Entrepreneurial Negotiations is a 6 week course that empowers you with a proven method to achieve advantageous results for all parties.
The course teaches the Mutual Gains Approach, a negotiation method developed by MIT and Harvard, co-led by Larry Susskind, and well-proven through extensive research. The method allows all involved parties to both maximize their gains and maintain positive, long-term business relationships. You will learn to Prepare, Create Value, Distribute Value, and Follow Through in negotiations.
The course is well-suited for entrepreneurs in business, industry, government, and other organizations. This course focuses heavily on negotiations between two parties in entrepreneurial contexts, however, professionals from any area interested in improving their negotiation skills to maximize negotiation outcomes while maintaining long-term relationships will benefit from the course.
The coursework features numerous practice activities with immediate feedback, 4 graded activities with a focus on peer-review as an application of the course skills—including self-guided reflections and a case study involving providing negotiations advice—, and discussions with course TAs and peers. Learners will also complete 4 negotiations simulations, role-playing the negotiations with a course colleague. The course team will facilitate the process of partnering learners for the simulation.
You will spend the first week learning the foundational principles of the Mutual Gains Approach negotiation methodology. Next, during weeks 2-5, you will partner with a peer to put the Mutual Gains Approach methodology into practice by role-playing four negotiation simulations from the MIT-Harvard Program on Negotiation. For each negotiation, confidential instructions will be provided for each participant. You will need to produce creative solutions to fulfill interests and maximize results for both sides. After the simulation, you will get to see experts negotiating the same simulation, with Professor Larry Susskind debriefing that simulation. Entrepreneurs will share how they've handled the same issues discussed in the simulation in their own careers. Finally, you’ll reflect on everything you’ve learned in a peer-reviewed written assignment.
Finally, the last week will focus on improving and refining your understanding of the Mutual Gains Approach methodology, as well as your personal theory of practice for negotiation. You will complete a peer-reviewed case study, practicing providing negotiation advice to both parties and receiving peer feedback to increase your proficiency with the methodology.
The course will train you to analyze, prepare for, and undertake negotiations to both maximize outcomes for and maintain working relationships between all parties using a proven methodology.