issues to be negotiated. This unit teaches participants how to be clear about the objectives as well as the issues being negotiated. Bargaining The major negotiating strategies and tactics are reviewed in this unit. Each strategy is discussed in a format that encourages an open, problem-solving 2

Introduction

5)

6)

atmosphere. It is in this section that one can gain a firm understanding of the different rituals involved in each strategy, their implications, and how they can be most effectively used. Settlement After agreement is reached, what then? Many deals fall apart because this last step is not completed. This step summarizes the deal and ensures that both parties meet their obligations. Review This step is designed to aid the negotiator in assessing how well he/she conducted the negotiation and the degree to which he/she practiced the skills of the Successful Negotiator.

Most of the practice negotiations in this book provide practice in Steps Two through Five. However, when you give participants time to plan and debrief, you are, in effect, practicing the entire six-step process. We urge you to give people sufficient time to plan. If the organization has its own planning documents use them. If not, use the ones provided in the Resource Section. You may tailor them to meet your needs. You will notice that some cover sheets direct you to use the role play only for Issue Identification, since there’s not enough information to warrant a full negotiation. Because we have found Issue Identification to be the most important and difficult step, we have provided more opportunities to practice it. In addition to the six-step process, successful negotiators make use of several specific behaviors that we refer to as critical behaviors. They are described in the Resource Section of this manual.

Debriefing Role Plays You will notice that we do not spend much time discussing the content of the negotiations. This is because our primary concern in debriefing is to ensure that participants practice the specific skills and behaviors of the Successful Negotiator model. We believe that it is also helpful for participants to practice these skills, using scenarios similar to their particular work situations. Some of the role plays were designed to look at the six-step model, as well as to raise specific content issues. We have indicated these issues in the Objectives section of each role play. Depending on your objectives, you might wish to discuss the content in greater detail. We have indicated which role plays warrant more in-depth discussion. 3


Debriefing Methodology Once the role play is completed, use the following procedure for debriefing; •

• •

• •

First, have the negotiators debrief with their observers. If you are using groups of four, have one observer for each negotiator, and have them debrief in pairs. Then, have the entire group of four get together to discuss what went well and what went not-so-well, so that they can learn from it. In the large group, ask the observers to represent their group, reporting what went well and what went not-so-well, and what made the difference in the outcome. Go around the entire group again and ask if there is anything they believe should have been done differently. Summarize the debriefing discussion.

Good luck!

4

SECTION ONE Internal Negotiations Negotiating with Co-Workers

Negotiating with Co-Workers

Auditing

AUDITING Introduction Being an auditor is a difficult job. Auditors are frequently looked upon as outsiders who get in the way, rather than as co-workers who play a valuable role in the organization. Many auditors want to be seen as consultants—people who are there to help. All of the role plays in this unit are designed for corporate auditors, and were written to provide a variety of situations auditors are likely to find themselves in during the course of their work. Before you use these practice situations, we suggest that you hold a discussion about how the auditors believe they are viewed within the company, and how they would like to be viewed. If there is any discrepancy between the two, have the group explore why the discrepancy exists and what steps they can take to close the gap. Sometimes the company or departmental philosophy and approach to auditing is not clear. If this is the case, the discussion should be quite useful. The role plays can be put in context, thus increasing their relevancy. Peter Block’s book Flawless Consulting, available from Jossey-Bass, is a good resource for helping people think about their role as an internal consultant.

7

Title:

THE NEW AUDIT SYSTEM

Time:

Thirty minutes

Objectives:

To practice the six-step negotiation process.

Role Play #1

To practice using a new audit system. Trainer Notes:

This role play is extremely helpful if you are introducing a new system or teaching others to explore issues of change— particularly when a new process is being introduced. Several questions usually arise in this situation: Should we inform people beforehand, or not? What are the implications of each approach? Both issues are worth discussing with the group.

Industry:

Pharmaceutical

9

ROLE PLAY #1 PAUL STONE Study Monitor Melody Klein from Auditing called you earlier in the week to confirm your appointment to review the audit findings on the study that Joan Morris recently completed. You and Joan go back a lot of years; she has done a number of studies for you in the past, both here at Acme and at your previous company. She has always done excellent work. Audits conducted early on in the study generally reveal problems, but Joan’s work is considered to be first-rate by the time she finishes. This is the first major study that she has completed for you here at Acme. Several months into the current study, the company conducted an audit, and several problems were identified. You met with Joan and her study coordinator, and went over the numbers. As far as you can tell, everything was taken care of. Follow-up discussions with Joan confirmed your intuition. You’ve paid close attention to this study because it’s so important. You were very surprised when Melody called you to say that a number of problems were identified in the latest audit. At your request, she sent over the findings yesterday. You reviewed them in preparation for this meeting, and are very troubled and surprised. This looks like a totally different study than the one that was audited six months ago. You can’t believe that it is one of Joan’s studies. You heard that a new system for field audits was being initiated. Of course, you’re not sure, but it sure sounds as if the rules were changed in the middle of the game. You wondered why this audit was taking so long, so you called Melody’s office to find out. Melody explained, “Because of the study’s importance, the audits are more detailed and take longer.” To say you are annoyed is putting it mildly. This isn’t a way to do business. Because this is a major study, you need accurate data in-house every four months, and the plan calls for the final study report to be completed within three months after the data is in-house. All of these audit findings could set the whole process back by six months. You called Joan to find out what happened. She said, “They were very polite, but looked at everything. It felt like the IRS was here.” She went on to point out that this was nothing like any other audit she had been through. “It was a very strange experience. Neither my study coordinator nor I was prepared for what happened. It caught us very much by surprise, and I must say that I resented how it was handled. The problems identified in the initial audit, while not immediately remedied, were eventually resolved.” 11

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation You are to meet Melody soon, and you intend to find out what is happening. You don’t want to have this type of problem on a major study. Even more important, you are not anxious to have your boss discover what happened. If Auditing has changed the rules, you expect that they’ll also help to solve the problems. It would be nice if they told you this, so that you can inform the sites. Joan is too good an investigator and too important to the company. You don’t want to do anything that will jeopardize your relationship. This misunderstanding needs to be resolved— and soon!

12

ROLE PLAY #1 MELODY KLEIN Auditor Earlier this week you called Paul Stone, Ph.D., to arrange a review of Dr. Joan Morris’s audit. During the phone conversation, you indicated that there were some problems. Paul asked you to get the findings to him before you meet so he can review them and prepare for the meeting. This isn’t something you usually do, but because of your relationship with Paul, you decided to make an exception. The audit findings were not good. A number of problems were identified, and you are sure this won’t make Paul happy, since this is a major study and he needs accurate data in-house as soon as possible. Your report will clearly slow the process down and delay the final report. You also know that Joan Morris has done studies for Paul in the past, and your guess is that they have gone well. Morris has an excellent reputation in the industry. She does a lot of studies and works for all the major companies. An audit was done several months into the study by one of your co-workers. There were problems, but from what you were told, they have all been cleared up. Paul and his staff worked with Dr. Morris to make certain that all would go well. This is the first of Paul’s studies to go through the new corporate audit procedure. Now that you think about it, sending him your findings beforehand was probably not such a great idea. If you know Paul, he’s called Joan Morris and is panicking. However, what’s done is done. This is the first audit study using the company’s new approach to major studies. It was an interesting experience. The audit turned up a number of findings— some similar to those you usually find, but also a significant number of new issues. Several were identified in the initial audit, but there are a few new ones. The audit took much longer than is typical; Paul, Dr. Morris, and her staff all asked several times what was taking so long. The department made a very deliberate decision not to tell anyone that a new process was now being followed. This was probably a mistake, but nothing can be done at this point. Take the next several minutes to prepare for your meeting with Paul.

13

ROLE PLAY #1 KNOWN TO BOTH PARTIES The initial audit was conducted approximately four months into the study. It identified the following problem areas: • • •

Inaccurate reporting of assay results. Failure to implement protocol changes requested by the monitor via formal amendment. Documentation errors not noted in the inventory of the drug supply.

The current audit, conducted at the conclusion of the study, identified the following deficiencies: • • • • • •

Protocol changes were made by the investigator without an official amendment procedure. There are inconsistencies in how the drug use was recorded. Almost one-third of the drug supply cannot be accounted for. Dates of assays were inconsistent. If the data is accurate, half the study began on the same day. Source documentation was not available. The audit took four days to complete.

15

Title:

THE PLANT MANAGER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To practice the six-step method of negotiation.

Role Play #2

To review the issues critical to this type of audit. Trainer Notes:

This role play raises interesting issues about auditing the performance of relatively new employees and how much time you give them to implement changes. If this is an issue your auditors face, this role play should be helpful. It is also useful in situations where a company merges or buys another firm that does things differently and changes must be made. This role play has the potential of becoming quite problematic; it will depend on how the plant manager reacts and how angry he/she gets. If the manager gets angry, pay particular attention in your discussion to how this behavior was handled. A follow-up discussion on handling difficult situations might also be helpful.

Industry:

Manufacturing

17

ROLE PLAY #2 BILL PETERS Plant Manager You are the Plant Manager in one of the company’s food-processing divisions. Your former position was as plant manager for a chemical company. Last week, Matt Starr from the corporate office showed up unexpectedly to conduct a site audit, which identified several areas of concern. Matt conducted the same type of audit six months ago, just after you joined the company, and some of the problems are the same ones he identified at the time. You’ve been working on them, but there’s a limit as to how fast you can move! You are still new and you must move carefully when making changes or you’ll lose everyone’s support. However, it probably makes things more difficult from an audit perspective. Overall production and quality have improved significantly since you began work, and that wasn’t easy to accomplish. Matt really bothers you; he acts as if he’s the government, not an employee of this company. He’s not being helpful. At your old company, the auditors understood that their job was to help. Matt recently outlined his observations in a memo to you. They are: •

•

• •

When more than one person performs work on a specific operation during manufacturing, the additional person(s) must place their signature on the reverse side of the HR-12. Otherwise, the identity of the person responsible for performing all operations will not be clear. One person was observed wearing a ring on her finger while handling food additives. This is in violation of the corporation’s operating procedures. In addition, there are no written policies posted that prohibit the wearing of jewelry in this area—and this is also corporate policy. The employee performing the sterile checks on PYC Electrode #312 performed these checks prior to completion of the operation. People were talking in the hallways and in the men’s room about problems they were having with several devices.

It’s not likely that the government will pick up on even half of these issues. It was only Matt’s familiarity with the plant that allowed him to see these things. Moreover, none of the items have any negative impact on product quality. When you left the chemical industry, you thought you left all the government stuff behind. If they would let you run the plant the way you want, the government would take care of 19

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation itself. The company wouldn’t have any problems and the plant would be running correctly and without incident, because everything would be okay. You are also annoyed that this audit was done as a surprise. You don’t think that was fair, especially since the findings will be seen by senior management, and will reflect negatively on your performance review. At a minimum, you want a chance to make the appropriate changes—or at least have a chance to respond. Matt Starr is coming in now to discuss his findings in detail with you. How can or should you deal with him?

20

ROLE PLAY #2 MATT STARR Corporate Compliance You are the company’s Government Compliance Manager. You have been in this position for the past two years. Prior to that, you worked for a pharmaceutical firm in its compliance department. For the most part, you enjoy your work, but your least-favorite type of activity is the meeting you will have shortly with Bill Peters, one of your new plant managers. People here don’t appreciate how difficult the government can be if it conducts an audit and catches these kinds of issues. This job is easy, compared to the pharmaceutical world. Last week, you conducted a review of Bill Peters’ facility and identified several areas of concern. Some of these same areas were identified six months ago during the mock inspection you conducted shortly after Bill joined the company as plant manager. This has you very frustrated, since you know that these are areas that government auditors would cite if they were conducting the review. You wrote the observations just as the government would have, and sent them to Bill. The observations are: •

•

•

•

When more than one person performs work on a specific operation during manufacturing, the additional person(s) must place their signature(s) on the reverse side of the HR-12. Otherwise, the identity of the person responsible for performing all operations will not be clear. One person was observed wearing a ring on her finger while handling food additives. This is in violation of the corporation’s operating procedures. In addition, there are no written policies posted that prohibit the wearing of jewelry in this area. The employee performing the sterile checks on PYC Electrode #312 performed these checks prior to the completion of the operation. The operating guidelines specify that the operation must be completed before the sterile checks are conducted. People were talking in the halls and in the men’s room about problems they were having with several devices.

The problem is in getting manufacturing to make the necessary changes. While some change has occurred since your initial review, it doesn’t appear as if Bill has made much of an effort. If these guys would only listen to you about what the government expects, your life would be much easier and so would theirs. That’s 21

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation why you were hired. You heard from others that Bill has done a great job improving productivity and quality. Bill was a former plant manager in a chemical company. You know that he had to deal with the government there, so he knows how tough the government can be. You also heard that he is unhappy with the “surprise nature of the review,” especially since the results are seen by senior management. The “surprise nature” is a technique that you strongly believe works. Bill is difficult at best, and always looks for every edge. You are meeting with Bill shortly to review your findings and to see that the necessary changes are made.

22

Title:

SITE AUDIT

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #3

To practice reporting on a third-party audit. Trainer Notes:

This role play is designed for auditors and clinical research personnel in the pharmaceutical industry. It raises the issue of facts and feelings; auditors frequently want to focus on the facts while the monitor is concerned with his/her feelings and those of the investigator. Pay particular attention to how the auditor dealt with the feelings issue. Did the auditor acknowledge the feelings, or did he/she just go to the facts? You might want to add a section about feelings to your observer sheet to pick up on this. It would also be helpful to precede the role play with a discussion of the importance of feelings and how to address them.

Industry:

Pharmaceutical

23

ROLE PLAY #3 MAX McCARTHY Auditor You recently completed a fairly routine site audit. What was particularly troubling to you was the disparity between the field monitor’s site visit reports and what you found. Based on the reports, you didn’t expect to find any problems. Not only were there a number of audit findings, but the behavior of the site administrator and the investigator confused you. Except for a quick hello and a “I know you’ll find everything okay,” the investigator was not to be seen. While very pleasant, the study coordinator seemed hesitant about sharing information. When you asked her about some of the things you were discovering, she indicated that she knew about them but had no more information, since she was relatively new. You got the feeling that there had been problems between her and the investigator, but you weren’t able to identify anything specific. She seemed to be in a very difficult position and was obviously uncomfortable with what she should or shouldn’t say. The problems you identified were the following: •

• • • •

There were a number of study exceptions, for which there was no documentation. The coordinator indicated that these exceptions were approved by the medical monitor. A number of Adverse Events were identified, but the only ones reported were those that the investigator felt were directly related to the compound. Drug (pill) counts were off. There were discrepancies in dates as to when patients began the study. The signatures on the CRFs are not clear. You are not sure if the investigator has signed them or if someone else has.

At the conclusion of the audit, you discussed your findings with the coordinator and let her know about the issues you identified. You attempted to meet with the investigator, but he only made a brief appearance, saying he had another appointment. He said that he would be back shortly, and indicated that if there are any problems, you should wait. Your meeting with the coordinator took approximately thirty minutes. You waited another forty-five minutes for the investigator. When he did not return, you left. You told the coordinator that either the monitor or one of her staff members would get back to them. You called the monitor to schedule a meeting so that you can report your findings. It will be held shortly. 25

ROLE PLAY #3 PAM RICHARDS Medical Monitor The compliance group recently completed an audit at one of your sites. As is frequently the case, the team raised issues that you don’t believe are either important or that will have a very serious impact on the overall study. Moreover, the compliance team typically fails to consider the broader context—the importance of the investigator to the company, the study itself, and the site’s history. However, before you had a chance to call the investigator with the findings, he called you and was clearly upset. He pointed out a few things: • •

•

•

“These are typical start-up problems, and they’ll be taken care of. It’s still early.” “My administrator is relatively new and they shouldn’t have put her under this type of pressure. If there were concerns, they should have insisted that I be there. It wasn’t the right way to handle this type of issue—or a new person. I’m really surprised at your people.” “If there were problems, your people should have said something to me at the conclusion of the visit. I came by while they were meeting with my coordinator, and I figured everything was okay.” “Based on the initial conversation, I wasn’t clear about what they needed or would be looking for. I know they sent a letter, but again, they should have spoken with me.”

He went on to point out that he has conducted many studies, and always comes through. You know that he’s right. In fact, you have heard that when the study is completed, his work is usually first-rate. He has never previously done a study for you. However, he has done work for several of your associates. In your own mind, you’re not clear about the importance or purpose of these audits. It’s really the end result that counts. You were once a research scientist yourself and you know how time-consuming and difficult these site audits are. It’s a real problem at some of the better sites, where there might be several studies going on. As for the problems identified, you see most as pretty minor. The investigator is someone you trust, and you are not looking to create problems. Besides, he’s considered a leading person in the field, and Marketing will need his support to help with the product launch.

27

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation You haven’t yet seen the actual report. Basically, you know what the investigator told you: the problems were minor, his coordinator is new, and not to worry, the study will be fine. You are troubled, not only by the possible findings, but how the audit was handled, You think to yourself, We need to treat people with some degree of respect and care.

28

Title:

THE INSPECTION

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #4

To practice dealing with a person higher up in the organization who has more academic credentials. Trainer Notes:

Once the role play has been completed and discussed, survey the group to see how many people have dealt with similar situations. Brainstorm approaches to addressing the problem. Pay particular attention to Issue Identification and how well it was handled. In conducting the debriefing, spend time looking at why certain people succeeded and others did not. Also ask the people who played Dr. Stone for their reactions to the different auditors. Pay particular attention to what worked and what did not. This is a difficult negotiation for auditors who must work with people who have far more academic training than they do and who use their position and prestige to intimidate and put them down.

Industry:

Chemical/Pharmaceutical

29

ROLE PLAY #4 FRED JAMES, Ph.D. Auditing You are Fred James, biologist and you have been at Good Chemicals for two years, having previously worked for four years at Foods Plus (in their Quality Assurance department). Your company recently submitted several products that are now awaiting government approval. The authorities have become more aggressive in conducting pre-product release inspections at corporate processing laboratories. Because of the government’s increased activity, your department has become more active in auditing all company labs. You called Dr. John Stone, Processing Lab director, to arrange an audit, and you were left with a very uncomfortable feeling—almost one of hostility. Although Dr. Stone didn’t say so directly, you know he wasn’t happy with the idea of your coming in to conduct an audit. This in itself isn’t unusual, since no one is happy when they get audited—least of all someone who is so well known and who holds so many degrees. He’s headed this lab for the past three years. Since you had never audited this facility before, you asked a lot of questions about methods and approaches. At the conclusion of the audit, these are your concerns: • • •

Notebooks are incomplete. They do not indicate methods or procedures used. Instruments used to perform analyses were not listed. There were two sets of data for one sample, but there was no explanation as to why the sample was tested twice.

Because of all this, you aren’t sure that people are following standard operating procedures. Although the company has no written guidelines about these issues, the practices and procedures outlined do not comply with governmental procedures. Notebooks should be specific as to what and how things were done; it isn’t sufficient to list only the results. Your own experience tells you that if a government auditor became aware of this lapse, he/she would become very concerned and suspicious. It would serve as a red flag: government auditors would start looking at everything Stone and his people do. From your perspective, this kind of recordkeeping needs to end immediately. In fact, all the notebooks for the study you just audited need to be completely reconstructed. You don’t see any other option. You tried to talk with Dr. Stone on two occasions during the audit, but he wasn’t 31

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation free—something came up both times. Stone is not easy. You now understand what everyone meant when they said that this particular audit would be difficult. You are about to meet with Dr. Stone to discuss your findings and develop an action plan to address your concerns.

32

ROLE PLAY #4 J. STONE, Ph.D Processing Lab Director You are John Stone, an analytical chemist. You have been with Good Chemicals, Inc. for five years, and for the past three years have headed the processing lab. No one has ever complained about the quality of your lab’s work or found fault with any of the work you have done personally. In fact, you received several corporate commendations for your department’s work on two recent government submissions. You have never been reviewed by a government agency. Your lab was recently audited by Fred James, a member of the company’s Quality Assurance group. Fred is a biologist by training, and you found yourself explaining every single procedure and approach to him. He asked many questions that seemed to be unnecessary, if not inappropriate. In fact, he didn’t seem to know how an analytical lab works, and asked to see all sorts of documentation, particularly the notebooks. He asked to meet with you twice during the audit, but you didn’t have the time. In fact, your group is so overworked that just having him here was a major inconvenience. Fred completed his audit late yesterday, and asked to meet with you today to review his findings. You have some concerns about his audit: • • • •

You are not doing anything new or different in your lab, and no one has ever complained about your practices or procedures. You are following department policy; the issues Fred James asked about are detailed in the department’s Approved Methods Handbook. Having Fred here for two weeks was very disruptive. It also limited the amount of work your department got out. You are following the spirit of the law, if not the exact letter.

Most importantly, you are a scientist—and a very good one. Your lab is staffed with some top-notch people, all of whom are excellent scientists. If the authorities needed to conduct a spot-check, they’d probably send a scientist who understands the work of your lab and who wouldn’t have to ask all the questions that Fred did. Your meeting with Fred is about to begin. You hope to conclude the meeting as quickly as possible, since you have several important meetings later on today. Your meeting with Fred will be held in fifteen minutes.

33

Title:

THE STUDY REPORT

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #5

To learn how to deal with an individual higher up in the organization—a person who has more academic credentials or who is “difficult.” Trainer Notes:

This is a difficult negotiation for auditors, who must deal from time to time with individuals who have more academic training and who try to intimidate others by using their position and prestige to put them down. One variation on this theme is to design the role play around people who hold “key” positions and use their position as a source of power. Once the role play has been completed and discussed, survey the group to see how many people have been in similar situations. Brainstorm approaches to addressing the problem. Pay particular attention to Issue Identification and how well it was handled.

Industry:

Engineering

35

ROLE PLAY #5 DANA ADAMS Quality Assurance You are a relatively new member of the Quality Assurance auditing group. As an auditor, it is your responsibility to review engineering reports for accuracy and consistency and then get the authors to make the necessary changes. Most authors are professional in this regard, and will make the changes you point out. Other auditors seem to resolve these issues easily with their teams. Of course, they’ve been working with their teams for a long time. When you were trying to learn this job, much of the jargon in these reports made little or no sense to you. However, as time goes on, you have learned a great deal by doing, listening, and working with several of the senior people in the department. In the last few weeks, you have become much more confident, and you have a clearer understanding of your role as auditor. Several days ago, you reviewed a report written by Dr. Margaret Fish and found a number of errors. You’re anxious about having to talk about these errors with Dr. Fish, because she’s known to be difficult—if not rude. You’ve sat in meetings she’s conducted and she doesn’t appear to know or care who you are. When you ask a question in a team meeting, Dr. Fish ignores it or provides a very cursory answer. Then she proceeds with the meeting as if nothing was ever asked. You’re not sure how much of her behavior is because you are new. Dr. Fish is the director of Engineering R&D, and has been with the company for six years. She has two Ph.D.s, and her degrees and licenses are framed and hung on the walls in her office. In the first report you reviewed, she wrote in response to one question, “You’re not a Ph.D. If you want to question my judgment, get a postgraduate degree.” She did, however, make most of the changes you requested, but chose to discuss several of them with your boss before making the changes. Yesterday, as you were waiting downstairs to talk with another engineer about a different report, Dr. Fish walked by and saw you standing next to the file cabinets. You smiled and said, “Hello, Dr. Fish.” Her only response to you was a cursory nod. You’re very confident that the issues you noted in your audit are legitimate, but you’re worried about Dr. Fish accepting your comments and refusing to change the specifics because of her defensiveness. You also don’t want to spend a lot of time on personality issues; you just want to get Dr. Fish to make these changes, and then get out of there as soon as possible. Dr. Fish is not fully aware of your auditing concerns; she only knows that you have several questions you need to discuss with her. The issues you intend to discuss with Dr. Fish are: 37

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation 1. 2.

3.

You discovered that Dr. Fish incorrectly calculated the means for exercise duration on one of the tables in an engineering report. When the means are correctly calculated using weighted means, the result is much higher than previously reported. This might be a statistically significant result. You suspect that Dr. Fish will push for your approval or sign-off on this preliminary review, but it is department policy not to sign-off until a corrected, retyped copy is seen, changes are made, and the document is verified as correct.

You have several minutes to prepare for your meeting.

38

ROLE PLAY #5 DR. MARGARET FISH Clinical Research Dana Adams of Quality Assurance asked to meet with you. In your brief telephone conversation, he indicated that he had some questions about the report you forwarded to him last week. Because of other pressing business and the fact that you are about to leave on a business trip, you wrote this report rather quickly. You didn’t even review it after it was typed. QA can be very difficult to deal with at times—especially the newer people in the department. It really bothers you when new people are sent to represent the department on the project team. They frequently raise issues that experienced auditors let go by because they understand the realities of the drug-development process and the pressures you are under. They also know how to work with you so that all the objectives are achieved. In one of your reports that Dana reviewed, you had to take several issues to his boss before they were resolved. You eventually did what they requested, but only after it was explained in a more professional manner to you. These younger people just don’t have the necessary experience. You’re not sure what Dana has discovered, but you are busy and don’t have the time to make changes. You are scheduled to leave on another trip in three days, and you intend to get the auditor’s sign-off before you leave. You have several minutes to prepare for your meeting with Dana.

39

Negotiations with Co-Workers

Miscellaneous

Title:

THE SUBSIDIARY

Time:

Forty-five minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #6

To explore issues of boundary-role management. Trainer Notes:

This is an ideal role play to use if you are interested in looking at boundary-role issues. This role play is one we use to explore internal boundary-role questions. It can be particularly effective in looking at issues that arise between a corporate office and subsidiaries. It can easily be tailored for use in any environment. In addition to looking at how the negotiation was handled, you should also explore issues related to the subsidiaries. Consider having people from the subsidiaries come in to talk about how they view corporate, how corporate views them, and about how to work together effectively. Some of the groups will talk solely about the compound, while others will broaden the discussion and look at the relationship and Tom’s perceptions. Explore the implications of this discussion. If you need additional information on boundary roles, see the following articles:

Industry:

•

Inter-organizational Negotiation and Accountability: An Examination of the Adams’ Paradox, by Cynthia Fobian (1987). The article can be purchased from the National Institute of Dispute Resolution, 1900 L Street N.W., Washington, D.C., 20030.

•

“The Structure and Dynamics of Behavior in Organizational Boundary Roles,” by J. S. Adams (1976) in M.E. Dunette (ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally.


43

ROLE PLAY #6 BETTY FIELDER Government Affairs You are Betty Fielder, the corporation’s government affairs manager, dealing with a highly visible chemical product that senior management considers to be a top priority. In fact, the project team has been told to go full-speed-ahead, and a great deal of money has already been spent on field studies. Since this compound is one of a new class of chemical additives, you contacted all the subsidiaries and asked each of the supervisors to speak informally with the governmental agency there to find out as much as possible about the likely requirements for approval. Most of the subsidiary supervisors have gotten back to you. All of them report that their agency’s projected requirements are fairly reasonable—all, that is, except Thomas Hensen, the manager for Fenwick (a small but influential country). Hensen reports that Fenwick’s agency will require three or four more critical studies than the team has planned, and want some of the studies to take place in Fenwick. His interpretation of their requirements is, “These guys are really concerned about the impact on human safety. I know this agency: these people simply will not accept what you’re proposing without additional studies.” Tom is not an assertive person, and you believe that he doesn’t always state the company position strongly enough when dealing with the agency. Tom worked for the agency seven years ago before joining the company; this is helpful in most cases, but you suspect that he overidentifies with his former employer from time to time. The written regulations of most countries are fairly general, and you have to depend on the local people to accurately interpret them. Fenwick is even more of a problem, since its officials don’t like to talk until they see data. You are being pushed by the team to get Fenwick’s requirements so that they can get moving. Marketing believes that Fenwick is extremely important to the company because it carries worldwide influence regarding this type of compound. In fact, when Tom described the agency’s likely requirements, the team leader suggested that he and a medical representative travel to Fenwick with you to meet with the agency—to explain the importance of this new additive, and to discuss how to address their concerns without doing all the additional safety studies. This will not make Tom very happy. You believe that he might be overstating his agency’s needs, and that he should be able to persuade the agency to be more reasonable. Tom is in town on another matter, and you will be meeting with him in approximately ten minutes. 45

ROLE PLAY #6 THOMAS HENSEN Registration Manager You are Thomas Hensen, registration manager for the corporation’s Fenwick subsidiary. A small but influential country, Fenwick is known for its rigorous governmental approval process and the quality of its agency’s science. The Fenwick agency’s written requirements are fairly general; reviewers usually interpret the regulations as they see fit and as they relate to the compound in question. You have been in your position for about seven years now, and have gotten to know your counterpart at the agency very well. You worked for the agency before joining the company, and some of the people you worked with are still there. The agency is generally very easy to work with, except when it comes to accepting research data from countries other than Fenwick. Several weeks ago, you received a request from Betty Fielder, registration manager at corporate headquarters. The company is developing a new food additive and has what looks like a real winner. Betty asked you to find out from the Fenwick agency what its requirements would be for this new class of compound. You went to your contact at the agency (with whom you have a good relationship) and talked with him about the general plans for testing this compound. He told you that the government will not consider accepting this new class of compounds without extensive human safety data, and that some of the testing should be conducted in Fenwick. Although you agree with him on the need for such studies, you put forth the company’s argument that adequate safety data will be available from studies that are being conducted in the United States and Europe, and that there is no need for further studies. As usual, he remained adamant and said that there is little chance of approval without the additional studies. While he wouldn’t give you an exact number, you guess that at least three studies of twenty-five people each in Fenwick will be required. He did point out that he might be willing to talk with you after seeing some of the initial data. When you spoke with Betty, you told her that you figure three or four additional studies will be needed. Betty was not happy. She asked to speak with you in person the next time you are in town, since the company doesn’t want to do that many additional studies. You feel that you are being pressured to produce results that you don’t think you can deliver. However, Betty told you that the team leader and an R&D staff person are proposing that they come to meet with the agency. You don’t want to see that happen, because it will look as if you aren’t able to do the job. It won’t do much for your reputation, either within the company or with the agency. On the other hand, 47

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation you could probably use their help in moving the agency along, but you need to control the process. You feel that you’ve done a good job in this position; your approach has always been to work with the agency to build solid working relationships. You believe you have accomplished this because you are not challenging them, but rather simply presenting the company’s position within the framework of how the agency functions. Bringing company people in to meet with the agency might be misinterpreted and could even have a long-term impact on your relationship with the agency. You are now at the corporate headquarters, having flown in for an international conference. Betty asked you to stop by her office so that you can talk about this matter. You will meet with her in about ten minutes.

48

Title:

THE REPORTING SYSTEM

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #7

To practice solving a problem between co-workers. Trainer Notes:

This role play is particularly useful for situations in which one person is held responsible for an ongoing task that he or she does only on an as-needed basis. This individual does not think the task is terribly important, but the coworker does. Explore the differences between individuals who are successful at their work and those who are not. If the legal people take time to listen to the technical-operations person, this negotiation will go well. If they try to use their power to impose a settlement, the negotiations will probably be difficult. As a follow-up to this role play, try to brainstorm approaches to dealing with this type of situation. Encourage people to talk about similar experiences and share how they handled them. If you are working with a homogeneous group, have the participants identify any other groups they have problems with, and use that as the basis of a discussion.

Industry:

General

49

ROLE PLAY #7 MARC PFIEFER Tech Operations You work in Technical Operations. You just received a call from Marjorie Parks in the Legal department, who wants to talk to you about something. One of your responsibilities here is to make sure that the people who require access to the consumer-complaint reporting system are placed on the system in a timely manner. This is not something you initiate on your own, nor do people come asking to be placed on the system. Instead, they go to someone in Legal, who sends you a request to place them on the system. When you’re not very busy, you can get the work done in about two days—sometimes less. Once in a while, it might be three days before you can get to it, but never more. Once people are on the system, you must complete the process by returning the original request form to Legal, indicating precisely when access was established and for what data. You also must show that you conducted the appropriate tests to make sure that a password was established and that there are no discrepancies. As frequently as not, you forget to complete and return the form to Legal. It’s not that you don’t care, but in all honesty, you aren’t clear about why this has to be done. The names of those who are put into the system will eventually show up on the computer in the weekly summary, so Legal will certainly know that the request has been taken care of. This should be enough. People here think you have nothing else to do. This task is only a small part of your work, but it’s a real pain, since it’s not something you can schedule. Whenever a request is received, you’re expected to respond in no more than three days—regardless of what else is happening. The work is not complicated, but it does involve several hours of your time and only serves to interrupt whatever else you might be doing. You’ve been thinking of proposing to your boss that the system be changed so that you can take care of the entire process and do it all by computer. In fact, you are going to mention it when you meet next week. This whole system makes little or no sense to you. You’re not sure why the system is the way it is. No one ever explained the why—only that one of your tasks is to do it. Companies install computer systems to reduce paperwork. All this system has done is increase the amount of paperwork and the number of people involved. From your perspective, the entire process would be improved if people simply came directly to you with their request. You would place them on the system, and that’s it. Quick and simple! 51

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation The real problems are with the folks in Legal. They act as if this is the most important thing you have to do. They get real upset if you’re late in getting someone on the system or you forget to complete the paperwork. That’s probably what’s given rise to Marjorie’s request to talk with you. You forgot to report that several people were placed on the system. In fact, you got them on the system almost immediately but forgot to tell her, because several other important issues came up that required your time and immediate attention. You were lucky to get them on the system as quickly as you did. Marjorie is on her way over to see you, and you expect her any minute.

Known to Both Parties Marc Pfiefer from Tech Operations is relatively new to the company—in fact, he has only been here for six months. (He replaced someone who quit unexpectedly). A meeting was held with Marc Pfiefer soon after he arrived, and the Adverse Impact reporting process was reviewed at this meeting. There have been no conversations since that time.

52

ROLE PLAY #7 MARJORIE PARKS Legal Department Your job is to keep the consumer complaint reporting system current. As part of your responsibilities, you also make sure that people who need access to the system get it. You are not involved in doing the computer work—you send that on to the people in Tech Operations, who complete the actual work and let you know when it’s been completed. Company policy requires that the process take no more than three days to complete. You are not sure why, but that’s the policy. The correct procedure is as follows: • • •

You receive a written request to be placed on the system. You send that request to Tech Operations. In three days or less, you receive written notification that the person now has access to the system.

For a variety of reasons, the process is not working as it should. You are often not notified by Tech Operations that people are on the system. This has proved to be embarrassing, since people frequently call you with a problem or a question that requires system access, and sometimes you don’t even know that they have been put on the system. On several occasions, you’ve been able to pick up the information from the weekly summary on the computer, but you should have received written notification. It’s embarrassing when this happens. Not everyone is permitted access to everything and your job is to monitor the process. In addition, the government requires that these requests be written and that the entire process be documented in writing—a clear paper trail. Quality Assurance audits your work, and if you don’t have the appropriate documentation, they will write you up. This has never happened, and you don’t want it to happen! The person handling this process is relatively new, but he should know what needs to be done and how to do it. His predecessor not only got everyone on the system quickly, but got the documentation to you immediately. You need to have a good working relationship if the process is to work. Early last week you sent in two requests for system access, and nobody has gotten back to you as to when or if the people were put on the system. You received calls from both people asking when they would be on. When you called to inquire, you learned that they were already on and had actually been on for several days. You called the person in Tech Operations who is responsible for the process and 53

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation asked for a meeting. You’re not looking forward to this meeting, since it is not your job to train their people.

Known to Both Parties Marc Pfiefer from Tech Operations is relatively new to the company—in fact, he has only been here for six months. (He replaced someone who quit unexpectedly.) A meeting was held with Marc Pfiefer soon after he arrived, and the Adverse Impact reporting process was reviewed at this meeting. There have been no conversations since that time.

54

Title:

THE AFFILIATE

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To identify and address issues of concern to home office and subsidiaries.

Role Play #8

To illustrate the Successful Negotiator model. Trainer Notes:

This role play is ideal if your company is dealing with issues concerning your home office and local affiliates. It can also spark discussion on how the company determines the priority of its projects. If you have non-U.S.-based affiliates, you might want to look at the impact cultural differences have on the relationship between affiliates and headquarters. Explore the problems at your company, the impact they are having on operations and production, and what can be done to resolve them.

Resources:

The bibliography in the Resources section includes a number of published works on the subject of cultural diversity. We have also found the following book of exercises to be very helpful: Global Competence: 50 Training Activities for Succeeding in International Business, by Lambert, Myers, and Simons (HRD Press, 2000). We have found two additional resources that are extremely helpful: The David M. Kennedy Center at Brigham Young University, and Intercultural Press (which can be reached at www.intercultural press.com).

Industry:


55

ROLE PLAY #8 IAN SMITHSON Developmental Research (Europe) You have been at Additives Inc. for five years, having previously worked for another chemical company. You are presently assigned to the company’s facility in Sweden. Things never seem to change here. Although everyone talks about this being a global company, it always seems that it’s the U.S. affiliates and their needs that come first. The needs of our affiliates in Europe and Asia are never given serious consideration. You get the feeling that the folks in the U.S. don’t trust us or our capabilities. It’s as if they are the only ones who can do good research. If we ask for assistance or comments, they assume that we don’t know anything. The most recent example happened only last week. We are almost ready to file for product approval on a new compound in Europe, but we need the data from two environmental studies completed in the U.S. Unfortunately, the U.S. people don’t have the resources (money) to complete the review of the data and prepare the reports. At least that’s what they say. You’ve done everything necessary—you’ve reviewed the literature, completed your own studies, and prepared all the data, but you need the U.S. data before you can file. When you spoke to your associates in the U.S., their response was that the project is a low-priority one. It might be low-priority for them, but it’s high-priority for you! You made that clear at the beginning of the year, but no one seems to remember that. Either it’s high priority, or it isn’t—it can’t be both. This isn’t the first time this has happened with this project or with others. You were ready to file last year, but the U.S. environmental studies had not been completed. Now all the studies are done, but the U.S. people won’t prepare the reports. When you last asked why, the response was that our research people here in Europe should do the reports. This isn’t something you should do. It’s their study and their data, and it should be their report. Let them hire consultants to complete the work. There always seems to be money available to hire one when they feel the issues are critical. You know that setting priorities is an issue that senior management is looking at, but this project can’t wait until that decision is made. You spoke with your boss, and she said that you should do whatever is necessary. When you asked if we had any money available, she said that some could be made available, but added, “I don’t want to get in the habit of doing this, since the U.S. will never do anything if we pay.” She did say that she would support whatever decision you make. 57

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation You are now in the U.S. for a series of meetings, and intend to meet with Project Management to see if this issue can be resolved. You’re not quite sure what the answer is, but you know you will look good if you can work this out. You have fifteen minutes to prepare for your meeting with Project Management.

58

ROLE PLAY #8 CHARLOTTE CHASE Project Management (U.S.) You work for Additives Inc. here in the United States. You have been with the company for the past seven years. You are now faced with a difficult situation: The folks in Europe want you to complete the reports of two environmental studies that were conducted in the U.S. and completed several months ago. The problem is that while you would like to complete the reports, you just don’t have the resources, people, or money to do it. The position of the folks in Europe is that they are ready to file for approval, but before they can file, they need completed reports from these two studies. They’ve already completed their own studies, done a complete literature search, and are ready to move ahead. When you last spoke with your associates here in the U.S., everyone was quite clear that they don’t have the resources. They say to let Europe have their own people or a consultant complete the analysis if they need it so quickly. This attitude won’t sit well with the folks in Europe; Their position is very clear. For Europe, this is a high-priority study; it should also be a high priority for the U.S.— not the low priority that we say it is. As several of these people said at a recent meeting, “If we are truly a global company doing global product development, then we need to consider everyone’s needs. We can’t call a project ‘high priority’ in part of the world and ‘low priority’ somewhere else. Either it is a high priority, or it isn’t. It can’t be both.” The people in Europe are very upset about this. They believe that this is an ongoing problem—their needs always seem to come second, and we act like we don’t trust them. What makes them even more upset is that they were ready to file last year, but we held them up because our studies were not yet completed. You don’t ever remember hearing about the importance of these two reports. They might have been talked about, but no one remembers hearing that they were so critical. You spoke with your boss and the folks in Research and learned that some money is available to hire a consultant, but it’s not something they want to do because it sets a bad precedent. To quote your boss, “This is their high-priority project—they should cover the costs.” He did say that he would support whatever agreement you worked out, even it meant making some money available. He also said that he was not anxious to set a precedent by making money available. You will meet with your colleague from Europe in about fifteen minutes. 59

Title:

THE FISHER HOTEL

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #9

To practice negotiating with a co-worker when commitments have been made. Trainer Notes:

This role play is particularly useful when you are dealing with internal negotiations. However, it can easily be used as a good example of position bargaining. In this role play, people frequently become very focused on their positions and get annoyed with each other, thus limiting their ability to find a creative solution. If this happens, lead a discussion about which solutions are available after you have debriefed the negotiation. The same can be accomplished by comparing settlements among groups and trying to identify why some groups get a deal and others do not.

Industry:

Magazine publishing

61

ROLE PLAY #9 TOM BLACK Advertising You have worked with New Age Honeymoon magazine for the past five years and worked with its parent company for close to ten. You are one of the company’s top salespeople, responsible for bringing in significant dollars on an annual basis. One of your accounts is the Fisher hotel company, which owns a chain of small, romantic hotels in the Caribbean and South Pacific—all called “The Fisher.” You’ve been after the Fisher people for the past ten months to increase the number of pages the company buys for advertising, but you have not been able to get them to increase their ad space more than a few pages. They’ve placed their biggest ads with another publication—Modern Honeymoons. However, The Fisher was recently purchased by New Destinations, a very large hotel chain. New Destinations is already a client, and they’ve placed a good number of pages over the past several years. Now it looks like the prospects for increased business will be even better. Someone at New Destinations contacted you last week to ask if the magazine is planning any articles on Bali. They are interested in promoting The Fisher-Bali as a honeymoon spot. You remembered a memo from Sue Lyons several months ago announcing an upcoming issue on Bali, so you told them that you are sure that something can be worked out. The Fisher would be perfect for this issue; it’s one of the most attractive spots in Bali. You stayed there on your honeymoon, and found it fabulous. When you spoke further with The Fisher, your contact told you that management has offered to supply all the hotel rooms and even dinners during the shoot. They clearly want to get the word out about The Fisher. You called Sue and told her that you have the perfect hotel to be featured in the issue. She hesitated before telling you that The Regency has already been selected as the featured hotel. and that all arrangements have been made. Regency is also a big account for the magazine—not one of yours, but an important one to the company. Sue agreed to meet with you to discuss it further, but offered you no real hope of changing hotels. This Fisher deal is especially attractive to you, since many of the hotels run by this chain are located in great honeymoon spots. It’s a big opportunity—one that could lead to a lot of business. This is an opportunity to make a current client real happy, which would probably increase the business they give us. We shouldn’t pass it up. You have ten minutes to prepare your case. 63

ROLE PLAY #9 SUE LYONS Travel Editor You are Sue Lyons, Travel Editor for New Age Honeymoon magazine. Three months ago, the decision was made to feature Bali in an upcoming issue. You sent out a memo advising all staff of the decision, and have been deliberating about the photographers and the resort you’ll feature for the past three months. You settled on The Regency, an old, established hotel in central Bali. You contacted them, and they offered to supply at least some of the hotel rooms for the shoot. The photographer you hired is Marcy McLaren, who lived and worked in Bali for several years. Marcy is very familiar with the Regency, having used it several times for fashion shoots. She thinks the Regency is far and away the best choice for this issue, since it is physically spectacular and romantic—the ideal honeymoon retreat. You have just spoken by phone with Tom Black in Advertising. Tom kept you on the phone for what seemed to be an eternity, and then talked you into meeting with him to discuss something you told him can’t happen. Tom wants you to give up The Regency Hotel in Bali, in favor of another resort. You sent a memo to staff three months ago, advising them of the Bali issue. That was plenty of notice. But now that all the plans have been just about finalized, Tom wants you to shoot at The Fisher, a hotel he says is new and beautiful. It’s where he recently went on his honeymoon. He also says that the location and beaches around it are beyond comparison. The fact of the matter is that Tom wants to get The Fisher as an important account. You can see his point, since The Fisher was just purchased by a huge hotel chain, New Destinations, and they could potentially be a very large account. Tom is no fool—getting the Fisher as a client would make a real difference. This isn’t the first time that Advertising has done this. You do everything in plenty of time, and then they spring something on you at the last minute. You could change hotels at this point, but it would be a lot of work. All arrangements have been made with The Regency and they’ve made a real effort to accommodate us. This isn’t how you do business. It’s not right. We wouldn’t be happy if someone did this to us, and it is clearly bad business. Others will find out, and it will have an impact. In this business, everyone knows everyone. It would be embarrassing. In your mind, it is almost unethical. You spoke with your boss about the problem, and she suggested that you try to work something out with Tom. She will support whatever you decide, but she reminded you that the Regency group also operates a big chain of hotels. Tom is going to have to do some fast talking. You will meet with Tom in ten minutes. 65


Engineering

Title:

DIVISION/CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Role Play#10

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To explore the relationship between corporate headquarters and local engineering groups. To practice the complete six-step model for negotiation.

Trainer Notes:

This is an ideal role play for exploring the relationships between corporate headquarters and the company’s local divisions. Because of the nature of this negotiation, we suggest that you use it to look at the entire six-step negotiation process. If there are problems between the divisions, you should expect that this role play will bring them to the surface. Spend the time necessary to discuss each issue that is raised. In groups performing this role play, Corporate Management will let the division keep the work. Explore why that occurred, as well as what made the difference. If there are problems between corporate headquarters and local engineering groups, the ideal situation is to have company representatives from both groups in the room when the role play is being performed.

Industry:

Engineering

69

ROLE PLAY #10 D.D. SMITH Division Engineering You are D.D. Smith, division engineer, and you need a project completed as soon as possible. This job involves the renovation of the pilot plant. The contractor you want to use on this project is Mutual Magic, Inc., a firm you’ve worked with before, so you know they do high quality work. They’re truly professional engineers who always meet their obligations. There is no question in your mind that Mutual Magic can do the job and do it well. In addition, while the cost of the project is above the $2.5 million corporate cut-off (where corporate keeps the work), it’s a relatively small job— $3,750,000 at the very most. Even though Mutual hasn’t worked on this large a project before, both you and your boss believe that it deserves the opportunity. The job isn’t urgent, but it’s one that you both want completed as soon as possible. The job was postponed before for a variety of reasons, and now you’d like to get it done quickly because there are several other proposals you need to complete later in the year. You and your boss have already spoken with Mutual about the project, since the firm is finishing up a small job for you. Mutual officials assured you that they can get the job done quickly, since they already have men on site. They believe that the size of the project is not a problem, and have given you an estimate of between $3,000,000–$3,750,000 to complete the work. Your own estimate is in the same range. You are concerned that Corporate Engineering might want to manage this project, since it’s above the $2,500,000 threshold that company policy says constitutes a Corporate Engineering project. However, you want the division to manage the project because you find it personally challenging and know it would take Corporate Engineering too long to get up-to-speed. In addition, they’ll want to send it out for bids, which will add anywhere from three to six months to the project. This will delay completion by at least six months. You called Naomi Edwards in Corporate Engineering to talk about the project. You discussed the job with her and mentioned the company you want to work on it. She didn’t say no, and suggested that you get together to discuss the situation. Corporate has the freedom to give you the project if they want to do so. That meeting will be held shortly.

71


Known to Both Parties The corporate cut-off is $2.5 million. Projects coming in with estimates of less than $2.5 million become Corporate Engineering’s responsibility.

72

ROLE PLAY #10 NAOMI EDWARDS Corporate Engineering D.D. Smith of Division Engineering called and asked to meet with you about a project he needs completed. You’re not sure exactly what he has in mind, but in a brief conversation last week, he said that his division needs a renovation completed on the pilot plant. They would like to use Mutual Magic, a firm they’ve used several times in the past. Your own experience with Mutual Magic has been positive, but all of their work has been on relatively small jobs of $2 million or less— jobs that don’t require great project-management skills. This job is significantly larger than anything Mutual Magic has done in the past. Because of its size, the work will require not only strong engineering skills, but equally strong skills in project management. Mutual Magic might have all the necessary engineering skills, but there’s no real evidence of project management—nothing the company has done in the past has demonstrated it. You think this job will be a big leap for Mutual Magic. A number of firms you have worked with previously have both sets of skills, and could easily do this project. The Engineering Division has a history of underestimating the cost of the project so that it can remain under their control. You’re concerned that this project might end up being a $4–5 million project, which is way beyond the policy limits and is too big for Mutual Magic to handle. Also, the workload in Corporate Engineering has lightened, and you know that the VP wants more projects in order to keep his staff busy. You spoke with the VP; while he indicated a preference for keeping the work in Corporate, he did tell you to feel free to work something out if it seems appropriate. Corporate does have the authority to allow the assignment to remain with the division. Smith didn’t say much more than that he preferred to use Mutual Magic, but he did indicate that he would bring you up-to-date when you meet. That meeting will be held shortly.

Known to Both Parties The corporate cut-off is $2.5 million. Projects coming in with estimates of less than $2.5 million become Corporate Engineering’s responsibility.

73

Title:

ENGINEERING CHANGES

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To illustrate either the Issue Identification step or the entire six-step Successful Negotiator model.

Role Play #11

To learn how to deal with changes to an already agreedupon plan. Trainer Notes:

This negotiation role play is ideal for internal project engineers. It focuses on how to work with clients, and can be particularly helpful in surfacing client-specific issues. It is general enough so that it can be used with any group. The nature of the discussion will depend primarily on how effective people believe they have been in dealing with clients and on whether or not there have been any recent problems. Any job-related issues should be discussed at this point. This role play can be used in two ways:

Industry:

•

It can serve as a stimulus for additional discussion.

•

It can serve as the end point after discussions have been held on the types of problems people have encountered.

General

75

ROLE PLAY #11 BRENDA WILDON Corporate Engineering You knew it would happen—it always does: The client tells you what he wants, you show him the drawings, he approves them, and you get the work done. Then, all of a sudden, the client realizes that he doesn’t like what was already approved. This always happens when the project nears completion and the client begins to see the actual work. This happened most recently with Tom Stone in Research. It had to do with something real simple—windows. Tom wanted them flush, and that’s what you did. Now he’s decided that flush isn’t what he wants. He wants all the windows changed to recessed because he thinks that aesthetically they look much better that way. The idea is interesting, but expensive. Recessed was your original suggestion, and you took a great deal of time explaining this and several other issues to him because you know that drawings can be confusing and difficult to understand. This change will cost us at least $65,000—money that just isn’t in the budget. Except for personal taste, there’s no reason to make the change. Moreover, you know that even though you are now a bit under budget, this project, like all the others, will eventually go over budget and you’ll need the contingency fund. Your boss wants every project, including this one, to stay on budget. Your boss wants to prove that we can bring projects in on time and on budget. You also don’t want people to think that making these kinds of changes is okay: They create all sorts of problems. Clients always think that when the first contracts are below budget, they have extra money to spend. Tom is a difficult client because he’s a very successful engineer who has managed a number of very successful programs. Several corporate patents are in his name, and he’s wellrespected within the company and in the industry. In fact, he’s a featured speaker at many industry conferences. In the past, management has always catered to Tom Stone, and he probably expects that you also will do what he wants. In fact, that would be the easy way, but it’s not something you think is right—particularly not at this stage. You will meet with Tom in a few minutes.

77

ROLE PLAY #11 TOM STONE Basic Research Corporate Engineering is involved in building a new research facility for your department. You’ve dreamed about this facility for a long time, and you want it to be exactly what you imagined. You’ve earned a great facility; you’ve developed several very successful products for the company that have made a lot of money. It’s the least they can do. Last week, when you were in the new building, you realized that all the windows were flush and looked uninteresting. You called Brenda Wildon in Corporate Engineering and told her that you want the windows changed from flush to recessed. Her first reaction was silence, but then she told you it would be very expensive, since almost all the windows were already installed. She also pointed out that flush windows were what you had approved—not recessed. You know that, but you still want to make the change. In the total scheme of things it can’t be very much—after all, this is your dream. As for having approved the drawings, you had no idea what you were approving. There were dozens of drawings, and unless you’re an engineer, it’s not likely that you would understand them. Besides, the contracts awarded thus far have been below budget, so there should be plenty of money left over. The project is at least $75,000 under budget, and you doubt that the changes will add very much. The project will still come in on time and on budget, and even if it doesn’t, what’s the big deal? No one expects projects to be on budget. In addition to the windows, you also want to discuss several other small changes—changes that you only now appreciate, with the building coming to life. The offices would look much nicer with glass instead of wooden walls facing the central core, and it would be nice if a few murals could be painted on the other walls. Neither of these are big issues, but they will make the building a much more enjoyable place to work—more human. You will meet with Brenda to discuss this in a few minutes.

79


Teams

TEAMS Introduction All of the role plays in this unit relate to team-based issues. All work particularly well when they are incorporated into team leader and team member training programs. Each role play is sufficiently complex to illustrate the entire six-step negotiation methodology, or just the issue-identification phase. It is important that all role plays be placed in the context of your company’s situation and the training you have already conducted. The goal is to help team leaders and team members address the range of interpersonal problems common to teams. The materials are not designed to address issues of team building, but rather to enhance the skills of team leaders and team members.

Resources There have been a number of books written about teams and teamwork. Among the resources we have found to be most helpful are: Team Players and Teamwork: The New Competitive Business Strategy, by Glenn Parker (Jossey-Bass, 1990). Cross-Functional Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies, and other Strangers, by Glenn Parker (Jossey-Bass, 1994). How to Lead Work Teams, by Fran Rees (Pfeiffer & Company, 1991). 25 Activities for Teams, by Fran Rees (HRD Press). Team Building for the Future: Beyond the Basics, by R. L. Elledge and S. L. Phillips (HRD Press). These books can be purchased from HRD Press, 22 Amherst Rd., Amherst, MA, 01002. HRD can be reached at (800) 822-2800 or on the Web at: www.hrdpress.com. There is also an extensive bibliography on teams and teamwork on our Web site: www.asherman.com.

82

Title:

THE NEW PROJECT MANAGER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To illustrate the Successful Negotiator six-step model.

Role Play #12

To illustrate the specifics of a contracting discussion between a team leader and a new project manager. Trainer Notes:

In addition to covering the specific behavior used during the negotiation process, this role play will usually stimulate a fair amount of discussion about the interaction of a new project manager and a difficult team leader. Depending on your own objectives, both subjects are important and worth exploring. If the project manager and the team leader are both involved in the workshop, try having them conduct a contracting discussion after the role play. Have this discussion focus on how well they have been working together and what they might do differently. At the conclusion of the role play, refocus the discussion on your own company and how new leaders and project managers begin their working relationships. If there is enough time, you might want to have the group develop a checklist for this type of discussion.

Industry:

Pharmaceutical

83

ROLE PLAY #12 BOB MICHAELS Team Leader You are Bob Michaels, the leader of the DRU-666 project team. You have been the DRU-666 team leader for the past year, but you joined Drugs-R-Us five years ago. Working for Drugs-R-Us (and even working at a major pharmaceutical firm, for that matter) is something you never anticipated. You were a very successful surgeon until you seriously injured your hand in a skiing accident. When you couldn’t return to the operating room, you taught surgery for two years at a major midwestern medical school. That proved to be much too frustrating. This job hasn’t exactly been a perfect fit, but it’s a lot better than you thought it would be. Things have been going well, and you are very satisfied with your team’s progress—as is senior management. Most of your teams go well. Last week, your boss indicated that she was quite pleased with how the team is functioning. However, you are somewhat annoyed. Approximately three weeks ago, you were informed that your project manager would change. You had just reached a point where you had finally gotten this one trained, and she was working with you in the only way you find acceptable: putting out agendas, taking minutes, tracking the critical target dates, and identifying problems before they become serious— basically not bothering you and letting you do your job while she did hers. You don’t understand why the change is being made, since everyone agrees that this is a critical project. You know the new project manager, but you’ve never worked together before. Your new project manager has asked to meet with you “to talk about how we can work together,” to quote your secretary. You’re not clear why that involves a formal conversation; if anything, e-mail would be enough. Better yet, she should talk with the person being replaced to find out how you like to work. This would save both of you a great deal of time and effort. Your boss encouraged you to have the meeting, but said you should be clear about your own needs and concerns. She said, “Whatever you work out is up to you.” The meeting will take place in ten minutes.

85

ROLE PLAY #12 BARBARA LANE Project Manager You have been at Drugs-R-Us, Inc. for eleven years—the last seven in Project Management. You really like your work. Prior to that, you worked for seven years in the marketing department of another company. You were just told by your boss that you are to assume responsibility for the DRU-666 project team. This team has been in operation for the past year, and is moving along fairly well. The current project manager is being assigned to a start-up project, so you were asked to take over. Your understanding is that you were asked to take this assignment because of the project’s importance to the company. The team leader, Bob Michaels, was a surgeon who had to give up his practice some years ago because of a serious hand injury. Before coming to Drugs-R-Us, he was a professor in the medical school of a major midwestern university. Bob is highly regarded, and no one will be surprised if he becomes a company vice president someday. He has been at Drugs-R-Us a total of five years. You have not worked with Bob before and you don’t really know him, but the person you are replacing told you the following: “Bob is quite busy, and rarely has time to meet before or after meetings. Getting on his schedule is a major event and, as frequently as not, he cancels meetings at the last minute.” She went to say that Bob doesn’t see Project Management as a real partner in the process. “His view is that he is the leader of the team and the project, and he takes care of the science. He thinks Project Management’s job is to get the agendas prepared, do the minutes, and to make sure we don’t fall behind schedule. Sometimes he behaves as if he were still in the OR. To keep the peace and make life easier for myself, I basically did what he wanted and we got along okay.” Fortunately (or unfortunately), you don’t see the world the same way. You’ve always worked with your leader as a partner. Exactly what that means is open for discussion, but you don’t see yourself as a secretary or a clerk—you see yourself as a partner, working closely with the team leader. You asked to meet with Bob, and much to your surprise, his secretary put you on today’s schedule. She did make it clear that you will only have 30 minutes because he’s “very busy.” To prepare yourself, you talked with another manager, who said, “He’s mellowed somewhat, but still sees the world from his own unique perspective.” You also spoke with your boss; she indicated that you should be sensitive to Bob’s needs, but that you’re free to work out whatever you feel will work. Your meeting is in ten minutes. 87

Title:

THE CO-LEADERS

Time:

Fifteen minutes

Objective:

To illustrate the six-step Successful Negotiator model.

Trainer Notes:

After you discuss how the participants conducted the negotiation, engage them in a discussion about how these problems can be avoided. In this negotiation, it is critical that you clearly state and outline the issues. Because of the nature of the issue, people often fail to be direct, so the problem doesn’t get resolved. An agreement might be reached, but it is frequently based on general promises for the future.

Role Play #13

This is an excellent role play to use when training team leaders. When you introduce the role play, it is important that you indicate that all co-leaders will run into problems, and this is a way to address them. This role play can be particularly valuable if you have actual co-leaders participating in the program. If you do, have them do this role play together. Then talk about their own working relationship. If they are new to working together, have them develop a way to address problems when they do arise. If you have sufficient time, have several groups report on the approaches they have developed. Industry:

General

89

ROLE PLAY #13 DALE CLARK Co-Leader You are the co-leader of the Cable I team; your partner is T.J. Stone. You and T.J. have been co-leaders since the team was organized, but you barely knew one another before joining the team because your only interaction was at various meetings. While this is your first opportunity to serve as a co-leader, T.J. has led several other teams. She has been with the company much longer than you have, and worked at several other firms before coming to the company. The opportunity to work together as co-leaders is one you have looked forward to for some time. Things seemed to go well between the two of you for the first several months. You were learning a lot from T.J. The last several months, however, have been quite different: T.J. has missed deadlines for several tasks she was handling, and she missed the last three meetings. More importantly, she has not been available to meet with you for any length of time to discuss how the team is doing. This is a radical departure from the first three months, when the two of you met before and after the meetings and during lunch to discuss the team. You were working well together and making a real difference. T.J.’s lack of involvement has been noticed by the other team members. Several people spoke to you about her lack of attendance and failure to complete her assignments. One of them went so far as to suggest that maybe she should resign. In addition, T.J. has not responded to any of your calls and to only one of your e-mails. Her response to the e-mail was so brief as to be of no help. If you are to work well together and this project is to succeed, there needs to be a real commitment from both of you. You don’t see that coming from T.J., and you don’t feel that you can trust her to meet her obligations to the team. You are left with the feeling that she doesn’t really care about the project and that she thinks you are the one to take care of everything. This is not how you view the situation. You don’t intend to do all the work while T.J. takes care of some other project. You spoke with your boss about the problem, and he suggested that you talk with T.J. He said that he would support you, and agreed that it is important that the problem be resolved if the team is to succeed. He does not want to get involved. To quote him, “You need to work with T.J., and the two of you need to solve the problem.” You e-mailed T.J. and asked to meet to discuss “the team and your involvement.” That meeting is to begin shortly.

91

ROLE PLAY #13 T.J. STONE Co-Leader You are T.J. Stone, co-leader with Dale Clark of the Cable I team. Prior to becoming co-leaders, you and Dale spent very little time together. You saw one another at meetings, but you had little interaction before the team began. During the first three months the team was in existence, you and Dale met prior to and after each meeting. You had lunch together on several occasions to discuss team issues, and Dale seemed really interested in the project and in being a team leader—typical of an individual leading their first team. This is the third project on which you are the co-leader. You headed up several projects at your old company, so leading a team is nothing new to you. It’s just one more job to be done. Your boss views things pretty much the same way. In recent months, the company has been involved in evaluating several new products for licensing. Your boss has had you actively involved in the process. Several new projects have recently been initiated, and she asked you to help get them started. The problem of time is further complicated because there have been several recent retirements in the department. All of this extra work has kept you from working with the Cable team. You have just not been able to give it the time and attention you did in the early weeks. You have missed several meetings, and you have not always responded to Dale’s calls and e-mails as quickly as you would have liked. You have, however, been following the team’s progress through the minutes. You believe that Dale is doing a really good job. You spoke with your boss, and you anticipate that your schedule should lighten up in the next 4–6 months. You will be able to start getting more involved once that happens. Dale asked to meet with you “to talk about the team and your involvement.” Dale is probably upset, and it will take some effort to calm him down. That meeting is to begin shortly.

93

Title:

THE TEAM MEMBER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To practice the six-step Successful Negotiator method.

Trainer Notes:

This is a good role play to use if team selection is an issue in your firm. It’s also useful to discuss how members are selected for teams.

Debriefing Notes:

At the end of the role play, it will be useful to discuss how members are selected for teams and what can be done if you want a particular individual on your team. If functional area managers are present, get them to describe their reactions when people ask for the inclusion or participation of certain department members. If some people get who they wanted and others do not, explore why some people are successful and others are not.

Industry:

Pharmaceutical

95

Role Play #14

ROLE PLAY #14 B.G. HAMILTON Project Management You have just been appointed to head the new AVN-56 team. The compound is licensed by one of the new European firms. All the basic research has been completed, and your company’s job is to take the compound into the clinic and to file the NDA in the United States and the dossier in Europe. Senior management is excited about the compound, and it has been fast-tracked; everyone considers it top priority. The team is just now being organized, and because of the special issues involved, there are several people whom you would like to have on this team. The real critical person is the clinical representative: You need someone with a strong clinical background who knows how to write a protocol and design case report forms, and who can also move this process along. The timelines are really tight. You cannot have someone who lacks real experience in this area and who has not worked under this kind of time pressure. This just isn’t the time to train one of their new people. You would like to have Enid Johnson serve as the clinical representative. Enid has been through this process and has been through it with high-profile compounds. In addition, the two of you get along well, and working with Enid would make your life a whole lot easier. You doubt that Clinical will want to assign her, but maybe you will get lucky. You heard that they will probably want to assign George Newt. George isn’t bad, but he has never worked on such a high-profile compound, and you’re not sure about his skills. Moreover, George has never been the clinical representative on one of your projects. When you checked with a few colleagues, they all agreed that George is smart but is not in Enid’s class. Yesterday, you called Therapeutic Area Director J.J. Stone to tell him that you would like to meet with him. When J.J. asked the reason, you said it was to discuss the new AVN-56 project and who “you will assign.” He didn’t ask for and you didn’t volunteer any more details. You will meet with J.J. in half an hour.

97

ROLE PLAY #14 J.J. STONE Therapeutic Area Director The company has just licensed in a new compound, and from what you’ve heard, it is a good one—a real complement to our current portfolio. You are not familiar with all the details, since you were not involved in any of the actual negotiations. However, when the compound was first evaluated, you were asked your opinion. From what you know, all the basic research has been completed. The team’s job will be to get all the clinical work done, and then to file in the United States and Europe. You will have to assign someone to the project team. This sounds like a good assignment for George Newt, who has been with the company for several years. George has never worked on this type of project and it will be an excellent developmental activity for him. It fits in perfectly with what you and he discussed during his recent performance appraisal: a new, high priority compound with a tight timeline and a lot of pressure. B.G. Hamilton of Project Management has asked to meet with you. When you asked what it was about, she said it related to the new AVN-56 team. You didn’t ask for more information and she didn’t volunteer any, but you expect she will ask you to assign Enid Johnson to the team. B.G. and Enid are good friends and have worked together on other projects. However, Enid is working on other teams, as well as on a special project for you. You know that George can do the job, and assigning him will satisfy additional personal and departmental needs. Moreover, you can’t let Project Management dictate whom you assign to teams. It would set a terrible precedent: Everyone will push for friends or people they know, and other people will never get an opportunity. B.G. wouldn’t like it if you asked for a specific project manager. You are the head of the department. You spoke with your boss about the issue, and she said, “Whatever is best for the department and the company.” You will meet with B.G. in about half an hour.

99

Title:

THE DIFFICULT MEMBER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #15

To practice Issue Identification. Trainer Notes:

This role play can stimulate a good discussion about difficult people and how to deal with them. After the role play, try to brainstorm a list of problem situations. Once a list has been developed, select several situations for discussion and review. The role play can be repeated following the discussion, providing a framework for individuals in their future dealing with difficult people and situations. If you use this as a complete role play, you can easily set up an argument: The Difficult Individual raises very sensitive issues, and many people are having difficulty clarifying what the issues are. They do not want to offend Lee. Pay particular attention to how clearly the issues were stated. Explore why this might or might not have happened.

References:

See the Resources section for additional books on this topic.

Industry:

Computers

101

ROLE PLAY #15 BEV SMITH Team Leader Your name is Bev Smith, and you work for a major computer-hardware manufacturer. Approximately six months ago, you were asked to head up a new task force charged with developing a new company product—a product that everyone agreed was critical to the company’s future success. The market is extremely competitive, and it is critical that the company introduce new products to the marketplace on a regular basis if it is to remain competitive. This is a nine-month project, and for the first three months, everything went quite well. Objectives had been developed and action plans were agreed to by everyone. The meetings during this initial period were interesting, with almost everyone actively participating. But things have changed. Colin Edwards is the most senior member on the team. He has been with the company about ten years. Colin is questioning everything that comes up, and seems not to agree with anything. In fact, he challenges everyone. Several of the team members have responded to his challenges; as a result, the conversations have become very difficult and confusing. This happened again at last week’s meeting. Colin interrupted a presentation being made by Lee Matthews and began to ask very difficult questions. He even criticized her slides. Although the questions were important, the manner and style of asking them bothered everyone. Colin was very judgmental and condescending, and treated Lee like a student. Lee became angry, and responded in a very aggressive manner. It was not pleasant, and you had to call a break to calm everyone down. Several other members have made comments to you about Colin’s behavior, and it is clear that you have to talk with him. You don’t look forward to this, but you have no choice—it’s clearly affecting the team. As you think about Colin’s behavior, you realize that you don’t know him very well. You worked with him on several task forces before, and he always seems to push and challenge people. To quote him, “You need to make people think.” You called Colin earlier this morning and asked if you could get together. He agreed, and asked what you want to talk about. You were vague, but you did tell him that you would like to talk about the team and his role on it. You will meet with him in fifteen minutes.

103

ROLE PLAY #15 COLIN EDWARDS Team Member You are Colin Edwards, and you work for a major manufacturer of computer hardware. Four months ago, you were asked to be part of a task force charged with developing a new product—a product that everyone agrees is critical to the company’s future. This project has a nine-month timeline. You are the most senior member of the team, having worked at the company for almost ten years. You probably should be chairing the group, but the company asked one of its new, younger people to chair the team. A number of people who are relatively new to the company were put on the team. They frequently come up with ideas that are not practical and that have little chance of succeeding in today’s marketplace. A good example was Lee Edwards’ presentation last week. It was not focused and not on target. Even her slides were second-rate. Everybody just sat and listened, until you started asking questions and focusing the discussion. Lee clearly was not happy, but you’re sure she learned. She responded in a very aggressive manner, and the team leader took a break to, in her words, “calm everyone down.” This is a team; people have to accept all feedback. If not, the team will never achieve its objective. For the first three months on this team, you kept quiet and didn’t say very much. It’s recently become impossible to do that; these people come up with ideas that make no sense at all. If you are not there to challenge and point out how foolish some of their ideas are, who knows what they would come up with? Bev Smith, the team leader, called you earlier today to ask if she can meet with you. You’re really busy, but she said it was about the team and your role. When you asked for more detail, she said that she would prefer to talk about it in person. This probably won’t be pleasant, but Bev needs to understand how you see your role and the concerns you have about the team members. Your meeting is in fifteen minutes.

105

Title:

THE BETA PROJECT

Time:

Forty-five minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #16

To practice how to deal with a difficult situation involving members of a team and leaders. Trainer Notes:

This is an expanded version of a role play that appeared in the first volume of our role play book, which looked only at Issue Identification. In this version, we have added additional issues to make the role play more complex and, we hope, more interesting. We have tested this version in a number of workshops and it works well. It can be particularly useful if you have people on the same team who work at different sites. When you debrief The Beta Project, go over the entire sixstep negotiation process. It will be helpful to discuss the group’s experiences dealing with a team whose members work at several different locations. If you are working with team leaders, talk about the unique issues presented by having to lead a geographically diverse team, and discuss how they have been addressed.

Industry:

General

107

ROLE PLAY #16 JIM HOLBROOK The Beta Project You and Chris Burns have been working on the same project team for the past eighteen months. You represent Internal Audit. You and Chris are at the same organizational level, but Chris is the team leader. While you generally like Chris and have enjoyed working with her in the past, you think her appointment as team leader was a mistake. A number of other people would have been better choices. This project involves the launch of a new software program that might have a significant impact on how quickly you get products to market. You are not happy with the way Chris has treated you. Namely: •

• •

She has made several major changes to your section of the quarterly report without asking for or getting your approval. You were away on a trip, but she could have reached you with a little effort. Chris has been meeting informally with other members of the team, but for some reason, she never informs you of the meetings or the results. She has embarrassed you at several meetings by asking you to respond to questions you were not prepared to discuss.

You also heard that Chris believes that you were responsible for the team’s late submissions of the last two monthly reports. She never even talked about this with you! Chris has asked to meet with you, probably because you missed the last meeting because of a field visit. In addition, you had your secretary call to say that you might have to miss next week’s meeting because of another trip. This is not the first meeting you have missed, and since you were recently assigned to a second project, you will probably miss others. In the past six months, you have missed a total of three meetings. In fact, because you are so short-staffed, you haven’t even sent replacements. This is not typical, but you had no choice in the matter. This is not an easy problem. Chris behaves as if your department has nothing to do but work on this project. Your department is very short-staffed. Several people recently retired and were not replaced. As a result, your boss has gotten you involved in several other projects. As he said to you recently, “We need you to cover at least two other teams that need our input. Do what you have to do to keep on top of the Beta Project, but don’t let these other projects slip.” When you mentioned 109

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation the importance of the Beta Project, he indicated that he thought its potential was being overrated and added, “Anyway, we have no choice. We just have to do the best we can.” There is a lot more to do on the project: select bidders, develop an implementation plan, and eventually select the prime contractor. These are all things you’ve had experience with over the years, but you just don’t have a lot of time. Several new people are about to be hired in your department, and it’s possible that one of them can be assigned to this project, such as Janet Miles. She worked at High Bank several years ago, but left to start her own consulting practice. You know that she has some experience with these issues—a big plus, since High Bank uses a similar system. You were very impressed with Janet when you interviewed her. The negative part is that she has no experience at your firm, and no experience with the unique issues that you face in implementing such a system. You would like to assign Janet to this project, and your boss will probably agree. This situation really bothers you. You don’t want this project to fail or Chris to fail, but you don’t see any real options. You are glad Chris asked to meet, since you have wanted to get these issues settled. The problem is further complicated by the department’s recent move to another site approximately ten miles away. While the distance is not great, you won’t be around, so you will miss out on all the informal conversations that will take place. Everyone else is at the main facility, and they just seem to forget about you. Chris needs to find a way to keep you involved and current about all that is happening. Then, even if you miss meetings, it wouldn’t be such a problem. That’s the only way you or anyone else can play a meaningful role on the team.

Known to Both Parties Chris heads a very important project team. Jim represents Internal Audit. Both are at the same organizational level.

110

ROLE PLAY #16 CHRIS BURNS The Beta Project You were very excited when your boss asked you to chair the Beta Project team eighteen months ago. You never chaired a team before, and you think this could have a positive effect on your career. The project involves implementing a new corporate software program that could make a real difference to the company. Jim from Internal Audit is one of the team members. You have worked with him several times during the past several years, and you generally find him responsive and easy to work with. However, he missed last month’s team meeting, and just this morning called your secretary to say that he won’t be available for next week’s meeting. This is not typical of him. You’re not happy with Jim’s lack of involvement; you feel that he is ignoring his responsibilities to the team. His participation has been complicated by his department’s recent move to the company’s new facility, which is about ten miles away. It could be a thousand miles away, for all of the difference it is making. It’s just not easy to contact Jim; in the past, you could just meet him in the cafeteria or walk over to his office. Now it’s an event. Everything has to be by e-mail. He has to find a way to solve the problem. It’s not your fault. You feel that he is ignoring his responsibilities to the team. Namely: •

• •

•

Jim has missed three meetings already, all in the last six months, and he hasn’t sent anyone in his place. Prior to that time, he attended every meeting. Jim’s unavailability for meetings has resulted in your team being late with its last two monthly status reports. Several weeks ago, you had to make major revisions in Jim’s section of the quarterly report because the piece he turned in was inadequate. If he had submitted a draft of the report to you like everyone else had, the problem could have easily been solved. You were in such a rush to get the work done that you didn’t even mention it to him until after the fact, when you e-mailed him the changes. You were under a lot of pressure from your boss at that time. You have called ad-hoc meetings several times in the past three months, but you weren’t able to reach Jim. It would have been helpful if he’d been available, since these were issues he was knowledgeable about. 111

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation Jim’s performance is negatively affecting the team, and you cannot afford to let him damage your reputation. What makes the problem worse is that several team members have commented to you about Jim’s performance and the effect it is having on the team. As one member said, “We need his department’s involvement, and if Jim can’t participate, then we need someone who can.” You are reaching the same conclusion. You spoke with your boss about the problem. He agreed that it should be resolved, but suggested that you try to work it out with Jim before he gets involved. You really don’t want your boss to intervene, since this would look like you can’t handle tough problems. He did make it very clear that he is concerned and wants you to get the problem resolved—how you do this is up to you. Both of you believe that this project is critical. You have asked to meet with Jim in an effort to let him know how you feel and to see if these problems can be resolved and put behind you. You have not talked to Jim about your concerns before today, but there is an urgent need to solve the problem, since the project is far from finished. The team is moving into a critical phase; we’re about to select bidders, and we need people with the type of experience that Jim can bring to the process. In addition, once the bidders are identified, we will have to select the prime contractor. This will be a lot of work, and it will require a great deal of everyone’s time. You really don’t want any of their new people, since you doubt that any of them have Jim’s experience in this area or with the issues the company faces in implementing such a complex program. One of the reasons you pushed to get Jim on the team was that he has experience with these issues. Now, with his department’s recent move to the new facility, any advantage to having Jim on the team has been lost.

Known to Both Parties Chris heads an ad-hoc committee for a very important project. Jim represents Internal Audit. Both are at the same organizational level.

112

Title:

THE DIFFICULT DISCUSSION/MEETING Role Play #17

Time:

Thirty to forty-five minutes

Objectives:

To explore the issues involved in having a difficult conversation with a co-worker.

Training Notes:

Pay particular attention to how much people talked about the past during the role play, and how well the issues were clarified. Issue Identification will influence the remainder of the negotiation. Were the people playing Lee clear about their concerns as to why Dana asked for this meeting.? If they are not, it is likely that the people playing Dana will be equally vague in responding. If people are vague and you confront them, they will frequently talk about not wanting to hurt the other person’s feelings, even though they are still upset. You need to help them understand the consequences of not being clear, particularly if problems resurface. Many people find this kind of situation very difficult to negotiate; some will skip the “history” and go directly to the “future.” It is important to help people understand that it is difficult, if not impossible, to effectively plan future actions if the problems of the past are not dealt with.

Resource:

If you need additional lecture material on the subject of difficult or confrontational conversations, refer to the book Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen (Viking, 1999).

Industry:

General

113

ROLE PLAY #17 DANA LOWE Team Leader You have a problem. You were assigned to a task force to help rewrite the company’s Standard Operating Procedures, and you have been asked to chair the subcommittee on new-product development. You are anxious to be part of this assignment, since it will give you a great deal of exposure (particularly to senior management), as well as provide an opportunity to work with people from a number of different departments. The problem is Lee Krueger—you really don’t want him on the team. You and Lee have not worked closely on any project for at least two years, if not more. Lee is someone you feel you cannot depend on. On the two previous projects you worked on together, Lee failed to meet his commitments. In both instances, data analysis he was to complete by a particular date was not done. This directly affected your department and made it difficult to complete work for other people. To make matters worse, Lee didn’t inform anyone about the delay until the last minute, when it was too late to make any adjustments. When the problems were discovered, he wouldn’t take any responsibility for his actions, but instead blamed others. This is something you just can’t tolerate. If someone made a mistake, they should take responsibility, not blame others. How can you trust someone who avoids responsibility? When you spoke with co-workers about the problem, they all said that this is typical of Lee. Now you have him on your subcommittee. You tried to get him assigned to another one, but with no luck. When you spoke with your boss about the problem, she said that there is nothing she can do and you will just have to deal with Lee. She suggested that you sit down and talk with him. This is not something you want to do. You really hoped she would talk with Lee’s boss and solve the problem for you. You eventually decided that the only way to deal with Lee was to talk with him. You have fifteen minutes to prepare for that meeting.

115

ROLE PLAY #17 LEE KRUEGER Team Member You are not happy. You were just assigned to the company task force to rewrite the Standard Operating Procedures. You have been assigned to the subcommittee chaired by Dana Lowe that will focus on new product development. You have never gotten along with Dana. You served on several task forces with him in the past, and something always left him unhappy. You are not sure exactly what it is, but you heard that he doesn’t want you on his subcommittee. You didn’t think things were that bad, but whatever the problem, you will have to work with Dana on this task force. You discussed the problem with your boss, and she said that she also heard that Dana did not want you on his committee and that you had better get it straightened out quickly. You are annoyed that Dana did not call you, but instead talked to others. How can you trust people who do things like that? Your approach has always been to talk directly to people when you have a problem. This allows problems to get solved quickly, without everyone finding out about them. It also serves to build a good working relationship. As your boss suggested, you spent the last several days thinking about what Dana might be annoyed about. For the last year or so, the two of you have had no real contact, except to attend several meetings together. As you think back to the last task force the two of you served on (which was at least two years ago), you recall that you had problems getting your data analysis completed as quickly as you should have. There were problems in the department at the time, and although you worked on it until the last minute, the analysis just didn’t get completed on time. It wasn’t something you could do anything about. People who were to get you the data just did not meet their commitments, which complicated the problem. You were very upset, and so were the other team members, but there was nothing anyone could do. Something similar happened on a second project, for pretty much the same reason. In both instances, you explained the problem to the team; everyone, including the team leader, was very understanding. No one seemed to hold you personally accountable. Everyone knows that things like this always happen; we all have to learn to be understanding, because the next problem might be ours. You will meet with Dana in fifteen minutes.

117

SECTION TWO External Negotiations

Negotiating with Vendors

VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS Introduction All of the role plays in the following section look at relationships a company might have with its vendors. The role plays do not cover the initial negotiation, but rather issues that are likely to arise once a contract has been signed. Each of these tightly drawn role plays explores specific issues, as well as the general process of negotiation. Each one can be used to clarify and discuss only the issues raised by the content, or used as part of an overall vendor-negotiation program. If you are going to use the role plays as part of an overall program, we suggest that you include a discussion about what the company thinks of its relationships with its vendors and what vendors think about their relationships with the company. We usually suggest that participants rate the company using a continuum (going from “very competitive” to “very collaborative.” This exercise works particularly well if half the participants play the company role and half play the vendor role. Problems that are identified should be listed and discussed by the entire group. It is critical that you take this to the next step: have the group explore possible solutions. If you have collected data from vendors that might be particularly helpful, present this to the group for discussion. These role plays can also work if your firm is itself a vendor. They will give your people an opportunity to practice dealing with the range of problems that come up when working with the same clients over an extended period of time. In the Trainers Notes for each role play, we indicate how we have used the activity ourselves, and provide suggestions that will make it more effective.

121

Title:

THE CONTRACT MANUFACTURER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #18

To learn how to deal with a contractor who has failed to meet his/her obligations. Trainer Notes:

In addition to looking at how well participants handled the problem presented by the role play, be sure you talk about the company’s process for approving sites prior to signing a contract and starting work. We suggest that you also explore how internal pressures can be handled in order to move things along and avoid problems. This is a complex role play involving a difficult situation. There is usually a great deal of annoyance and frustration expressed by the auditor. This frustration usually centers on the fact that the auditor took a risk and approved the site without having seen the changes that were made. Having taken the risk, he now has a problem.

Industry:


123

ROLE PLAY #18 BETSY REDDEN Plant Manager You are the plant manager of a chemical manufacturing facility that has recently been updated to provide specialized manufacturing services to specialty chemical companies. Yours is one of the few plants in this part of the country that can quickly manufacture very complex compounds—compounds that would take other facilities much longer to manufacture. Management invested a great deal of money in upgrading the facility, and it is now paying dividends. BIM Chemicals is one of the companies you hope will use your plant more frequently. BIM is a small (but growing) firm in the specialty-chemicals field. Several months ago, you began talking with BIM about manufacturing one of their new products: Alfa B. BIM’s researchers spent a considerable amount of time assessing your facility, and seem to be satisfied. Shortly thereafter, Fred Gray, one of their auditors, came by to check out the plant. During the exit interview, he pointed out what he called “several GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) deviations.” These are problems you already know about and don’t find terribly important. Your facility might not follow the letter of the law when it comes to government regulations, but you’re very close. In fact, no other company has ever pointed them out as problems. Fred recommended an action plan to address the deviations, and you get the impression that it wouldn’t take too long to meet the standard. You agreed to see that the areas are immediately addressed. He, in turn, said he would recommend approval of the facility to BIM management. You received a letter from Fred outlining the exit interview and spelling out the actions you agreed to during the meeting. When you saw them in print and discussed them with your staff, they somehow looked much harder to accomplish. In fact, you’re sure you won’t be able to get them all completed by the time the manufacture of Alfa B is scheduled to begin. Several new contracts and other internal projects have limited your ability to complete everything. You sent Fred a letter saying that you wouldn’t be able to meet all of your commitments to BIM because of other corporate commitments. You were deliberately vague in the letter, since you don’t want to be pinned down to a specific schedule if you can avoid it. The deviations don’t seem terribly important or far off standard; you are sure that he will still approve your site, even though he won’t be happy about the deviations. Fred called you yesterday, after he received your letter. He sounded very upset and said that he would be here today to speak to you. You know there is no way to make the required GMP upgrades within the present time frame. It would 125

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation mean shutting down some other manufacturing areas, and would certainly impact the deadlines of other customers—customers who are not concerned with the GMP deficiencies noted by Fred. Still, you are somewhat uncomfortable, because you did agree at the exit interview to make the changes. Everyone would like BIM’s business. This company has the potential to provide several million dollars’ worth of business each year. More, if everything goes well. You are scheduled to meet with Fred in a few minutes.

Known to Both Parties Here are the items that Fred referred to during the exit interview and in his letter: • • •

• •

Temperature and humidity are not monitored in the compounding area. Alfa B is very sensitive to minor fluctuations in humidity. There is no system for tracking equipment-calibration due dates. Fred noted that several pieces of equipment are past due calibration. There is no master plan for equipment-cleaning validation. Most cleaning processes have not been validated. The chemicals are water-soluble, so that is not an issue of concern. There are no procedures for investigating failures. A new segment was added to the USP water system, but there has been no formal validation of the entire system after this change was made. There have been serious occasions of off-limit microbial counts in the USP water that have gone uninvestigated.

126

ROLE PLAY #18 FRED GRAY Auditor for BIM Chemicals You are Fred Gray, auditor, and have worked at BIM Chemicals for about five years. You just audited an outside manufacturing facility that is scheduled to produce one of BIM’s most-important new products, Alfa B. The company’s scientific research staff assessed the capabilities of the operations several weeks ago and found them to be acceptable. In fact, they recommended that the company use this facility. To quote their report, “This is an excellent, well-run facility.” The time line for this compound is extremely tight, but the facility has some unique systems that enable its staff to meet tight manufacturing requirements. However, when you audited the facility, you found some significant GMP deviations that you reviewed during the exit interview. The facility’s management acknowledged the situation and assured you that your findings and recommendations would be addressed immediately. They did say that no one else had ever raised these issues and that they could not understand why they are of such concern. You documented your exit interview, including all audit comments and recommendations agreed to by the plant manager, Betsy Redden. You requested an immediate response confirming the actions to be taken, even though you hadn’t received the written response. You recommended approval of this facility because of Ms. Redden’s strong assurances during the exit interview. Today, a week later, you received a letter from Ms. Redden. You are very surprised to read that the “confirmation” does not adequately address the findings or the agreed-to actions. In fact, the entire letter was vague and general. You are furious; the actions were very clearly stated and agreed to in the exit interview. You can’t start looking for a new facility now; production of Alfa B is scheduled to begin next month! You need to meet with Betsy to come up with an acceptable resolution to this problem right away. GMP standards must be met, and the production of Alfa B simply cannot be delayed. In your mind, the GMP issues could be resolved if Betsy starts to address them immediately. However, you realize that this might affect some of their other commitments. If Betsy had started to address the deviations when she said she would, the problems would be well on their way to being resolved. You called Betsy to set up an appointment, and indicated your annoyance. You spoke with your management and everyone was very clear: “We have no real options. This needs to get resolved so that production can begin and we can stay on schedule.” Everyone agreed that you have the authority to work out the problem. You will meet Betsy at the facility in the next few minutes. 127


Known to Both Parties Here are the items that Fred referred to during the exit interview and in his letter: • • •

• •

Temperature and humidity are not monitored in the compounding area. Alfa B is very sensitive to minor fluctuations in humidity. There is no system for tracking equipment-calibration due dates. Fred noted that several pieces of equipment are past due calibration. There is no master plan for equipment-cleaning validation. Most cleaning processes have not been validated. The chemicals are water-soluble, so that is not an issue of concern. There are no procedures for investigating failures. A new segment was added to the USP water system, but there has been no formal validation of the entire system after this change was made. There have been serious occasions of off-limit microbial counts in the USP water that have gone uninvestigated.

128

Title:

BAD NEWS

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To practice the six-step method of effective negotiation.

Role Play #19

To learn how to deal with “bad news.” Trainer Notes:

This is a good role play to help members focus on relationship and content issues. The supplier has clearly been a good vendor, but internal problems have arisen that will affect a potential contract. In addition to looking at the issues, pay particular attention to what people said and how they said it. Many people believe that talking directly about this problem will destroy their relationship with the other party. As a result, they tend to make promises they can’t keep. In your discussion, explore the implications of asking or not asking for compensation. The vendors will at times decide not to ask for any compensation in order to avoid offending anyone and to maintain the relationship. This is important, since the company is prepared to make some payment, and it is particularly important if your company is the vendor. As a follow-up discussion, it can be helpful to talk about how to maintain relationships in the face of these situations.

Industry:

Consumer products

129

ROLE PLAY #19 ED MICHAELS MAF, Inc. For the past several months, you have been meeting with Eric Sloan at Meta Corp about Meta’s upcoming “Toothpaste and Teens” study. While Eric never made any direct promises, it was clear (at least in your mind) that some of the work would go to your company, if not all of it. You have done a fair amount of work for Meta and for Eric. You helped him with the initial questionnaire, as well as with the overall format of the study. You were willing to spend the time because your company wants to move into this area, and this was an ideal way to do so. You don’t usually spend this much time up front with a client, but you felt in this case that it was worth the investment. In fact, you recently hired someone with skills in the field to enhance the company’s capability. This person worked for one of your competitors and is well respected in the field. Eric knew this, and told you that he thinks it was a great idea. Several weeks ago, Eric asked you to submit a proposal. You did this, expecting that you would get the contract. He called earlier today, saying that there are some problems that he needs to discuss with you. Knowing Eric, your proposal is in trouble. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suggested a meeting—e-mail and telephone are his preferred ways of communicating. He should have just told you what was bothering him. You budgeted this project at $65,000, which you think is very reasonable. It doesn’t even cover all the work you already did with Eric these past several months. That time alone (if it were billable) would come to another $10,000 at the very minimum, bringing the overall cost of the study to $75,000. While there were never any discussions about fees for your work, you believe that you should be compensated if you’re not going to be awarded the contract. You did the work because you expected the contract would go to you. It was an investment. You have several minutes to prepare.

131

ROLE PLAY #19 ERIC SLOAN Purchasing Representative You have an interesting problem. Several months ago, at the suggestion of one of your internal customers, you began work on a “Toothpaste and Teens” study that Marketing was going to need. You identified a market research vendor, MAF, Inc., to begin working with you. MAF hasn’t yet done a great deal of work on this project, but their sales rep, Ed Michaels, clearly helped you with the format and the design of the questionnaire, and helped you think through the manner in which the work could be completed. MAF has done a fair amount of work for the company, and for you personally. While you didn’t make any promises, you know that Ed expects to get this project. Although the field is not one that MAF has worked in before, they’re clearly knowledgeable and capable of doing the work. In fact, Ed let you know that they recently hired someone with expertise in teen surveys. In reality, you expected to give Ed the work, or you wouldn’t have begun working with him. You asked for a proposal, and he submitted one for $65,000—a price you feel is a bit high, but not unreasonable. Your guess is that Ed really wants this business. However, last week your boss asked to talk with you about the project. She said that since this was such an important, highpriority project, she feels we should go with one of the more-established market research vendors—vendors who have a history of doing work with teens. To quote her, “This project is too important to give to someone who hasn’t done work in this area before.” When you mentioned your work with Ed Michaels at MAF and the work he has already completed, she said, “I know about that and I know how you feel about Ed, but I strongly feel that we can’t take the risk.” She went on to say that if Ed asks for compensation for the week’s worth of work, you can work something out. You now have to meet with Ed to discuss this. You called him shortly after meeting with your boss and told him that there are some problems on the project. He has probably figured out that it’s serious, since you usually communicate by phone or e-mail. You are not at all happy with this, since you really wanted to work with Ed and MAF. You have the next fifteen minutes to plan for your meeting.

133

Title:

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #20

To practice dealing with difficult individuals. Trainer Notes:

This role play will work particularly well if you have given people a model to work with. If this is the case, your observer sheet should be tailored to reflect your model. The “difficult” person in the scenario, the photographer, is older and widely respected, and he knows it. He is capable of using his power and his prestige for personal advantage. The exercise works particularly well with groups of people who must interact with temperamental or difficult individuals. If this role play is part of a longer program on how to deal with difficult people, it can be particularly helpful to complete only the Issue Identification step. In debriefing this role play, pay particular attention to how clearly the issues are articulated. People are often very uncomfortable talking to this type of person and tend to be so careful about what they say and how they say it that the message gets confused. This makes bargaining a lot more difficult. If you need additional information on how to deal with difficult people, refer to the Bibliography. One book we have found particularly helpful is Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen.

Industry:

Publishing

135

ROLE PLAY #20 RICHARD MASON Photographer You have been a fashion photographer for the past fifteen years, and you know your business. You are well respected in the field, and have more assignments than you can handle. One of the reasons that you’re so good is that you insist on having complete control over what happens at the shoot. You know what must happen to make things work, and you won’t allow anyone to get in your way. Models love working with you because you really take care of them. You know that this has earned you a reputation for being difficult, but that can’t be helped. You are also considered the best in the field, and the two things go together. People pay top dollar for you, and you’re going to give them the best. Next week you have a shoot for Teen Brides magazine, and you’re not looking forward to it. You’ve never worked for Teen Brides, and you doubt that they understand how you work. In addition, you’ve decided that you don’t really like bridal gowns—they’re boring—but it’s an important market. This shoot is one you don’t want to miss; it’s to be held in St. Bart’s, at a hotel you love. This is a big market and it’s one you want a piece of. You’ve heard that Teen Brides is way too concerned with detail; they want to control what’s going on, and everyone is given a say in how things are done. They don’t understand that if you listen to everyone’s opinions, the pictures will look like something out of a first-year photography class. They should just let you alone to do what they pay you to do. Taylor Butler, the fashion editor at Teen Brides, has asked to meet with you this afternoon to prepare for the shoot. You know Taylor well, having worked with her at several other magazines. You’ve always found her easy to work with, since she leaves you alone. You wonder what’s up. However, you’re glad for the chance to meet today so that you can get a few things straight about how you want to work on the set. Maybe it will help speed things along so you’ll have more time to enjoy St. Bart’s.

137

ROLE PLAY #20 TAYLOR BUTLER Fashion Editor You are dreading the next week. You’ve got a very important and expensive shoot coming up with Richard Mason. Mason is one of the foremost photographers in the field, and his photos are spectacular. You have worked with Richard in the past and like him. He has a way with models, and brings out their very best. However, he might be wonderful with models, but he’s just dreadful with everyone else at the location. He insists that someone be available to do his bidding at all times. He insists on having absolute control over every aspect of what’s going on. If he doesn’t like the way something has been handled, he yells and screams at the people involved. In fact, you’ve never heard him speak nicely to anyone, except the models he works with. You want to use Mason as much as possible, but you don’t know how to handle him. You also don’t know how to handle the anger and tears of the people he yells and screams at. In fact, several people who worked with him at other companies have already told you that they don’t want to work with Richard again. There are six people involved in next week’s shoot, which will be held on St. Bart’s. Somehow, you have to get his behavior under control. In fact, two of the six people involved didn’t even want to go to St. Bart’s—you had to use all your persuasive skills to get them to agree to go. You have a meeting set up with Richard in half an hour to talk with him about his behavior on the set. As you think about him, you remember that he can be quite charming—it’s at the shoot that he becomes so difficult.

139

Title:

THE FINAL REPORT

Time:

Fifteen minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #21

To explore what options are available when a contractor we have engaged fails to meet commitments. To practice clearly describing our feelings and concerns. Trainer Notes:

This role play has a lot of potential anger in it, so it is important to look at how people handled their anger. Were they able to use it productively, or did it get the best of them? Look also at its impact on the overall relationship. This role play is a good one for looking at the entire six-step negotiation process. If your company has a procedure for handling this type of situation, present it and have the group discuss it. In addition, if any of the participants have had similar problems, it would be useful for the group to hear how the problems were handled.

Industry:

General

141

ROLE PLAY #21 EDUARDO LOPEZ Alpha-Beta Project Manager Approximately six months ago, you gave a small but important contract to JPA, a mid-sized consulting firm. This is the first time you have worked with JPA, but you expected them to do good work and complete everything on time. Others told you that JPA is a good outfit and that you can trust them. Yesterday you received a call from Jim Callahan, JPA’s project manager for your project. He told you that JPA will not complete the project on time. In fact, he said, they will probably be three months late. He didn’t indicate what the delay is— only that he needs to meet with you. As you think about this project, you realize that you didn’t give it your full attention. You were so busy with other things, and you were so sure that JPA would do a good job that you really didn’t manage this project the way you usually do. In the early stages, everything seemed to be going well—all the early milestones were achieved. As a result, you didn’t meet with them as frequently as before, since you were busy with other work. You spoke with your boss about what to do, and he said that his primary concern is to see how much time can be made up. He wasn’t happy about your request for additional money, but he agreed that if money is what it will take to get the project done, you can have it. However, he clearly doesn’t want to cover all their costs, since the problem was of their making, not yours. You couldn’t agree more; JPA deserves to be penalized. Just because you were not micromanaging their every activity is no excuse for falling this far behind. They’re supposed to be professionals. There is nothing in the contract about penalties, but this is probably a good time to raise the issue. You will meet with the JPA person in ten minutes.

Known to Both Parties: This is a one-year project. Six months have already elapsed.

143

ROLE PLAY #21 JIM CALLAHAN JPA Project Manager Approximately six months ago, you received a small contract from Alpha-Beta, Inc. This is the first contract you’ve signed with them, and everyone wants it to go especially well because it might open the door to additional work. Everything went great for the first several months—all the milestones were achieved. You had several meetings early on with their project manager, but you’ve heard almost nothing from him for several months. You assumed that he felt comfortable with how things were going and that you had the project under control, which you did. However, yesterday you had to call to tell him that the project would be at least three months late. You’re not sure exactly what happened, except that during the last several weeks you received a number of new contracts, several of which are quite large. In fact, one of them is the largest contract the company has ever received. While you didn’t think these new contracts would create a problem, it appears that the Alpha-Beta project got pushed aside. This isn’t something you want to tell them, but it’s the reality. You spoke with your boss about the problem, and she said, “We need to get the Alpha-Beta project finished as soon as possible. We can’t lose that account; Alpha-Beta is too important. It would be ideal if you can get an extension or more money. Do whatever you have to.” You can probably make up some of the time, especially if Alpha-Beta helps out. In fact, the more they help, the more time you can make up. This would allow you to hire several contractors. It isn’t likely, however, that you can make up all the time that has been lost. You have ten minutes before your meeting with Alpha-Beta’s project manager, Eduardo Lopez.

Known to Both Parties: This is a one-year project. Six months have already elapsed.

145

Title:

THE MARKET RESEARCH STUDY Role Play #22

Time:

Fifteen minutes

Objectives:

To practice the six-step method of effective negotiation. To practice Issue Identification. To practice dealing with a problem situation.

Trainer Notes:

This role play is ideal for use with marketing research people. It is most effective when used to focus on Issue Identification. If the role play is used only for Issue Identification, participants should be instructed to stop as soon as each person has talked about the things he/she wishes to cover. One person in each pair should summarize both parties’ issues, and then they will be finished. In the debriefing, discuss whether each party allowed the other to get all of his/her issues out before responding. If the role play is used as a complete negotiation activity, discuss how the vendor addressed the problem. Were the client’s needs met? What was the impact on the relationship?

Industry:

General

147

ROLE PLAY #22 G.W. STAR Vehicles, Inc. You have a problem with a report (if you can call it that) delivered by Ace, Inc., one of your vendors. Although you inherited this project from someone else, you have worked with Ace in the past. They’re a small company and they’re very good at what they do, but they know it. You’ve never enjoyed working with them, but that’s another story. Ace was contracted to do a study and create concepts for a new product. The study consisted of forty-five to fifty in-depth interviews and a summary report of the findings. Earlier this week, the company president came in to present the findings. The Project Manager was not present. The presentation of the findings was very professional, but when you asked for the back-up data and a detailed report, Ace’s president explained that none was available. What he presented was a first-rate PowerPoint show. When you asked about the report, he said, “There was nothing in the contract about a report. We’ve done what was required. The final results were presented, which is what the contract calls for and what your associate and I discussed. No one said they wanted a written report.” The associate you inherited the project from is no longer with the company, and his notes are not very clear. While the PowerPoint presentation was a good one, you need the raw data and the detailed tabulations to make your decisions about the product. His interpretation of the data is not enough; you cannot rely on just his word. When you looked at the contract, you noticed that the language isn’t clear; it only says that a report will be presented. Ace’s president should know that the tabulations and a written report are necessary requirements—after all, he’s been in the business long enough. Your view is that Ace should provide all the data, as well as a complete report about what they did and how they went about it—especially for what they’re charging. You need this material as quickly as possible. PowerPoint slides are not enough. You set up a meeting with the president of Ace for today to discuss the matter. You tried to reach your former co-worker for more information, but he’s out of the country and won’t be available for at least a week. You spoke with your boss about the problem and asked about paying additional money; she said she would rather not, but would leave it up to you. She gave you full authority to work something out. The actual cost of the study is $25,000, which you believe warrants a written report. 149

ROLE PLAY #22 GEORGE M. CRAVEN President of Ace, Inc. You are the president of a small market-research firm that has been in business for close to a dozen years. Your company does good work, and you have an excellent reputation. You recently completed a project for Vehicles, Inc. The Vehicles manager is G.W. Star, who took over the project after it was well underway. For some reason, G.W. and you have never gotten along. You are not sure why. You made a presentation on the project earlier this week to several people at Vehicles. If you say so yourself, it was a very good presentation. However, after you finished, B.D. asked for the raw data “to support your calculations” and a copy of the complete written report—not just the PowerPoint slides. You told her that the contract did not require a written report—only the presentation that you just completed. Nothing was said about preparing and presenting all the tabulations. When the work was originally discussed with G.W.’s predecessor, there was no mention of the raw data or a complete report. In fact, one of the ways you kept the cost down was by not doing all the tabulations or preparing a written report. B.D. indicated that the two of you need to talk. As you think about this, you realize that writing a final report will require several additional days of work, not to mention an employee’s time and that of a senior project director to review and critique the report. The report is a big problem; writing one takes time and care, and it will cost at least $6,000 over and above the $25,000 cost of the actual study. Moreover, it will be several weeks before you can even get to the work, because of other commitments. It’s the report that’s the big consumer of time—the raw data and the tabulations are not that much of a problem. You really would prefer not to have to do the work. You will meet with B.D. in ten minutes.

151

Title:

NEW STAFF

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:


Trainer Notes:

This role play provides an excellent opportunity to look at different perceptions of the same situation.

Role Play #23

Be sure that you explore how the company person handled the situation. He has very strong feelings about the issue. Did he indicate how he felt? Participants usually focus on the facts of the situation rather than on the feelings, and tend to be much more punitive in terms of the future and their expectations. However, when they discuss feelings and the feelings are acknowledged by the other party, the outcome is far more positive, as are the long-term implications. Pay particular attention to what the vendor does to clarify the problem. Too frequently, vendors become very defensive; as a result, the full nature of the problem is not explored. If your company is a vendor and you have done previous training or have a particular model you wish participants to use, be sure that a discussion of that model precedes this role play. Industry:

Software

153

ROLE PLAY #23 MICHAEL CHAN Project Director, ABC You are ABC’s project director for the Acme-33 development project. It is now six months into the project, and you are generally satisfied with how things have been going. You would have liked (and still would like) a closer working relationship with the Acme project manager, who hasn’t been easy to work with. You’ve tried to schedule meetings with him, but he is frequently not available. However, some meetings do get scheduled, and they are usually productive. Yesterday, you received a call from the project manager’s secretary, asking about scheduling a meeting for today. You are not sure what the meeting is all about, but your statistician called and mentioned a conversation with his Acme counterpart, Anne Bennet. During their conversation, he mentioned that he was no longer going to be working on the project. He said that Anne seemed quite annoyed. You don’t understand why. You almost always change team members when new projects come in-house. This is something Acme should realize—they’ve worked with consulting firms before. It’s the only way a company like ours can operate. However, you are sure that once you review the skills of the new person, it won’t be a problem. While the new person is new to ABC, he isn’t new to the industry, and he’s extremely capable. Acme is probably aware that the technical writer has also changed, but he, too, has been replaced with an excellent person—a senior company employee who just returned from medical leave who is outstanding. If anything, she will enhance the project. From your perspective, the project probably has better people now than it had when it was started, and they are people you are personally more comfortable with. You hope that Acme will see it the same way. Take the next several minutes to prepare for this meeting with the Acme project manager, Sam Lindsay.

155

ROLE PLAY #23 SAM LINDSAY Project Director for Acme You are the project manager for a contract project your company, Acme Software, has with ABC and Associates. You asked to meet today with Michael Chan, project director for ABC, whom you’ve met with several times since the project began. You have several concerns with how ABC is handling the project, and you would like to discuss them. When the project first began, you were quite happy with how it was being handled. It’s now six months into the project, and things have happened recently that concern you—namely, that several members of the ABC project team have been reassigned. This was done without anyone informing you or anyone else at Acme. The only way you found out about it was when your statistician Anne called her counterpart at ABC, who told her that he is no longer on the project and that his replacement will call her back later. During that conversation, he mentioned that one of the writers had also been assigned to another project. These changes can only serve to create problems. The people involved developed good working relationships with your people. To say the least, you are very concerned. So are your statistician and writer; they both called to express their displeasure. To make matters worse, the ABC people don’t appreciate how this leaves you feeling. This isn’t how you do business. At the very least, they should let you know that changes are needed before they make them. Ideally, they should ask if a change is acceptable. You suspect that they will continue to switch people as they see fit. You are left with the feeling that this project isn’t very important to them, and this is bound to have an impact on the success of the project. This is probably the first of many changes ABC will make. You would like to have both people back on the project, or at least plan for a more orderly transition. You clearly don’t want this to happen again. You will meet with Michael Chan, the project director, in a few minutes.

157

Title:

CLEAN DATA FILE

Time:

Ten minutes

Objectives:

To practice Issue Identification.

Trainer Notes:

In debriefing this role play, discuss whether the vendor asks questions. Does the vendor listen to the client and clarify, when appropriate? Does the vendor make sure all of the client’s concerns are on the table before he/she responds? Many times, people will begin bargaining before all the issues are clear. Discuss the possible consequences of doing this.

Role Play #24

This is a brief role play that we use to illustrate the Issue Identification step in negotiations. It was written with that objective in mind, so there will not be enough material to make this into a complete role play. Don’t use it for anything more than Issue Identification. Industry:

Software or General

159

ROLE PLAY #24 BOB WALSH Morgan Consultants You are a project manager at a leading software consulting firm. Two days ago, you delivered the final data file to Software Inc. on the beta test of their new software. Everyone felt really good about getting it done on time, since Software Inc. is an important new client. You have a lot riding on this project, and when you brought the report to them, everyone was very pleased. You were away all of last week, so you didn’t have a chance to check any of the data before it was delivered. Yesterday, however, the Software Inc. project manager, Meg Stone, called and said, “When we reviewed the data, we found a number of inconsistencies and missing data points.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing—this has never happened before! Meg asked to meet with you later today. After reviewing the data, it is clear that Software is right. There are some problems that won’t be easy to fix, and this will take a fair amount of time. Software Inc. has to be furious, since they already paid an amount equal to the project cost, and won’t be happy about paying any more. In fact, they advanced monies when your company was having cash-flow problems—not many companies will do that. They basically paid for the project before it was completed. And now, because of several new contracts, you don’t have anyone readily available to address these problems. You could hire several contractors; that will cost money, but it will quickly solve the problem. One person you have in mind is a former company employee who could straighten things out quickly. It would be great if you could get a one-month extension. You spoke with your boss about this, who said, “Do what you have to do. They’re too important—just don’t give away too much.” You’re not sure exactly what that means, but you have another ten minutes before the meeting with Meg Stone, Software Inc.’s project manager, to figure it out.

161

ROLE PLAY #24 MEG STONE Software, Inc. Last week Morgan Consultants, the firm working on the beta test of your new software, delivered what was supposed to be the clean data file. If this is a clean data file, then they need to go back to school. Just a brief check revealed a number of inconsistencies and missing data points. It appears that Morgan didn’t do even the most basic quality assurance review before bringing the data to you. This really surprises you, since up until now, their work has been more than acceptable. It’s clear that a lot of data clean-up will be needed. Unless something can be done and done quickly, the product release will be significantly delayed. However, if Morgan assigns enough people to the project, they should be able to make up most of the time. This isn’t going to sit well with your management. To further complicate matters, you already paid Morgan an amount that equals the total project cost because the company was having cash-flow problems. You advanced them money, which is something we never do and something no one else would do. It was a big favor. You spoke with your boss about the problem, and she, too, was very unhappy. She told you that you have complete authority to work the situation out, but she doesn’t want to pay Morgan any more money. “The problem is theirs to fix, and it has to be fixed quickly. You need to make that very clear. We have too much riding on the testing, and people here have been waiting for the data. I thought they were a good company. I won’t want to send any more business their way if they don’t do the right thing.” You set up a meeting with their project manager, Bob Walsh, to deal with this issue. You have ten minutes to think things through before you meet with Bob Walsh.

163

Title:

THE LATE REPORTS

Time:

Twenty minutes

Objectives:

To practice dealing with poor vendor performance.

Role Play #25

To practice either the complete six-step negotiation method or the Issue Identification step. Trainer Note:

This role play can help the group learn to deal with poor vendor performance. If it is being used only for the Issue Identification step, participants should be instructed to negotiate only until each person has laid out the things he/she wishes to cover in the negotiation. Once this is done, one of the two players should summarize both parties’ issues to complete the role play. In the full role play, some role players will ask for their money back, which can raise very difficult issues. You should explore what this might do to the relationship. See if anyone has been involved in this type of situation, and ask him/her to talk about what happened. You should also be aware of your company’s general position on this issue.

Industry:

General

165

ROLE PLAY #25 DONALD SAWYER Project Manager for Tiger, Inc. You are furious with Lopez & Associates. You just received a phone call from Kathy Witkowski, the project director at Lopez, who said that they will be at least two weeks late with their final report. What really bothers you is that the deadline wasn’t a surprise. You discussed this date with their Business Development people when the project was originally discussed, and again with the project director when you met with her at the start of the project. Everyone assured you that time wasn’t a problem and that Lopez fully understood the importance of the date and the need to file on time with the government. It’s clear to you now that this was just talk— talk to get the contract. What makes you even angrier is that when it looked as if the date might be a problem two months ago, you spoke with Kathy and told her that if there is a problem with the deadline, you will assign additional people to help out. You had people available at the time, but now that’s no longer the case. Lopez was aware of the importance of the project and the deadline for the final report, and assured you that they wouldn’t miss the date. If necessary, she said, Lopez would assign additional people. You are so annoyed that you want to ask for a refund. Your last conversation with the project director was about three weeks ago; you were assured at the time that everything was okay and that there were no problems. Lopez shouldn’t make promises knowing that they can’t be kept. You’ve heard this about them, they over-promise. That’s why you watched this project so closely. And now, your boss and senior management are annoyed with you for “not doing your job.” As your boss said, “You knew this project was important. Why weren’t you spending more time with them? Weren’t you watching this project?” She went on to say that you should do what is necessary to solve the problem and get the report inhouse as quickly as possible. Take the next several minutes to prepare for the meeting with Kathy from Lopez Associates.

167

ROLE PLAY #25 KATHY WITKOWSKI Project Director, Lopez & Associates You are the project director for a contract with Tiger, Inc. The project manager heading up the project for Tiger has asked to meet with you. This won’t be a pleasant meeting, because he is furious. We’re going to be at least two weeks late getting the final report to them, which will probably delay their filing with the government by at least three weeks, if not more. Getting the reports on time was critical. The people at Tiger made that very clear at all the initial meetings. We knew it would be difficult, but everyone believed that we could make it if we pushed. We really wanted to impress them. Everyone knew the importance of the reports to Tiger and worked overtime in an effort to get the job done on time. What probably made the project manager even more upset is that he told us that Tiger would put their own people on the project if the deadline becomes a problem, just to make sure it is met. We refused, and assured them that the deadline wouldn’t be a problem—that we would get the job done. You last discussed dates with him about three weeks ago, and everything seemed to be on schedule then. You assured him that you were on schedule, and that they would have the report on time. The situation became complicated because one of the key computer people was injured while on a skiing vacation and didn’t return to work when anticipated. In addition, we received several new contracts, and had to hold the initial meetings and do project plan development. Everybody was just stretched too thin. We gave it our very best efforts, but the bottom line is that we will be two weeks late. You spoke with your boss about the matter, and she said to do whatever is necessary to solve the problem. She went on to say, “Tiger is an important client, and we don’t want to do any more damage to the relationship than we already have.” Take the next several minutes to prepare for the meeting with Don.

169

Title:

WRONG WORK

Time:

Fifteen minutes

Objectives:


Role Play #26

To practice dealing with incorrectly completed work. Trainer Notes:

This negotiation role play is good to use for Issue Identification. If you use it as a complete role play, pay particular attention to how clear the META person is on the issues. If he/she stays focused and assertive, the needs will usually get met. This is another role play that can help you examine how your company handles poor vendor performance.

Industry:

General

171

ROLE PLAY #26 JONATHAN HARRIS Harris Consulting, Vendor You just completed an assignment for Meta, Inc. in which you did much more than was required. Meta asked you to provide a nationwide RN database by state and county (place of work and years as a nurse—a fairly simple task). What you provided was a database that included nurses, LPNs, social workers, and dental hygienists, all mixed together. It was a comprehensive database and certainly more than they asked for, but now they’re upset. In a brief conversation, Barbara Metcalf, the client, indicated in no uncertain terms that the database is not what she ordered and is of no value in its current form. She said Meta can use it only if it just lists the RNs. They made it quite clear that more is not better. You can see why they are upset. You gave the assignment to one of your new people, and you didn’t watch him very closely because you were involved in several larger, more-complex assignments. He assumed that if RNs were good, then putting in everyone else would make it even better. An interesting assumption, but from a client’s perspective, not accurate. You really don’t want to spend the time cleaning up the problem, since several new projects have just started and you don’t have any staff people available. You want the client to accept the list as it currently is—it would make your life a whole lot easier! The report is by state and county, but it is not sorted by job title, place of work, and length of service. Meta has already paid you 75% of the fee. The problem probably would never have happened if Meta had been more involved, but they paid no attention to it (neither did you), and now they’re upset. Meta is a good client, but cleaning up the problem will cost more than the 25% they still owe you. You could probably get the problem solved without it costing extra money, if Meta could extend the time by about two weeks. You also would like them to pay the rest of the fee before you complete the job. You spoke with your partner about the problem; she agrees with your assessment, and will support whatever decision you make.

Known to Both Parties This is the third project this vendor has completed for Meta; the previous two were both done on time and are accurate. The project requirements were clearly spelled out in the project engagement letter. 173

ROLE PLAY #26 BARBARA METCALF Meta, Inc. You have a problem with a vendor who just finished (so he thinks) an assignment for you. Harris Consulting was asked to prepare a nationwide database of Registered Nurses, selected by state, county, place of service, and year of service. You received the database earlier this week. You’ve reviewed it and you are truly upset. The database that Harris prepared includes LPNs, social workers, and even some dental hygienists. It in no way represents the specificity that you asked for. It looks as if they had some intern go through databases and print out everything that even remotely resembled your requirements. It’s of no value to you in its current form. Your internal customer in the Marketing department happened to be in your office when the material arrived. After a quick review, she made it quite clear that the database was unacceptable. She said the vendor has to remedy the problem and do it quickly, since the data is needed shortly. She was really angry, but your guess is that she has a bit more flexibility than she implied. The problem is really complicated, since you already paid Harris almost 75% of their fee. You never asked them to send you a sample, since you thought the requirements were clearly spelled out in the project engagement letter that you drafted and sent to them. Because your schedule was hectic, you didn’t take the time to monitor what they were doing—you just assumed that everything would be done accurately and on time, as in the past. Time wasn’t an issue, but the accuracy of the information in the database left a good deal to be desired. You would like to ask them to return the fee if they can’t remedy the problem. When you called Jonathan Harris and indicated your concern, his response was essentially, “You got more than you asked for. What’s the problem?” Rather than have a protracted discussion over the phone, you suggested a meeting. It will begin in 15 minutes. You are clearly not going to pay any additional money, and will not pay the final 25% until you get what you ordered. Your boss has given you complete authority to solve the problem.

Known to Both Parties This is the third project Harris Consulting has completed for Meta; the previous two were done on time and are accurate. The project requirements were clearly spelled out in the project engagement letter. 175

Title:

THE TELEPHONE CALL

Time:

Fifteen minutes

Objective:

To practice Issue Identification.

Trainer Notes:

This role play should be used only for Issue Identification, since the amount of information is limited. In debriefing, pay particular attention to the research coordinator. Did he/she ask questions and listen, in an effort to understand the nature of the problem? When this goes poorly, the research coordinator doesn’t listen and attempts to push the investigator to talk with the CRO.

Role Play #27

In your discussion, focus on the investigator—how she/he feels, and why. Industry:

Pharmaceutical

177

ROLE PLAY #27 FRANK LYSIK Research Coordinator at Silva Pharmaceuticals You are a research coordinator at Silva Pharmaceuticals—a position you have held for a number of years. You like and enjoy your work. Recent years have seen a big change in how company research is conducted; contract research organizations (CROs) play an ever-increasing role in pharmaceutical research, and Silva has been no exception. Until recently, however, your division contracted out only two relatively small studies to CROs. Two months ago, you contracted out a large multi-site study to Research Magicians, a large CRO. This is a major study, and you just didn’t have the people to cover all the work. Research Magicians has done other work for the company, and everyone has felt comfortable working with them. In fact, when you suggested several possible sites to your colleagues, they told you that they would contact them and, if at all possible, would use them. All the sites are good ones that you expect you will use again. This morning, Dr. Goodfellow at the State University Medical Center called you. Goodfellow is one of the investigators you suggested that Research Magicians contact. He has been a good investigator; he always meets all the study criteria, and there are rarely any problems at his site. When you weren’t available to take his call, Dr. Goodfellow left a message that he wants to discuss the Research Magicians protocol with you. You are surprised that he didn’t call the folks at R.M., but that’s the way it goes. Since you’re not sure you should even be taking the call, you only want to clarify the reason for it. The study is Research Magicians’ responsibility, not yours. That‘s why we‘re paying them. You are about to call Dr. Goodfellow.

179

ROLE PLAY #27 DR. GOODFELLOW Investigator You are a research scientist at State University, and you enjoy your work. It isn’t easy, but you and your staff have been involved in some interesting projects for most of the major chemical/pharmaceutical firms. Money from these projects has helped build up the department over the years, as well as purchase equipment and allow you and your staff to attend a variety of professional workshops and conferences. The world of clinical research has been changing dramatically. Companies are using contract research organizations (CROs) more and more, and this has created serious concerns for everyone. Your group has been fortunate. Up until now, you’ve done only one study through a CRO—a relatively small one. Recently, however, you agreed to participate in a large multi-center study sponsored by Silva Pharmaceuticals and run by Research Magicians, Inc., a large CRO. The compound is an interesting one and you want to be included, but the budget that Research Magicians offered is really minimal; you don’t see how you can get the study done and make any money. You spoke with two other potential investigators, who are also troubled by the budget. As one said, “We now have a wholesaler between us and the company, and they’re taking the profits.” Your staff urged you to call Frank Lysik, the company’s research coordinator. Although you’re not great friends with him, you decided to make the call to see if anything can be done about the budget. You called earlier today, but he wasn’t available. Your message indicated the general nature of the problem; the budget for the upcoming study. Your staff has made it very clear that they don’t believe the study can be successfully completed at the current price. They want you to withdraw your commitment. This isn’t something you want to do, but your staff feels that the department will have continual problems with this type of budget. You will talk with the research coordinator in a few minutes.

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Support Materials

Support Materials The worksheets in this unit are designed to help participants prepare for and debrief the role plays. Included are the following:

Skill Identification Worksheet The worksheet is to be completed prior to the negotiation. It is designed to help the participants identify the behaviors they want to practice. These behaviors should be reviewed with the observer, so he/she knows what to watch for. These behaviors then serve as a critical part of the debriefing.

Planning Worksheet This worksheet is designed to help people plan for the negotiation. Its primary focus is on objectives. Encourage people to fill it out completely.

Observer Worksheet These two sheets are designed to help the observer follow the negotiation’s process and monitor the behavior being used. If you used the Skill Identification Worksheet, ask the observers to highlight the behaviors their partners should practice.

Debriefing Worksheet At the conclusion of a role play, observers tend to immediately begin telling the participants how they did. This worksheet should be completed prior to any discussion. It will encourage participants to reflect on how they did before the discussion begins. Only when it is completed should the debriefing begin. It will help the process if the observer also completes the worksheet, since it is better for the observer to bring all his/her ideas together before sharing them with the negotiators. Feel free to modify these materials to meet your own needs. 185

SKILL IDENTIFICATION WORKSHEET

Directions In the space below, describe each of the skills you want to practice in the upcoming negotiation. Be as specific as possible.

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PLANNING WORKSHEET SUMMARY ME

ISSUES

OBJECTIVES

PERCEIVED NEEDS AND INTERESTS

POTENTIAL CONCESSIONS

SETTLEMENT OPTIONS

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OTHER PARTY

NEGOTIATION PLANNING WORKSHEET

Directions 1)

What are your objectives for the upcoming negotiation? Be as specific as possible. What are your . . . ? HOPE-to-gets INTEND-to-gets MUST-gets

2)

What do you think are the other party’s . . . ? HOPE-to-gets INTEND-to-gets MUST-gets

3)

What do you think the other party needs so that he/she can say yes to you?

4)

What questions do you need to ask?

5)

What questions do you think the other party will ask you?

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THE SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATOR OBSERVER WORKSHEET Selected Behaviors

BEHAVIOR

Climate Issue Setting Identification Bargaining

Asked questions Clarified – positions – needs and interests Summarized – during the negotiation – at the conclusion Checked for understanding Actively listened Made contingent concessions Shared needs and interests Proposed solutions Established common ground Solicited solutions Focused on the problem 193

Settlement

THE SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATOR OBSERVER WORKSHEET Selected Behaviors

BEHAVIOR

Climate Issue Setting Identification Bargaining

Acknowledged efforts Expanded the pie* Made judgments or threats, or criticized Fixed blame, interrupted, or changed the subject Used irritating words and phrases, a patronizing tone, or a generally hostile tone

* Was creative in solutions, thought “outside the box” 195

Settlement

PRACTICE NEGOTIATION DEBRIEFING WORKSHEET 1)

How satisfied are you with your performance? Very Satisfied 5

---------------------4

3

2

Very Dissatisfied 1

Please explain:

2)

What do you feel most satisfied about?

3)

How well did you practice your “critical behaviors”?

4)

What would you like to have done differently?

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY Asherman, Ira G., and Sandra Vanee Asherman 2001. The Negotiation Sourcebook. Amherst, Mass.: Human Resource Development Press. Barlow, C. Wayne, and Glenn P. Eisen. 1983. Purchasing Negotiations. Boston: CBI Publishing. Bell, Robert. 1977. Having It Your Way: The Strategy of Settling Everyday Conflicts. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Brooks, Earl, and George Odiorne. 1984. Managing by Negotiations. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Calero, Henry H. Winning the Negotiation. New York: Hawthorn Books Inc. Cohen, Herb. 1981. You Can Negotiate Anything. Secaucus, New Jersey: Lyle Stuart, Inc. Fisher, Roger, and William Ury, with Bruce Patton. 1981. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreements Without Giving In. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Greenburger, Francis, with Thomas Kieran. 1978. How to Ask for More and Get It: The Art of Creative Negotiation. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. Harris, Charles E. 1983. Business Negotiating Power. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Illich, John. 1973. The Art and Skill of Successful Negotiation. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Jandt, Fred E. 1980. Win-Win Negotiating: Turning Conflict into Agreement. New York: Fawcett Columbine. Karrass, Chester L. 1974. The Negotiating Game. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers. Ibid. 1974. Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers. Kennedy, Benson, and McMillan. 1982. Managing Negotiations: A Guide for Managers, Labor Leaders, Politicians, and Everyone Else Who Wants to Win. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Lax, David A., and James K. Sebenius. 1987. The Manager as Negotiator. New York: The Free Press, A Division of Macmillan Inc. Leon, Burke and Stephanie Leon. The Insider’s Guide to Buying a New or Used Car. (Betterway Books, an imprint of F & W Publications, Inc., 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207 (800) 289–0963). Levin, Edward. 1980. Negotiating Tactics: Bargaining Your Way to Winning. New York: Fawcett Columbine. 201

Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation Lewicki, Roy J., and Joseph Litterer. 1985. Negotiation. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. Ibid. 1985. Negotiation: Readings, Exercises, and Cases. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. Nierenberg, Gerard I. 1968. The Art of Negotiating. New York: Simon and Schuster. Ibid. 1973. Fundamentals of Negotiating New York: Hawthorn Books Inc. Raiffa, Howard. 1982. The Art and Science of Negotiating. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Seltz, David D. and Alfred J. Modica. 1980. Negotiate Your Way to Success. New York: Farnsworth Publishing. Scott, Bill. 1981. The Skills of Negotiating. Hampshire, England: Gower Publishing Co. Skopec, Eric W. and Laree S. Kiely. 1994. Everything’s Negotiable When You Know How to Play the Game. New York: AMACOM. Tarrant, John J. 1976. How to Negotiate a Raise. New York: Simon & Schuster. Zartman, I. William, and Maureen R. Berman. 1982. The Practical Negotiator. New Haven: Yale University Press.

GENDER ISSUES Gilligan, C. 1992. In A Different Voice. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Greenhalgh. L. and R. W. Gilkey. 1985. Our Game, Your Rules: Developing Effective Negotiating Approaches, edited by L. Moore. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books. Helgesen, S. 1990. The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership. New York: Doubleday. Kolb, D. M. and G. C. Coolidge. 1988. Her Place at the Table: A Consideration of Gender Issues in Negotiation. Working Paper 88–5; Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reardon, K. K. 1995. They Don’t Get It, Do They? Communication in the Workplace: Closing the Gap between Women and Men. New York: Little, Brown & Company. St. John, A. W. 1996. The Gender and Power Mix for Managers as Negotiators: Negotiation Journal: Vol. 12, Number 4 October, pp. 367–370. Tannen, D. 1995. The Power of Talk Harvard Business Review (SeptemberOctober). Tannen, D. 1990. You Just Don’t Understand. New York: Ballentine Books. 202

Bibliography Tannen. D. 1995. Talking from 9 to 5—Women and Men in the Workplace: Language, Sex, and Power. New York: Avon Books. Watson. C. and B. Kasten. Separate Strengths? How Men and Women Negotiate. Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution: Rutgers Working Paper Series. (The address for this paper is: CNCR Rutgers University, 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102). Watson. C. 1994. Gender Versus Power as a Predictor of Negotiation Behavior and Outcomes. Negotiation Journal, Vol 10, Number 2 (April), pp. 117–128.

INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATION Chesanow, Roger. 1985. The World Class Executive: How to Do Business Like a Pro around the World. New York: Rawson Associates. Deutsch, Mitchell F. 1983. Doing Business with the Japanese. New York: The New American Library. Foster, Dean. 1992. Bargaining across Borders: How to Negotiate Business Successfully Anywhere in The World. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Hendon, Donald W., Rebecca Angeles Hendon, and Paul Herbig 1996. CrossCultural Business Negotiations. Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books. Kennedy, Gavin, 1985. Doing Business Abroad. New York: Simon & Schuster. Moran, Robert T. 1985. Getting Your Yen’s Worth: How to Negotiate with Japan, Inc. Houston, Texas: Gulf. Morrison, Terri, Wayne A. Conaway, and George A. Borden. 1994. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands. Holbrook, Mass.: Bob Adams, Inc. O’Hare-Devereaux, Mary, and Robert Johansen. 1985. Global Work: Bridging Distance, Culture, and Time. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Salacuse, Jeswald. 1991. Making Global Deals: Negotiating in The International Marketplace. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin Company. Schneiter, Fred. Getting Along with the Chinese For Fun and Profit: Asia 2000 LTD.: Suite 302 Seabird House, 22-28, Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong. Phone: (852) 2530–1409; Fax: (852) 2824–2005 or (852) 2526–1107. Vossestein, Jacob. Dealing with the Dutch. Amsterdam, Royal Tropical Institute.

ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST Boss, R. W. 1978. Trust and Managerial Problem Solving Revisited. Group and Organizational Studies, 331 (September).

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Twenty-Five Plus Role Plays to Teach Negotiation Driscoll, J. W. 1973. Trust and Participation in Organizational Decision-Making As Predictors of Satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 21(1); 44. Schoorman, F. D., R. C. Mayer, and J. H. Davis. 1996. Organizational Trust: Philosophical Perspectives and Conceptual Definitions. Academy of Management Journal, 38(1); 24–59. Sinetar, M. 1988. Building Trust into Corporate Relationships. Organizational Dynamics, 16(3); 73–79. Taylor, R. G., Jr. 1990. Trust and Influence in the Workplace. Organizational Development Journal (Fall), 33–36. Zand, D. 1972. Trust and Managerial Problem Solving. Administrative Science Quarterly, 229 (June). Zand, D. 1997. The Leadership Triad: Knowledge, Trust, and Power. Oxford University Press.

HOW TO DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT PERSON Bernstein, Albert J., and Sydney Craft Rozen. 1989. Dinosaur Brains: Dealing With All Those Impossible People At Work. New York: Ballantine Books. Bernstein, Albert J., and Sydney Craft Rozen. 1992. Neanderthals at Work: How People and Politics Can Drive You Crazy. . .And What You Can Do About Them. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Bramson, Robert M. 1992. Coping With Difficult Bosses. New York: Fireside. Bramson, Robert M. 1981. Coping With Difficult People. New York: Ballantine Books. Brinkman, Rick, and Rick Kirschner. 1994. Dealing With People You Can’t Stand: New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Cava, Roberta. 1990. Difficult People: How to Deal With Impossible Clients, Bosses and Employees. Buffalo, New York: Firefly Books. Friedman, Paul. 1994. How to Deal With Difficult People. Mission, Kansas: SkillPath Publications, Inc. Robert, Marc. 1982. Managing Conflict: From the Inside Out. San Diego, California: University Associates, Inc. Heen, Sheila, Bruce Patton, and Douglas Stone. 1999. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. New York: Viking Books. Ury, William. 1991. Getting Past No: Negotiating With Difficult People. New York: Bantam Books.

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25 Role Plays to Teach Negotiation

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