HNMCP Case Studies Website Shapes Harvard Negotiation Institute Negotiation Workshop

by Heather Kulp

With one hundred participants representing over twenty countries, the summer Harvard Negotiation Institute’s Negotiation Workshop offered five days of instruction to expand participants’ negotiation toolboxes. To facilitate skill development, Professor Robert Bordone relied on the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program’s Case Studies website.

Professor Bob Bordone

Participants—from government officials to judges to real estate agents—learned about managing competitive bargainers and other difficult behaviors by negotiating Kesnia. In Kesnia, a country’s newly-elected government negotiates with an international NGO to determine restitution payments for a resident impacted by the country’s recent war.

When teaching about value creation, Professor Bordone used Diego Primadonna, a case involving an aging football star negotiating a new contract with his former team for a new contract. The case is available in English or Spanish. It offers students an opportunity to develop innovative options that add value for both sides in a negotiation.

Students also previewed a new teaching tool at the Negotiation Workshop. Available in beta on the Case Studies website, instructors now have video access to Professor Robert Bordone’s expert negotiation advice. Critical Decisions in Negotiation features four pairs of attorneys negotiating Iqbal’s Big Venture, a case about the extent of an international technology license. Viewers observe segments of each pair negotiating, then hear as Professor Bordone meets with each pair to discuss their strategies. Throughout the video, Professor Bordone offers tips and coaching about how to negotiate more effectively. The video, which allows instructors to browse through short chapters organized by topic, will help instructors share insights with their students on skills such as negotiating process, sequencing moves, and dealing with difficult behaviors. This is an excellent supplement to Iqbal’s case.

For more information, or to discuss how to adapt these products for your academic or professional education needs, contact Lisa Brem, Case Studies Program Manager, at lbrem@law.harvard.edu.

About the author: Heather Kulp is the Clinical Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program.