Labor Relations Role-Play:

Trademore Personnel

$0.00$6.50

Lawrence Susskind and Bruce Patton

Three-person, integrative, facilitated negotiation with two department heads and a Human Resources observer/facilitator regarding the possible transfer of an employee from one department to the other

Quantity

Please note: you must order a copy (a.k.a. license/usage fee) for every person participating in the simulation in your course. This simulation has multiple roles, so you will be unable to complete your purchase without meeting the minimum quantity requirement of copies per role.

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SCENARIO:

Ann Taylor, head of the Learning Box Division at Trademore Company is having problems with a senior manager, Terry Hall. She has asked one of her staff members to represent the division in a discussion about Terry Hall with a staff member of the Research and Development (R&D) division. Bill Blass, head of R&D is currently in search of an additional Specialist IV and is concerned about the time it will take to fill the position. The Human Resource Development Office (HRD) has heard about the scheduled meeting of the two departments and has proposed that an HRD staff person also attend.

 

MECHANICS:

Preparation for this simulation takes about 20 minutes, which includes enough time to read the material and discuss strategy. The negotiating time can run from 30 to 45 minutes. During the debriefing (approximately 30 minutes), participants should discuss actual and expected outcomes.

 

MAJOR LESSONS:

  • Comparing outcomes when two or more groups play the game allows participants to discuss the importance of strategy in negotiations.
  • The HRD intervenor may or may not choose to play a mediating role, or advocate the interests of the employee. Attempts to mix these two roles however, are likely to fail.
  • During debriefing, the impact of negotiating style and decision making processes should be explored.
  • The attitudes of the participants toward the fact that one of the department heads is a woman can be used to promote discussion on the connection between gender and negotiating styles.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

For all parties:

  • General Instructions

 

Role Specific:

Confidential Information for:

  • Representative for Ann Taylor
  • Representative for Bill Blass
  • HRD Staff Person

 

Teacher's Package:

  • All of the above

 

PROCESS THEMES:

Assumptions; Authority; BATNA; Closure; Communication; Confidentiality; Constituents; Cost-benefit analysis; Creativity; Currently perceived choice analysis; Ethics; Fairness; Gilligan, two voices; Information exchange; Interest dovetailing; Interests, quantifying; Joint gains; Managing uncertainty; Meaning of "success"; Mediation, negotiating entry; Message analysis; Misrepresentation; Objective criteria; Options, generating; Preparation; Reality testing; Relationship; Selective perceptions; Separating the people from the problem; Yesable propositions

Trademore Personnel Attributes

Time required: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Number of participants: 3
Teams involved: No
Agent present: Non-lawyer
Neutral third party present: Mediator
Scoreable: No
Teaching notes available: No
Non-English version available: German, Spanish, Chinese