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The Rhythm of the Deal: Negotiation as a Dance
Abstract
In all the literature on the theory and practice of negotiation, the governing metaphor remains consistently one of war or fighting. This is true not only for tactical schools of power-based negotiation, but even for more constructive, interest-based approaches. Our language is infused with talk of tactics, flanks, concessions, gaining ground and winning. This article explores the possible consequences of abandoning this picture in favor of the far too little explored metaphor of the dance. We will see that both the content and the process of negotiation can change dramatically once when we think of bargaining as an aesthetic activity which provides intrinsic joy as well as extrinsic benefits. In such a dance, there is plenty of room for competition as well as cooperation, as movements can be spirited and confrontational as well as smooth and harmonious. We identify many forms of dance in negotiation, and explore three: the dance of positioning, where passions and presentations interact proudly; the dance of empathy, when the partners come to better understand each other; and then the dance of concessions, where the deal is struck and the music comes to an end. Finally, we will try to show how the dance can be employed pedagogically, in teaching and training negotiation and mediation. In particular, the Brazilian dance of capoeira illustrates holistically and experientially how movement and rhythm can be interpreted both as fight and as a dance and how we can come to see a process as both aesthetic and purposeful at the same time. First feeling, then thinking and finally speaking, we can use this medium to explore the dynamics of confrontation and cooperation in a negotiation setting.
... Nissley (2002) argues that learning through movement provides a complete experience such S. Bayraktar adavies@ra.ac.ae that analyzing the leader-follower relation appeals to cognition, accomplishing the dance appeals to affect, and thinking, feeling, and acting provide a complete understanding of the concept. Schlie and Young (2008) suggest that dance should be employed in education and training as it is one of the most accessible forms of experiential learning. Accordingly, dance, movement, and rhythm can serve as an experiential metaphor for leadership and followership. ...
The chapter explores the change in educational philosophies application through the rapid adaptation of simulations and technologies
... Nissley (2002) argues that learning through movement provides a complete experience such that analyzing the leader-follower relation appeals to cognition, accomplishing the dance appeals to affect, and thinking, feeling, and acting provide a complete understanding of the concept. Schlie and Young (2008) suggest that dance should be employed in education and training as it is one of the most accessible forms of experiential learning. Accordingly, dance, movement, and rhythm can serve as an experiential metaphor for leadership and followership. ...
... Moreover, communication patterns that consist of influence and information sequences lay the groundwork for aligning positions, engaging in concession making, and developing high mutual gain settlements (Adair & Brett, 2005). One big conclusion that we can draw from examining the work on interaction analysis is that conflict is like a dance in which parties need to understand the rhythm of movement, adapt to their partner's moves and countermoves, and treat communication as a system of ebbs and flows rather than a set of tactics (Young & Schlie, 2011). This metaphor aptly captures what we have learned about conflict from interaction analysis studies; that is, how disputants enact the process has a direct influence on the outcome, not only in terms of agreement and successful settlements but also in terms of future conflict development. ...
In this tribute to the 2010 recipient of the International Association for Conflict Management Lifetime Achievement Award, we celebrate the scholarship of Linda Putnam. We highlight her transformational impact not only on conflict research, but also on those of us who have had the opportunity to work with her. Noting her multidisciplinary research and her advocacy for a communication perspective of conflict, we review four distinct contributions and their intersections with conflict research: the communication perspective of conflict, interaction analysis, the bona fide group perspective, and bounded emotionality. Underlying these contributions are cross-disciplinary principles exemplified in Linda Putnam's research and career that serve to revitalize conflict research and inspire scholars. We conclude with her words of wisdom on the future of this field of research.
... These patterns depict a negotiation dance in which influence information sequences and reciprocal informationsharing sequences lay the groundwork for mutual gains, especially in the first two stages of negotiation ( Adair & Brett, 2005 ). As a metaphor, negotiation dance refers to the alignment of positions, concession making, and empathy as parties engage in tactical interactions and in the rhythm and flow of conflict ( Young & Schlie, 2011 ). In effect, adaptation in negotiation, especially for cross-cultural interactions, is an emergent process in which negotiators discover each other's approaches, interpret each other's goals, and gradually move in sync. ...
Einkaufsverhandlungen werden vor dem Hintergrund der fortschreitenden technologischen Entwicklung zunehmend digitalisiert. Insbesondere künstliche Intelligenz stellt in dieser Hinsicht eine vielversprechende Chance zum effizienten und effektivem Management von Verhandlungen dar. Technologien der künstlichen Intelligenz werden dazu in einem ersten Teil des Beitrags nach vier Stufen unterteilt. In einem zweiten Teil erfolgt dann die beispielhafte Anwendung dieser Stufen auf die einzelnen Phasen des Verhandlungsmanagements, um das Potenzial künstlicher Intelligenz für Einkaufsverhandlungen herauszustellen. Dabei wird auch auf die Herausforderungen und Voraussetzungen des Einsatzes künstlicher Intelligenz in Einkaufsverhandlungen Bezug genommen.
Moving on from the authors’ seminal 2009 critique of the overuse of role-plays in negotiation teaching, "Death of the Role-Play" (chapter 13 in Rethinking Negotiation Teaching), Alexander and LeBaron have taken the rapidly increasing enthusiasm for experiential learning in a new direction: multiple intelligences. Their particular interest is in a use of experiential learning that focuses on kinesthetic intelligence, employing actual physical movement, particularly dance, to unlock creativity in other mental domains, as well as to encourage authentic participation by people whose skills are not primarily verbal or mathematical. Those who may be inclined to be skeptical should note that this work is receiving increased attention among people whose dominant skills are rational/analytical: this chapter serves as a brief introduction to a project whose longer work is to be published soon by the American Bar Association.
Improvisation has been treated largely as if it were a conceptual monolith: all improvisations are similar. We
challenge this theorizing by distinguishing forms of improvisation in organizations (semi-structured, episodic,
subversive, resistive) and by exploring ways in which these forms interrelate in improvisational sequences.
Improvisation is not just something individuals do; it is a learned capacity that organizations can manage.
We introduce the dimension of improvisational formality and informality, adding a political dimension to the
study of the topic. By combining forms in process sequences, we organize the existing literature under a
systematic perspective facilitating theory development via an integrative understanding of how improvisation
produces learning.
Metaphors pervade the practice of negotiation and related dispute resolution processes. The dominant metaphors are competitive ones, from games, sports, and war. A second set of cooperative metaphors, often from dance, is also used. This article argues that, since negotiation and related dispute resolution processes inherently involve both competition and cooperation, language reflecting that tension should be used. For example, negotiating parties should be called by the mixed term counterpart rather than the purely competitive adversary or the purely cooperative partner. Counterpart may also be a very useful metaphor in teaching these subjects. Language awareness can help us better understand and at times improve dispute resolution practice and teaching.
We propose a normative model of transactional negotiation in which cooperative and competitive behaviors wax and wane across four stages: relational positioning, identifying the problem, generating solutions, and reaching agreement. Based on a classic proposition of communicative flexibility in high-context cultures, we propose culture-specific dyadic movements within and across these stages. Our sample included 102 high-context dyads from Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand; 89 low-context dyads from Germany, Israel, Sweden, and the United States; and 45 United States-Hong Kong and United States-Japan mixed-context dyads. Dyads negotiated a complex, 90-minute transaction with integrative potential. We audiotaped, transcribed, and coded their negotiations for sequences of information and influence behaviors. The unit of analysis was the action-response sequence. Results confirmed that the pattern of sequences varied across the four stages and the frequency of particular sequences varied with culture. We suggest that negotiators can use this model to manage the evolution and strategic focus of their negotiation, especially during the first two stages, when the use of influence-information sequences and reciprocal-information sequences generate the groundwork for joint gains.
A metaphor operates covertly to gain tacit agreement on direction, means and ends without full description or rationale. It constrains a discussion, focusing on certain concerns while masking others. Becoming consciously aware of the metaphors commonly used during negotiation offers valuable insights into meanings not overtly discussed. This awareness helps reveal intentions and implicit evaluations while also illuminating non-obvious areas for mutual gain. It suggests ways to reinforce rapport, persevere in negotiating, reflect and query usefully, and to explore and propose different options. Drawing on the large body of applied metaphor research, including conceptual metaphor theory, several structural properties of metaphor are explained. Their usefulness in detecting metaphors, elaborating how metaphors map to issues being discussed, and unpacking meaning is illustrated using excerpts from a negotiation case transcript. This article argues that the sooner a negotiator becomes conscious of such metaphors, the more options become available for intelligent exploration.
This paper examines the constitutive elements of the genre of melodrama and relates them to typical Western conflict stories. It demonstrates why a conflict narrative based on the genre of melodrama tends to work against the resolution of the conflict and proposes tragedy as a more constructive genre for a conflict narrative. The paper also discusses how the mediation situation itself can constrain the possible genres that can be constructed in the process and explores the implications of those constraints for people in conflict and for the mediators facilitating a resolution. © 2009 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Full-text of this article is not available in this e-prints service. This article was originally published in Management Learning, published by and copyright SAGE Publications. This article engages with the ongoing debate surrounding the validity of collective learning methodologies found in the popular management literature, such as team learning. It explores some of the alleged lacunae in these dialogic methodologies by exploring the metaphors invoked by their proponents. This exploration employs a metaphorical framework, which then takes one of these metaphors (dance) and unfolds it as a more substantive `model' metaphor—rather than apply it in a superficial way, as appears to be the case currently. This development, in turn, permits the integration of an alternative sociocultural view of collective learning. Consequently, dialogue in collective learning becomes represented as divergent and multifarious, rather than merely as convergent upon simplistic outcomes. The potentials of the dance metaphor are examined, alongside a brief discussion of the methodological approaches that could facilitate further exploration, making it possible to highlight aspects for consideration in further research.
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