Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

Health Care

Instructor: Dr. Laurie Ziegler

Office: 4.210
Phone: 972-883-2847
Email: WebCT internal email
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30 – 6:00 and by appointment. I am flexible.

Instructional Assistant: Maulik Singhal

Office Hours: TBA

Course Information

Required Materials:
1. The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, 3rd ed., Thompson, Prentice Hall.
ISBN: 0-13-140738-4
2. Influence: Science and Practice, 4th ed., Cialdini, Allyn and Bacon.
ISBN: 0-321-01147-3
3. Renegotiating Health Care: Resolving Conflict To Build Collaboration, Marcus et.al.,
Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 0-7879-5021-1
4. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, CPP, Inc. www.cpp.com
5. Exercises, cases, and readings – handed out in class.
6. Name placard/tag

Course Communication:
Email communication, calendar changes, group and general discussions and
assignment submissions will take place using the WebCT platform.

Course Objectives:
1. To develop an understanding of concepts, research, and theories in the study of
negotiations in a variety of contexts. In this way, students will have a sound
framework to draw on when analyzing negotiation situations.
2. To introduce the student to primary research on influence and the application of
associated theories to conflict resolution and negotiation. Emphasis is placed on
the application of this information to the health care context.
3. To provide case studies, role-plays, and exercises that help students incorporate
contemporary knowledge of negotiation into their thinking and behavior.
4. To create an awareness of the relationships that diversity and ethics have in
organizations and on social science concepts.
5. To help foster improved competency in several critical management skills and to
augment the technical and diagnostic skills students obtain through their MBA
studies.
6. To help students develop confidence in the negotiation process and to prepare
students to transfer this knowledge to real world settings.
Honor Code: Students are expected to respect the integrity of their classmates and to
make sure that none of the course-related information or experiences work their way
into the MBA gossip mill or other networks. It is my intention that you learn from and
apply your experiences but do not exploit the experiences of others in any way. To put
it simply, “the personal experiences that happen in the class stay in the class.” In this
way, we can have open, honest, and meaningful experiences in a safe environment.

Course Format

Negotiation is the science and art of reaching agreements between interdependent

parties who seek to maximize their outcomes. Negotiations occur to either create
something new that neither party could create alone or to resolve an issue or dispute
between parties. Through your graduate studies you are developing a broad spectrum
of analytical skills needed to diagnose organizational situations and to reach optimal
solutions. The development of negotiation and other dispute resolution skills will help
you analyze issues from a variety of perspectives and secure acceptance of the
solutions you reach. This course is conducted as a graduate level seminar and
depends primarily on each student’s individual contribution. It is experientially based
and draws heavily on role plays, case studies, videos, presentations, and class
discussions. This is not a lecture course. Sound principles derived from the studies of
influence, conflict resolution and negotiation provide the theoretical underpinnings of the
course.
Course Requirements

Preparation and Participation (35%)

Attendance Experiential exercises are crucial to the achievement of the stated course
objectives. You are expected to come to class prepared and to fully participate in the
negotiation exercises and discussions. The attendance policy is commensurate with
these expectations. You may miss two classes without penalty provided you notify the
instructor via WebCT email at least 24 hours prior to the class session. This is a no-
fault attendance policy. Every additional class missed will result in a loss of five points
from your overall course average regardless of reason. I am not trying to punish you;
however, this is a highly interactive course and if you are not here you will not be able to
regain the experiences you missed. Additionally, your classmates depend on you to
fulfill your simulation and exercise responsibilities. If you are unable to consistently
attend class, this course may not be the right one for you.

Contributions In class contributions are assessed based on the quality of your

contributions to the negotiation exercises, role plays, presentations and discussions.
Your comments will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
a. reflective and critical thinking that contributes to the flow of the
discussion but does not dominate the discussion
b. insightful and creative ideas based on the topics and theories
discussed in class
c. integration of relevant personal experiences and current events
 d. builds on comments of others
e. goes beyond the “I feel” concept and provides some evidence or logic for
your comments
f. Does not “reiterate/recap” events

You may also earn participation credit by sharing a media event, your own experience,
etc. with the class. They should be based on content information you have gained
through your readings and exercises and be relevant to that day’s topics. You will have
an opportunity to share your ideas at the beginning of each class session.

Unless otherwise specified, you will not be graded on the outcome of the exercises.
You are strongly encouraged to be creative in the development and implementation of
your negotiation and dispute resolution strategies and to learn from the strategies used
by others and the mistakes that occur along the way.

Presentations Each student is responsible for providing a synopsis of one session’s

material. The synopsis should highlight the key points of the readings as you see them.
You may use Power Point slides, handouts, video clips, or anything else that illustrates
the key points. Do not merely regurgitate the reading(s). Find your own unique way to
get the material across to the rest of us. You have approximately 20 minutes for your
presentation. There may be two presentations on one day depending on the amount of
material covered for the session. You may combine these presentations into one if you
choose to do so.

Personal Statement Submit a one page personal statement for the edification of your
classmates and me. Information you provide might include: who you are, what you do,
what industry you are in, what your hobbies are, and what you want to get from this
course. You could attach a picture of yourself (with family, friends, pets, alone, etc.) if
you like. Submit this through the discussion board – personal statement forum. These
are due by 1/25/06.

Spontaneous Responses I will ask several questions throughout the semester that
assess your understanding of the assigned readings. You might consider these “oral
quiz” questions. This is how it works. I will ask the question and if you want to respond,
raise your hand. If I agree with your answer you will earn the highly desired “extra
point”. There are no partial points. I wi ll add these points at the end of the semester to
the participation points you have already accumulated. I will make every effort to call on
a variety of people so that every one has opportunities to earn these coveted points.

Reflective Groups (30%)

The purpose of the Reflective Group is to stimulate discussion about your course
experiences, to think about your strengths and weaknesses in resolving disputes or
enhancing opportunities, and to apply course concepts to your personal situations.
Your R Group will meet once a week for one hour outside of class time. You may meet
in person, via teleconference, telephone, chat, or using any other synchronous method.
You should spend a few minutes preparing for you R Group meeting. Issues you might
focus on during the meeting include:
• Course readings
• Simulations and exercises completed that week
o What happened?
o What strategies/tactics did I use? Did the other party use?
o What did I learn from the activity? What strengths/weaknesses were
identified?
• Personal experiences you had outside the course and how you dealt with
them in the context of course concepts.
• Other issues that have arisen as a consequence of the course and how they
impact your ability to resolve disputes and enhance negotiated outcomes.

One member of each group will submit a 1 to 2 page, double-spaced statement for
weeks 3 - 12 (1/25-4/5) via the WebCT Assignment link. Submit this as a word
document with your team name in the extension. You have until the following week to
submit each assignment. The statement should include your group name and members
in attendance, your method of meeting, a summary of your discussion, and any issues
you might like to bring to my attention. All R Group submissions are confidential. If
you are not in attendance, are not prepared, or in any other way do not participate
adequately in the R Group your individual grade will be reduced from the team grade. I
will obtain oral “performance evaluations” from each team member mid-semester.
These are also confidential.

Integration Exercise (35%)

You have three options to demonstrate how well you have learned and are able to
integrate the course materials. You may keep an ongoing journal, describe a living
negotiation, or evaluate a film. Reflective thought and creativity are encouraged.

Journal Your journal should demonstrate your understanding and application of

course readings and assignments on a weekly basis. You should include anticipated
and actual experiences, observations, insights, applications, and extensions of the
material. Your journal should explicitly incorporate that week’s activities and readings.
Do not try to “catch up” at the end of the semester. I can tell. This is an ongoing
enterprise and is a good exercise for those of you who like specific goals and deadlines.

Living Negotiation During the course of the semester you should conduct a live
negotiation of substantive quality (i.e., you care about the results). This may include a
major purchase (e.g. house), job search, relations with peers or coworker, etc. You may
not describe a classroom activity. If you have doubts, please contact me. This exercise
is right for you if you are involved in continual negotiation activity or if you are good at
setting your own goals and timetables.
Film Analysis You may analyze a full-length film or documentary. You may also
analyze several episodes of a television show. Confine your choices to media that is
related to the health-care industry. For example, you might choose: One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest, Lorenzo’s Oil, John Q,, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Scrubs, House, etc.

Guidelines for Integration Exercise In addition to your own thoughts, research the
concepts you are highlighting. Do not rely exclusively on the materials provided in
class. You should also access journals, magazines, newspapers, books, etc. to
supplement your analysis. Particular emphasis is placed on academic, refereed
publications. The quality of your integrative exercise is based on your understanding of
the course material and your ability to support the experiences you have had and
positions you are taking. Do not rely on internet sources unless you are accessing full
text articles. Check with the UTD Library SOM Liaison for help with resources: Loreen
Phillips at 972-883-2126 or lsp014100@utdallas.edu.

All integrative exercises should be approximately 10 double spaced pages excluding the
reference list and appendices. They will be submitted on WebCT under the
Assignment: Integration Exercise Link. Use either MLA or APA format for your citations
and resources. Provide a cover sheet with the following information in this order: your
name, type of integrative assignment (e.g. Journal, Living Negotiation, or Film Analysis)
and unique title. Also provide an outline with page numbers and an abstract (75 – 100
words) summarizing your objectives, findings, and conclusions. Your second page
should provide an introduction to your integrative exercise (hook me into reading it,
provide a thesis statement) and the last textual page should provide a conclusion
(including limitations you encountered and future directions). The body of your paper
will be comprised of your on-going experiences (journal), a recounting of your
negotiation (living negotiation), or an integration of course material into your media
project (film analysis). This is very important: I am allowing a great deal of latitude for
you to explore issues that are important to you in a format that makes sense to you. I
expect a thoughtful, professional report that integrates course material and is
supplemented with outside resources. Do not plagiarize or in any other way use
information that is not your own or is not properly cited. If you do so, you will receive an
“F” in this course.

Integrative exercises are due: April 12 th.

Schedule of Readings

1/11 Introduction, Conflict, and Salient Conflicts

1/18 Weapons of Influence, Reciprocity, Commitment, and Social Proof Cialdini

1-4

1/25 Conflict Marcus 1-3

2/1 Negotiation Introduction and Preparation Thompson 1-2

2/8 Distributive Negotiation and Positional Bargaining Thompson 3; Marcus 11

2/15 Creativity and Problem Solving; Crafting Essentials Thompson 8; Marcus 13

2/22 Win-Win Negotiation; Interest-based Negotiation Thompson 4; Marcus 4

3/1 Framing and Reframing Marcus 5-6

3/15 Liking; Authority; Scarcity Cialdini 5-7

3/22 Style, Trust, Power Persuasion and Ethics Thompson 5-7

3/29 Social Dilemmas; Health Care Practices Thompson 11; Marcus 7-10

4/5 Multiple Parties and Teams Thompson 9

4/12 Information Technology and Instance Influence Thompson 12; Cialdini 8

4/19 Conclusion: Creating a Balance Marcus 14

4/26 Wrap-up and get-together