Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions

Lecture 1: 1 hour / session

Lecture 2: 2 hours / session

Course Objectives

• Build interactive skills associated with effective negotiations on technology policy issues
• Understand the nature and operation of dispute resolution systems in the technology policy context
• Develop the wisdom to establish constructive "rules of the game" in the technology policy context

Reading Material

Most of the readings for the course come from a textbook entitled:

Lewicki, Roy, David Saunders, John Minton, and Bruce Barry. Negotiation: Readings, Exercises and Cases. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2002. ISBN: 0072429658.

The book features many articles on all aspects of negotiations - many of which you should find very helpful and some of which you may want to challenge. Read each article with a critical eye as to what you can learn from the piece, but also as to whether the conclusions are reasonable given the method and framework offered.

Some other readings will be distributed in the class. Others are from the text for ESD.932, which is entitled: Managing for the Future: Organizational Behavior and Processes. 3rd ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western College Pub., 2005. ISBN: 0324055757, written by a team of Sloan School faculty members Deborah Ancona, Thomas Kochan, Maureen Scully, Eleanor Westney, and John VanMaanen.

Class Participation

Learning in this class requires personal participation and involvement. Sharing perceptions and ideas with each other is crucial for learning and for understanding how the diverse opinions that you are likely to encounter in an organization get articulated and debated. You will find yourself presenting and testing out new ideas that are not wholly formulated and assisting others to shape their ideas. You should be prepared to take some risks and be supportive of the efforts of others.

Teams

For two major class projects and certain other activities, you will be organized into teams. This is a functional way to accomplish the tasks and it is also part of the class learning. To help you become an effective work team, our Team Handbook is included in Module 3 of the course readings for Part I of the course. This handbook is a resource for you and your team to use in managing relationships and productivity of your team.

Skill Modules

Some of our classes will conclude with a 20-30 minute interactive skill module. These cover a wide range of skills relevant to being effective in organizational settings. Each is taught in a "train-the-trainer" format so that you can help build these skills in organizations, as well as utilize them yourself.

Graded Assignments

The grade is based on three assignments and class participation. All papers are to be double spaced.

Assignments

• Bio-Ethics Preparation Paper (1-2 pages individual paper)
  • Due in session 6
• Phoenix Preparation Paper (1-2 pages individual or group paper (1-3 people))
  • Due in session 8
• Dispute Resolution Systems Case Study Paper (4-5 pages individual/group paper (1-3 people))
  • Due in session 13 (with presentation slides due at time of prior presentation)
• Class Participation
  • Attendance in all classes is a base-line pre-requisite for this part of the grade - consistent attendance earns a grade of "90." This can be reduced with absences and increased by making informed contributions to class discussions, particularly comments that incorporate insights from reading assignments. This is not a reward for maximizing "air time" - indeed, encouraging contributions by others and shared learning by the class are highly valued.
  • Note: There will be additional short, ungraded assignments associated with preparation for specific class exercises and learning - all of which are factored into class participation.

Grading Policy