Three Mini Negotiation Simulations Incorporating Transactional, Relational, and Agentic Ethics

Abstract: This workshop addresses the challenges of teaching ethics in a manner that is not separated from learning basic negotiation concepts and skills. The presenters will share three one-shot simulations they developed to incorporate various aspects of ethics into the experience and the choices that learners make as they plan and enact negotiations. The resulting situations incorporate ethical issues that emerge naturally as students engage with the dilemmas and make choices, i.e., ethical aspects are embedded rather than featured to aid learners in perceiving ethics as integral rather than a separate concern when negotiating. The three simulations are stand-alone activities each focusing on a different aspect of ethics in negotiation: (1) lying by omission in a transactional relationship, (2) misrepresenting or lying in an ongoing relationship between boss and employee, and (3) negotiating as an agent representing the organization’s interests and priorities. The activities have instructor guides to facilitate a discussion of ethics in negotiation. The simulations’ design intentionally uses short scenarios that students can read, prepare, and roleplay within a class period, so as to minimize problems caused by absent students who had been assigned to paired roles. Variations are suggested, including pre-class reading and preparation and partnering roles. The workshop session will end with an open discussion of teaching ethics in negotiation so that participants may share their ideas and innovations.

Keywords: negotiation, (un)ethical behavior, transparency, misrepresentation, agency