Posted: September 13th, 2017

Leading a Multicultural Team through a Change Process ;

Leading a Multicultural Team through a Change Process ;

Assume you have recently been assigned to lead a six-person team working on a new health care product that could revolutionize the treatment of diabetes. This product would allow glucose readings to be taken without any needles or skin pricks. Obviously, if the product is successful, you and the rest of the team stand to earn bonuses, promotions, and industry recognition. You are being asked to lead the team because under the former leader, the project team missed several critical deadlines, and costs have spiraled out of control.
The team all works out of an office in Maryland. The team is made up of the following people:
•    John, a 43-year-old African American, man, born in Bowie, Maryland
•    Julie, a 51-year-old Chinese-American woman, born in the District of Columbia
•    Jinsoo, a 27-year-old South Korean man who immigrated from Seoul
•    Tom, a 63-year-old white American, born in Los Angeles, California, who recently moved to Maryland
•    Darius, a 32-year-old Iranian man whose parents brought him to the United States when he was six years old
•    Harpreet, a 30-year-old Indian woman who immigrated 10 years ago
Darius and Harpreet joined the team three months ago. The rest of the team has been together for three years.
The new product is due to be delivered for beta testing six months from today. Today, your first day on the job, you have spent the entire day talking to each team member separately. Here is what you have discovered so far today:
•    Darius and Tom have been in conflict for several weeks over how to approach the design of a critical piece of the product.
•    John and Julie are so disillusioned that they are job hunting, but each has unique skills that you do not wish to lose.
•    Jinsoo tends to isolate himself when there is conflict, which decreases his productivity.
•    Tom believes that the rest of the team is cutting him out of the picture because of his age and lack of interest in using Google to create workspaces where everyone can brainstorm. Tom would rather just talk about his ideas.

You were also briefed by the general manager, who shared that the former leader had been fired due to unethical practices such as taking bribes from vendors. However, the team members didn’t know that and really liked the former leader; they are angry that he is gone.
Using your knew knowledge of multicultural teams and communication, the change process, decision making, and ethics, write an action plan of about 5 pages to get this team back on track. This paper should be supported by your readings and must provide specific steps based on this knowledge. Cite sources, etc. Remember–whenever you write a paper in a course, your task is to show that you understand the material you are learning, that you can apply it to specific situations, and that you can think critically and creatively in new situations.

Module 8 – Change

What’s the benefit of studying this topic?
As a manager you will be asked to lead change efforts in work units, teams and perhaps, as the chief officer of an organization.  To be effective in your job you must understand work change.  Knowing the change process can support you and your staff in being successful.     Readings:
•    Northouse, Ch 9 presents transformative leadership to outline the role of leading when making significant change, such as a merger, development of a major product or service, or shifting the mission of an organization.
•    Northouse, Ch 11 provides the emerging model of authentic leadership, roles and activities often expected by workers as they face the demands of a business change.
•    Lecture 8 (below)
Review:
•    Power Point addresses factors and aspects of several change models.  Knowing more about approaches to change can increase effectiveness. (Scroll down to locate power point).
•    Select 1 or more video clip.  (See last section of this web page)
Module 8
Managing Change Successfully
Introduction:  A Familiar Change Scenario
The team of a tech software project enjoyed a highly collaborative environment.  Then the company’s senior level directors introduced a new 5-year plan to increase performance with emphasis on all units developing marketing.  The team was unanimously in favor.  They committed to identifying markets given their understanding of innovation in the team’s project pipeline.  The team clearly assigned each team member research on these markets, which reflected the diversity of the team and options for additional expansion into various regions of the globe.  A year later, the team met.  Although they had concrete plans, the group had accomplished very little.  There were lots of explanations, such as “We thought we could do things and still have time to keep up with ongoing work.  We took first steps, but gave up, when things didn’t immediately pan out.”   However, the bottom-line result is that this team failed in their change effort.
Is it possible that work teams often are not clear about changes company leaders are directing–that is there is not enough information about what should be changing or why?  Is it likely that the tech team in the scenario you just read, and members of countless teams today do not understand what will be different when a new strategic plan is put in place? And is it that teams do not know how to discuss what will happen and who might lose? Might fear of one’s own job loss become a potent factor of why change doesn’t take hold? Are anxieties and frustrations impacted by a range of diverse viewpoints, and if so, what must happen to understand the resources of multi-cultures? (Note: These questions were adapted from William Bridges’ research and writing on transitions).
At-a-glance definitions:
Organization development: A set of plans and actions which enable company and work unit changes in culture.  These tasks and interactions focus on human and social aspects to improve capacities for adapting and solving problems.  OD interventions are participatory at multiple levels within a company, government or nonprofit organization.
Organizational culture change:  This phrase often overlaps the use of the term, organization development.   Strategy plans and efforts emphasize the people, both workers and customers.  Cultural change work is done in the organization to increase commitment and empowerment of employees and it frequently provides stronger ties between the company and its customers. Culture change of a work unit or company is difficult because it challenges established ways of thinking and embedded values. Team building is a specific activity of an organizational culture change.
Organizational change:  A set of new ideas and behaviors desired by leaders.  Change is likely to include culture, but it is only within the past 5 years that culture has been widely discussed as central to effective change.  Organizational change is usually undertaken with the intention of developing or expanding company markets, products and services (i.e. organizational development is a subset of change).
Organizational culture:  Core values, rituals, and expected activities of a company or a nonprofit.  These factors answer the questions: What’s important to the company and how is work done in this unit? Group norms reflect a work unit’s culture.  In comparison to country culture, some organization cultures are stronger than others.  The balance between organization and country culture is an emerging area of research.  Tensions can exist between cultural values of family and country when compared to the organization’s culture.  For example, workers from more collective or high context cultures are familiar with and appreciative of collaboration needed in team work.  But these workers may be reporting to individualistic, high achievers who reward fast turnarounds and innovations offered quickly by individuals.
Transformation:  A significant change which cannot be accomplished easily or quickly, but is viewed as important and worthwhile.  Transformational change will include organizational culture.
Context of Relentless Technical and Information Changes:
“The whole 20th century, because we’ve been speeding up to this point, in which one year is equivalent to 20 years of progress. But the 21st century will be equivalent to 20,000 years of progress, which is a thousand times greater than the 20th century, which was no slouch to change.”  Ray Kurzweil futurist, writer and inventor who has sponsored projects in the cyber arts, and in health and medicine (2012).
“Change is becoming the only constant state” (Kurzweil). The “new science” theories (chaos, complexity and, quantum theories) suggest that the environment facing business leaders today is quite different from the traditional worldview.   The traditional view of reality was to see management as objective, predictable and largely linear.  In contrast the “quantum worldview” sees the environment as dynamic, unpredictable, and subjective.  The organization is presented as an open, changing, non-linear system, subject to forces of stability and instability.
Many organizational leaders continue to face the management problems of innovation, performance and accountability while the pace and complexity of change is at a magnitude never before experienced.  This complexity includes a diverse workforce and a range of culturally driven values and expectations. The challenge to managers is daunting. What will you determine to be priorities and strategy as a 21st century manager?
Focus on Specific Aspects of a Change: Advice from Kotter
In a 2008 interview, John Kotter, author of 15 books on leadership and change, affirmed that mangers and organizational units alike are improving the success rate for strategic change.  (Throughout 1980-90s, organization behavior researchers concluded that 70 percent of change strategies failed or were aborted. One of the more important factors, according to Kotter, was the need for increased attention to urgency or reasons for a change.  Urgency continues today.  But it is often not discussed enough because understanding urgency means looking at and explaining the darker side of “what if” scenarios, such as risks, threats, and weaknesses.
Many managers have made mistakes by not paying enough attention to the front end of the change process which centers on urgency. Instead of talking extensively about the urgent need for change in strategy, leaders often want to downplay the harder issues which include a clear examination of what happened and where/when people were not asked to be accountable.  Instead, there’s a human desire to talk about the potential of the team and the importance of vision.  Then, when company leadership recruits expert help, there is resistance to looking back and carefully examining what was done.  But with increased attention to urgency and specific reasons for a strategy change, people can believe that what you are asking is more than just words or a plan on paper.  Your plan requires action.  (McKinsey Report, 2010)
Keep a Change Process in Mind to Aid Your Management Focus:
Kotter offers a popular well-tested approach to structuring interactions and communication for managing a change in plans and strategy.  Here you have that model with additional insight for working with a range of cultural values.
•    Establish sense of urgency
o    Adapted to the cultures involved. Not every culture sees urgency the same way. Some will not react to entreaties based on time. Leaders will need to find another way to infuse urgency based on cultural values.
•    Create a guiding coalition
o    The member of the team should include influential employees from across work units and with representatives of sub- cultures.
•    Develop a Vision and Strategy
o    The critical piece. Everyone needs to understand the goal and the boundaries.
•    Communicate the Vision
o    You cannot over-communicate. The leader needs to communicate in culturally savvy ways to ensure understanding.
•    Empower broad-based action
o    Empowerment must accompany the change. However, again, not every culture reacts the same way to being empowered. The responsibilities for action must be culturally bound.
•     Generate short-term wins
o    Everyone wants to see proof that the change will work. The more proof, the more belief.
•     Consolidate gains and produce more change
o    Small wins build momentum; these must be embedded and leveraged.
•    Anchor changes in culture
o    The leader must reframe the organization’s culture based on the changes.
Observe Planning, Decision-making and Communication for Resistance:
Resistance indicators are present when a change or new plan is launched: Use to determine when to take time and add communication and discussion.  For more than a decade Rick Maurer, researcher and expert on Gestalt approaches to workplace human interactions, has examined change and how to overcome resistance.  Overall his approach centers on effective communication to lower resistance and build trust.  The table below presents a summary of his research adapted to address a range of cultural values.
Level of Resistance
Behavior Cues a Manager May See from Others     Reactions a Manager May Experience Indicating Resistance When Presenting a Plan, or When Observing Reactions of Others
Level One (Least challenging)     •    People look confused.
•    People have a glazed look.
•    People ask questions, or make comments which don’t fit planning information.
•    A desire to avoid paying attention and get on with implementation.
•    When asking for opinions, there’s a sense of obligation
•    Unclear commitment:  A manager may find him or herself saying, “I’m not quite sure why we have to do this.” This reaction can be anticipated, if you/ several members of the work group/unit are grounded in a priority for avoiding uncertainty as much as possible, and not presenting change information with over-confidence.
Level Two (Involves Emotions)     •    People get very quiet (being abnormally quiet means something is going on behind facial expression). When working across cultural values which emphasize the collective or group, it is very important to be observant of what is the norm for silence and when silence or pauses are extended.
•    People start making statements that have emotional energy/anger. Their response lash out at ideas presented.
•    People interrupt, nipping the idea in the bud, before there’s a chance to really listen, or to try out.
•    There are other ideas and they should be sold.
•    A sense of listening with only part of the brain with other thoughts about this is not good; this will mean something is going to happen that requires extra work.
•    The upper level needs to shut up and listen; there are really much better ideas already on the ground.

Use of emotional expression needs to be carefully explored when several members of the work unit are from a more collective-oriented society but from another angle.  Your/ others active reaction or expression can be widely encouraged in some of these societies.  In turn, you may be tempted to talk more without holding an awareness of silence or see the role for pausing.  This is a particular oversight among Western (USA) managers.  You will need more information to use pace of communication and expressive reaction appropriately/wisely.

Level 3 Cultural Values Differ
Reactions Require Extended Attention     •    People look at leaders with suspicion.
•    People do not return phone calls or e-mails.
•    People oppose ideas from someone who is a stranger and different–not the same culture.  Yet they will applaud and support those ideas, when they are presented by others (who are more trustworthy, perhaps look or act more like them).     •    Avoidance; indirect or direct subversion.
•    Members of a work unit, or a team, or a church group, or a political party, should stand together–be of one mind.
•    Sense of being “right”
Research Trends:
There are several fields and multiple themes describing organizational change, organizational development, multinational growth, and influence of cultural dynamics.  By far the larger field of research centers on the topic of organizational change (approximately 7400 published articles, 2005-12, with more than 2900 being peer reviewed.  Of particular interest are a) diffusion methods across multiple work groups and b) metric applications such as Return on Investment (ROI).
Transformational change continues to be researched (2011). One of the more exciting approaches to understanding leadership within significant or transforming change is this:  The possible relationship between authenticity of a leader in communication to followers so that work staff believe the change is moral–the right thing to do.  Research suggests that if the leader can communicate the change in terms of the organization or work unit’s ethics–ie “the rightness” of the strategy, then followers are more likely to push forward on implementation–adding to the influence of the leader as well as development of the company or organization.  More important, if this research is validated and seen as reliable in future studies, these ideas point to a broader focus for leader messages in making organizational change successful.
With the growth of multinational corporations, there are subsets of studies, which emphasize change processes more useful to large businesses.  A recurring theme is a more comprehensive change design with goals for not only on what changes, but also attention to diffusion within the multi-national company.  A second theme is the best practice role of teams which appear to hold more capacity for nimbleness and less resistance in larger, global companies.  These units may informally be inclusive without much attention to the ways they address diversity and multi-culturalism.  More needs to be researched on how these diverse teams become especially flexible in their decision making.
A cluster of studies reports on specific Human Resource practices. This research topic includes issues of employee fair treatment, particularly when change strategies mean reduction of staff.  More data is needed on contextual dynamics of loss from the perspective of the workforce.
As attention to change results has increased, research has also expanded around topics of success, development and performance. More than 65 research studies were published in the past 7 years (2005-12).  One study theme suggests that because organizations and workers have faced so many rounds of change, there’s the need to look at lessons to avoid pitfalls, particularly worker and manager turnover during the intense phases of redesign activities.
A relevant topic for this course focuses on local markets and country cultural values for plans to ensure that local and headquarter expectations are similar or compatible.  Several case studies report on the dynamics of China and Brazil workforces and how change played against differences of high context and status formalities, when led by low context and more informal managers, from USA or UK.  The results of these case studies suggest additional management time and resources needed for communication at initial stages of change planning.
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Next Steps:
Review power point slide presentation (below) and assigned reading (course text books). Also choose a video clip from the web links section for developing your thoughts. Post your contribution to our current discussion.
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Printable PDF of Slide Presentation.

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Curious?  Want to Know More?
Consider the UMUC online Library and use these search words:
•    Organizational Change
•    Multinational and Organizational Change
•    Cultural Change
•    Transformative Leadership
•    Strategy Change and Development
•    Strategy Change and Adaptation
http://www.umuc.edu/library/index.cfm is the Library Link.
More Web links with research and ideas:
•    http://www.wmbridges.com/articles/articles.html Provides seminal articles on change, using the ideas/research of William Bridges.
•    http://kotterinternational.com/books-and-resources/otherresources  Website of John Kotter’s consulting group.  Site offers tools in resource tab, latest articles in news tab.
•    http://www.facebook.com/rickmaureronchange   See blog on Facebook page for extended list of topics  grounded in applied research done by Rick Maurer, Gestalt psychologist and facilitator of system/organizational change, including work within many government agencies.
•    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ohEBDLPaTE&list=LPXm-uvFcuxE8&index=1&feature=plcp  Video introduces John Kotter explaining organizational change.
•    http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html  Simon Sinek examines use of “why”, or making the compelling case clearly, as the center of transformational leadership (18 min).
•    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZB3jJlGWuk   Interview of ED Schein explaining corporate culture, a major factor in managing organizational change.

Module 9 – Ethics

What’s the benefit of studying this topic?
Since the 1990s there’s been a ground swell on ethical thought, policy and actions which make economic interests more humane and attentive to sustaining our planet.  This topic enables you to explore current ideas and expand your goals for ethical management.     Readings:
•    Northouse Ch 16 examines ethics for leading.  Attention to ethical management deepens understanding about  the role for transformative leadership, a popular model in which actions are highly influential and therefore demand additional ethical consideration (The transformational model for leading is discussed in Northouse Ch 9–you may find it helpful to review).
•    Sohlein, Ethics Assessment (see eReserve Reading link)
•    Lecture 9 (below)
Review:
•    Power Point provides additional insight about differences in morals and why ethical dilemmas/problems occur, as well as the ongoing balance needed between global and local perspectives for ethics. (Scroll down to locate power point).
•    Select 1 or more video clips to add ideas.  (See last section of this web page).
Module 9
Ethics for Leading a Diverse Work Group
Introduction:  The Current Situation
During the past decade, whistle-blowing by US workers rose to approximately 700 official complaints per year–this was a 40% increase when compared to the 1990s.  The statistic reflects awareness on the part of workers that their employers are believed to be involved in wrong-doing.  While you may think this number is very low, understand that filing a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel requires disclosure and professional risk.
At the same time, a 2008 Financial Times report of top business schools suggests there is a 5x increase on the part of graduate students to learn about business ethics.
In addition, initiatives continue to develop for framing and providing global corporate governance, such as the 2003 UN Norms for Transnational Corporations. The UN Global Compact, a forum with 6500 members, has a mission for fostering better understanding of multinational business and the world’s people, who are both workers and consumers.
However, a bottom-line remains. Most leaders, if asked, will say they have “high or strong ethics” while media reports of leaders who seem to stumble over their ethics. There are compelling ethical dilemmas (a reflection of societal interests) in recent movies such as Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price, or The Corporation, or Supersize Me, among others. With a current global system in which 2.8 billion people are living on less than $2 a day, there is urgency to understanding what’s needed for more appropriate business ethics.
Key questions: As you consider your professional responsibility for being an ethical manager, which of these questions can you easily answer?
•    What specific behaviors are required of you in being ethical as a leader?
•    What situations often push or pull people into grey areas of ethics?
•    How should people, especially you, interact when encountering an ambiguous or difficult decision?
•    What do you do with the powerful cultural values surrounding accepted or normal business practices?  This is often communicated with a shrug of shoulders and saying “It’s just the way of doing business.”
At-a-glance definition:
Ethics: The kinds of activities and communication (written and other) concerned with values and morals individuals and groups consider desirable, appropriate and virtuous.
The World Today: What Globalization Offers Business Ethics
Institutions and companies can no longer view their organizations as independent of other groups. Their work is a part of a highly interconnected, linked, tied and otherwise connected web of business, government, schools/universities and not for profit organizations (religious, political, and health care).  Due to extended supply chains and locations of operations in many sites, not to mention partnership and alliance commitments, business units are often tenuously tied to their headquarters management.  While environmentalists have been advocating systems thinking for decades, the business management community must understand the interconnectivity of business groups as sets of systems.  With the understanding of system impact, taking the right action for the longer term gains leverage or influence.  Ethics is “the right” thing to do, in part because societies and people are tracking industry activities now more than ever.
Since 1989, leadership researchers have recognized the growing value of being flexible or nimble on the part of organizational leaders as they take advantage of rapid change (Vaill 1989).  And more recently, with a new awareness of risk and financial management, consideration will be at play for exactly what is the appropriate size and flexibility within business units.  Adaptation must be appropriate and ethical frameworks offer additional resources in the context of financial strategy.
Technology and information sharing, particularly through mobile devices, especially smart phones, are creating a wider, more immediate and much more participatory context for equity, fairness and justice.  People from developing countries now can readily see what they are missing.  In this context, the need for trust and trustworthy relationships is essential for survival because there is a much wider range of citizens, customers and workers as stakeholders who will make judgments on what, from whom, and when to buy.
Another way to “see” the emerging, wider role for business ethics is to take a look at the work of a global network, Corporation 2020 (if you are interested, see the section at the end of this web page).   This group seeks to focus on redesign, in which there are various integrations of disparate corporation streams for coherent, sustainable, global visions of both economic and social-benefit interests.
Corporation 2020’s Principles for More Ethical Business in a Global Economic Setting:
The purpose of a corporation is to harness private interests to serve the public interests.
•    Corporations shall accrue fair returns for shareholders, but not at the expense of the legitimate interests of other stakeholders (people–who are customers, consumers and clients).
•    Corporations shall operate sustainably without compromising the ability of future generations (your children, your grandchildren).
•    Corporations shall distribute their wealth equitably among those who contribute to its creation (this principle aids in constraining the desire of upper level management to award salaries and bonuses unfairly).
•    Corporations shall govern themselves in a manner that is transparent, ethical and accountable.
•    Corporations shall not infringe on people’s right to govern themselves, nor infringe on universal human rights (Corporation 2020, 2012).
Key principles of ethical leadership: What a manager applies as he or she leads:
Northouse offers a list of these responsibilities:
•    Ethical leaders respect others.
•    Ethical leaders serve others.
•    Ethical leaders are just.
•    Ethical leaders are honest.
•    Ethical leaders build community.
As you examine these principles take into consideration that ethics is not just about what you do as a person but how you respond from the position of your leadership status.  This leadership status is not only for the CEO or top person in the organization, but includes you as a manager.   The problem is that most people chose to believe that it is someone else’s responsibility.  To apply ethical reasoning means going beyond conventional stages of reasoning and to apply and communicate deeper levels of critical thinking (Torbert, 2004).
Tools and Critical Thinking Approaches for 21st Century Ethical Leading: Increase Participation and Use Holistic Methodologies:
There’s no doubt, you and your colleagues face significant challenges for leadership and ethics.  With the financial crisis of 2008-09, the media stories illustrated many of the issues–not enough monitoring, being extremely competitive, seizing profit-making strategies because they were possible.   Future leaders will need to have character not necessarily common among today’s CEOs. But exactly how do you problem solve around ethical dilemmas, particularly those which may also address diversity and multi-ethnicities?
•    Using Commitment in More Thoughtful Ways
In the earlier module exploring change and its management, the topic of resistance was outlined.  Robert Kegan, (2001-present) psychologist and researcher offers ideas about competing commitments, likely to be at play when you manage a multi-ethnic group of people.  He recognizes that the job of every manager is to work with a common problem: What to do when a worker doesn’t want to change? Instead of using power to direct or coerce, Kegan suggests that a manager turn resistance into discovery.  Helping people overcome limitations to be successful aligns with performance goals.  To lead through resistance, you begin with thoughtful conversations with the person(s) resisting the change, new plan, redesign, etc.  People are asked to talk about what’s important from their perspective and what they are currently committed to doing.  Then, with immunity from coercion around the new plan, people are asked to talk about what’s standing in the way of what they consider to be more important.  This interaction creates a learning environment. The ideas shared can then be negotiated.  The act of asking about other priorities/commitments diminishes coercion from positional power and it makes respect visible.
•    Asking for Information Using an Appreciative Inquiry Approach
This is a tool for gathering information by paying attention to what is positive. The appreciative model was developed by David Cooperrider and others (2002).  The method, for instance, asks people to consider situations, examples and anecdotes in which they perceived the setting and management to be innovative, affirming and hopeful.  These anecdotes are collected carefully.   They are reviewed then by those who must carry out new plans or changed initiatives.  Through the review people identify core elements important to the upcoming change, and they incorporate the elements into what’s needed for change.  At each step of the Appreciative Inquiry process, there’s attention to listening and being open.  This commitment establishes a generative setting.  Appreciative Inquiry suggest options for being ethical due to additional, valued information from many people is integrated into the plan for problem solving, planning and decision making.  Ethical behavior derives from the views of many being activity engaged.  Because Appreciative Inquiry supports deeper attention through rounds of observation and conversation, it can be especially insightful when working with less familiar expectations or values of multi-cultures.
•    Setting Up Attention to Gathering Data from Informal Reflection and Discussion/Actions in Action Inquiry
Ethics and culture have common ground.  In today’s hyper-busy work, neither topic is discussed fully to make certain people who should be participating in a decision hold meaning about what is right, especially when considering what is culturally inclusive.  The tool of Action Inquiry, developed by Bill Torbert, and colleagues (1992-present) emphasizes an environment in which interactions, including overlooked exchanges, can offer insight, highly useful to strategy.  A distinguishing characteristic of Action Inquiry is an emphasis on self-reflection directly tied to action. Simple techniques, such as journaling or recording conversations immediately after a meeting, support a more systematic approach to asking yourself  “What’s important?”   Then, you as a manager can tap your insights for future action as the inquiry adds deep reflection while the action (problem or plan) evolves.  This attentive and inclusive method is especially useful to ethical ambiguities (grey areas) and uncertainties.  The method forces you as a manager to pause and think. It is also a method which can accommodate a range of viewpoints to align differing cultural values.
•    Adding Teamwork and Testing for Inclusion and Ethics Skill building, with a Collaborative Inquiry
First written about in the 1970s (Heron and Reason), collaborative inquiry can be especially useful when needing to include a diverse range of experiences, observations and cultural values, while also aspiring to be ethical.  But much of the research on this approach is non-US-based.  More recently interest increased in US academic and foundation sectors (Bray, 2000; Ford Foundation 2005).  A Collaborative Inquiry begins with a small group of people discussing, and then constructing a compelling question which captures the more intrinsic motivations of the members.  The focus on the question is important because it is the glue that keeps the group’s members moving forward.  Each person wants the answers!  In order to have a fruitful dialogue, the group must be diverse or have a wide range of ideas, which helps people using the method to recognize a range of culturally-driven view points. The conversations which create the inquiry question build relationship for teamwork ahead.   As the work progresses, a collaborative inquiry includes rounds of examining, or being a devil’s advocate to test/assure truthfulness of strategies, plans and actions the team members has used to answer their compelling question.  The rounds of devil’s advocacy expand the team’s skill for applying ethics in and for action.
Each of these methodologies encourages participation and offers motivation for a wider range of thinking for you as a manager.   What would it take to adventure into one of the methods described? Can you imagine making a proposal to your company or nonprofit?  What would motivate your boss to consider such a project? A common ingredient is participation that includes technical, emotional and social intelligence.  Each of the methods is enriched when the groups are diverse.  Because the methods generate lots of insights not often harvested, diversity of cultural values becomes much more accessible.  Each method encourages being open and curious about ideas tested through practical experiences by people who want more relevant solutions.
Research Trends:
The recent surge of studies and published articles is noteworthy.  More than 7000 articles, both peer-reviewed and popular sources, address issues of ethics, 2005-12.  Within the field of peer-review more scholarly articles, the research can be categorized into 3 areas.  These categories provide a basis for searching publications for ideas and information (Business Source Premier Data Base, 2012).
Business ethics includes cases, concepts of leadership/manager and more individualistic ethics, as well as legal and compliance topics
Corporate Social Responsibility addresses philanthropic actions, community responsibility and venture philanthropic investing/partnership strategies, as well as various associations of corporations, each promoting governing policies, principles and practices
Sustainable Business/Sustainability supports studies of local-global or multinational operations and their ethics, the role for ethical inclusion of developing economies, social entrepreneurship, and/or ecological or environmental ideas and ethical strategy integration.
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Next Steps:
Review power point slide presentation (below) and assigned reading (course text books). Also view 1 or more video clip. Post your contribution to our current discussion.
________________________________________
Printable PDF of Slide Presentation.

________________________________________
Curious?  Want to Know More?
Consider the UMUC online Library and using these search words:
•    Leadership and ethics
•    Business ethics
•    Corporate social responsibility
•    Sustainable Business
•    Sustainability
•    Business and organizational culture
http://www.umuc.edu/library/index.cfm is the Library Link.
More Web links with research and ideas:
•    http://www.corporation20/20.org  Website offers articles and ideas for helping with corporate social responsibility, or ethical policies for organizations.
•    http://www.globalethics.org/business-dilemmas.php   Site provides several examples of leadership and manager decisions which can be ethical, or not.
•    http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/leadership/research/ (Columbia Business) Website offers articles and papers from research in progress on topics related to corporate ethics.
•    http://works.bepress.com/laurahartman  (DePaul)   Site presents articles and ideas about ethical management.
•    http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/whatisai.cfm  Website provides tips and ideas for use of appreciative inquiry, a method frequently linked to ethical management.
•    http://www.people.hbs.edu/mbazerman/  Site offers access to research in progress; several articles focus on ethics within decisions.
•    http://www.aspeninstitute.org/about/magazine   Has video interviews of thought leaders discussing issues of power and governance including global alliances, education, international development.
•    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4W0933uFIE&feature=related  Daniel Goleman talks about the role of ethical leading in activities, being an example as a leader.
•    http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html   Adds insight on why leaders may not be forthcoming on ethical problems; discusses the dynamic of mistakes and leadership (28 min).
Developed by Dr. Linda L. Smith,  with help from the Management 615 Faculty

Module 10 – Decision Making

What’s the benefit of studying this topic?
All managers make decisions in order to be successful leaders. Because diversity and multi-cultural influences will increase in most work units and teams, understanding the essential decision making process from a view of diversity adds critical skill to your performance.     Readings:
•    Adler Ch. 8 describes basic decision making approach and then delineates aspects of multi-cultural impact.
•    Lecture 10 (below)
Review:
•    Power Point outlines role of individual perspective/responsibility for managing effective decisions. (Scroll down to locate power point).
•    Select 1 or more video clip to add ideas.  (See last section of this web page).
Module 10
Decision Making for Leading Multi-cultural Groups
Introduction:
A multinational corporation was expanding its product line at an existing operation in Greece. Headquarter leaders determined that an up and coming talent with Greek parents might be especially effective.  During the interview for the job, he consistently expressed his keen desire to get ahead. Two days after arriving, the new manager called his workforce together.  As the group gathered they were jovial and appeared pleased to hear from their new leader.  They, too, were aware of his Greek heritage.  The new manager began by saying “I’ve decided it is very important to have a clear product strategy.  I also believe you should offer competitive ideas–so that we get the best.” Then he asked the workers for their input.  The group became silent, with most people’s eyes dropping to study the floor.
What happened?  What side-tracked the manager’s decision?  What process did the manager use–or did he?  And what role might cultural differences have played?  In thinking about the last question, it may be helpful to consider likely cultural values often linked to Greek culture; while valuing competition its society places importance on avoiding uncertainty or minimizing risk.  People often hold a strong regard for positional leadership and its power, which can create distance and diminish informal discussions.
At-a-glance definitions:
Decision: A determination, agreement, or declaration.  Decisions can be viewed as findings and factual; but they can also be thought about as a judgment or opinion or ruling.
Decision Making: An approach or process, often using 5 steps or activities, which include
•    Set managerial objectives. What do we want to achieve in the process?  This activity may also be called recognizing the problem to solve.
•    Search for alternatives by gathering information.  Don’t just go with some have called “the first right answer.”
•    Compare and evaluate the alternatives.
•    Make a choice among the alternatives.
•    Implement the decision chosen.
Follow up or monitor progress.  This is a sixth step frequently added to assure performance information and accountability  (Harrison, 1999).
Decision Process     Problem-Solving Cultures (often associated with higher interests in individuality, competition, and lower attention to uncertainty)     Situation Accepting Cultures (often associated with higher interests in groups/collective mindset, cooperation, and higher attention to longer time orientation)
Determining whether or not there’s a problem     I should change the situation.     Some situations should be accepted for what they are.
Gathering Information to define alternatives     Emphasis on facts, data, and the “numbers”.     Emphasis on ideas and possibilities.
Comparing alternatives as options     New and future-oriented alternatives, based on adults can learn and change.     Past and Present included in alternatives, along with future, based on adults hold values and expectation (little or no change).
Make a choice     Act as quickly as possible.
Emphasize delegation.
Ruling Factors: Is the decision true or false?     Act with deliberation.
Emphasize the role of authority or positional power.
Ruling Factors: Is the decision good or bad?
Implementation     Managed from the top to plan and guide.
Each worker responsible for his part .     Managed through participation, using a more collective, cooperative roll out.
The group or team is responsible.
Research Trends:
The topic of decision making and how to improve upon the factors within that process, especially using technology software, continues to hold the interest of researchers.
Over the past two decades there have been more and more studies about decision processes linked to performance. (More than 2600 publications of research in 2005-12). This research was focused on robustness of information, metrics to add reliability, and dissemination comparisons for assuring adherence to decisions.
Decisions of effective leadership are another studied area.  (Approximately 525 published articles in peer reviewed journals 2005-12).  Themes of research included impact of participation and increased use of technology.  Studies also appeared organized by sector with emphasis on education and public sector leadership decisions.
Decision making and cultural values are represented by a smaller group of reported research.  (94 studies in the past 6 years).  Emphasis is on more effective marketing through the use of cultural factors, particularly Hofstede’s cultural dimension studies (Business Source Complete Data Base 2012.
Constraints:
There are several factors that work against our taking the ideal approach to decision making. These factors include:
•    The myth of maximization. You may tend to believe that more information may lead to a better decision. Sometimes, the reverse is true; more information only clouds the issue.
•    The need for “satisficing.”If you have taken other management courses, you may be familiar with this term. It means, simply, “I can live with it.” Satisficing occurs when the organization opts for a course of action that may not be the ideal (the maximized), but is acceptable.
•    Time and cost. In this highly competitive environment, we don’t always have the luxury of gathering exhaustive amounts of information. More than one company (IBM, for example) has learned the hard way that sometimes it is necessary to go with incomplete information in order to get one with it. Tom Peters (1994) refers to this as the “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach — an approach that he says is necessary in today’s frenetic workplace.
•    Communication failures. Miscommunication can take many forms — failure to listen; overload and “noise;” failure to present an unambiguous message, etc.
•    Precedent. Often, how people make decisions depends on what occurred previously. For example, if Company A had great success with a direct mail marketing campaign for one product, its marketing people may assume that such an approach will work the next time.
Mindset or perception traps:
How people gather information and the interaction between minds and the situation is selective and complex.   Perception can lead people into errors or what decision science experts term “traps”.
The Anchoring Trap: Use of familiar facts or data to set up and credential a determination or a decision  Here’s how it works when you answer these two questions together
•    “Is the population of New York greater than 15 Million people?”
•    “What’s your best estimate of the population of New York?”
The chances are that your answer to the second question will be influenced by the first question. If the first question had used “20 Million” many people would have then replied with a larger number (and have fallen into how information was anchored).
The Status Quo Trap. Each of us has our own biases, and these biases affect the decisions we make. When given a set of alternatives, we will tend toward those that perpetuate the status quo, in part because we feel safer with the known than the unknown.
The Sunk-Cost Trap. Have you ever held onto a stock long after it had real worth? Or retained an employee, even though we knew at some level that he or she was not going to work out? That’s the “sunk-cost trap.”
The Confirming-Evidence Trap. For years, IBM was convinced that it was virtually invincible. So when the CEO went around to various IBM sites, he asked staff how it was going. The answer was just what he wanted to hear: Everything is going great. (Hammond, Keeney and Raifa, 1998)
Judgment under Uncertainty:
Bazerman (2006) a recognized researcher on decision methodologies, believes that decision makers look for certainty even though many decisions are made in the face of uncertainty. The main premise of Bazerman is understanding risk and uncertainly will increase the likelihood of a quality decision making process. Two concepts determine alternatives under uncertainty:
•    Probability (the likelihood that any particular outcome will occur); and
•    Expected value (weighing all potential outcomes associated with the alternative by their probabilities and summing them).
When approaching uncertainty, Bazerman identifies systematic ways to increase your awareness of uncertainty and risk. He concludes that the process of framing is critical in developing a manager’s ability to make effective decisions.
To date there’s little psycho-social research examining the impact of cultures which appear to place priorities on reducing uncertainty.  However, as cultural awareness grows, interest can expand around use of risk and holding expectations for avoiding as much uncertainty as possible.  Those who are acculturated to pay particular attention to avoiding unknowns or uncertainties can contribute ideas to deliberation when crossing cultural borders.  Their critical thinking and drive for added discussion/information gathering may shape future decision making processes in important ways.  In the meantime, you as a manager can be especially thoughtful about how and how much time to spend on gathering information, thinking critically about that information, to make good decisions.
Decision-Making: Hindsight Bias and the Assessment of Human Performance:
Alex Agase, former Northwestern University football coach, once quipped if you want to give him advice, do it on Saturday between 1 and 4 o’clock, during the 25 seconds between plays. Not on Monday. He knew the right thing to do on Monday.
Despite Agase’s lament, Monday morning quarterbacking is still a favorite American pastime at work. Clearly the interception could have been avoided by running the ball. Since the outcome is so clear, Monday morning quarterbacks question why the coach couldn’t anticipate it. We tend to expect that others should know by foresight what we have learned by hindsight. The problem is that this bias is not confined to football. It is quite pervasive and has the potential to adversely impact a wide variety of human behaviors, particularly turning leaders away from telling more of the plan’s story,
Being Smart After the Fact
Proclamations about human error are most always made “after the fact,” rarely before. As noted by Reason (1990), the most significant psychological difference between individuals who were involved in events leading up to a disaster and those who are called upon to investigate after it occurred is knowledge of the outcome. Investigators have the luxury in hindsight of knowing how things are going to turn out; front line operators and their supervisors do not. While most people would not expect much credit for picking a horse after it has won the race, many investigators are unaware of the influence of outcome knowledge on their perceptions and reconstruct ions of the incident. Given the advantage of a known outcome, what would have been a bewildering array of non-convergent events becomes assimilated into a coherent, causal framework for making sense out of what happened. In fact, it may be difficult to imagine it happening any other way. “Why couldn’t they see it?” is the question that is often asked. Such hindsight results in expectations by investigators that participants should have anticipated the incident by foresight; it also blinds them to what actually would have been known had the roles been reversed. If investigations of human error are to be fair and impartial, appropriate actions and decisions need to be determined before the mishap; not from the comfortable vantage point of hindsight.
Process vs. Outcome
Russo and Schoemaker (1989) observed that many managers have difficulty improving their decision-making processes. Instead they focus on outcomes which limit clearer understanding of process methods.  These researchers had managers choose between one of two potential new products to market. It was given that Product A had a 50% chance of succeeding, while product B had a 60% chance of succeeding. In both cases, success meant a profit of one million dollars; failure resulted in no profit. The company chose to market Product B. It failed, and Product A is later marketed by a competitor, and it succeeds. Did the company make the right decision?
Managers were asked to rate the quality of the decision on a scale from 1 (clearly made the wrong decision) to 7 (clearly made the right decision). Their average rating was 4.4, showing a fair degree of confusion as to the correct decision. The decision to market product B was absolutely correct. Why didn’t they all respond with a 7, as any group of rational managers should have? Because they let knowledge of the outcome confuse their thinking about the worthiness of their decision. Because chance factors will sometimes have their way (accounting for 40% in this case) does not mean that clear thinking should be abandoned. Part of the problem may be cultural. In a very competitive U.S. business environment where the stakes are very high, successful outcomes are highly valued. New product managers are more likely to be rewarded for successful outcomes than they are for implementing correct decision processes which are less discernible.
Framing
Can even the way questions are framed influence the reconstructive process?
The research of Elizabeth Loftus (1980) on memory and on the reliability of eyewitness testimony provides a resounding “yes” to the above question. Loftus described the problem this way.
Human memory does not work like a videotape recorder or a movie camera.  When a person wants to remember something, he or she does not simply pluck a whole memory intact out of a “memory store.”  The memory is constructed from stored and available bits of information; any gaps in the information are filled in unconsciously by inferences.  When these fragments are integrated and make sense, they form what we call “memory” (p. 31).
Loftus’ statement serves as a reminder that it is not just the shadowy figures of the underworld or those of dubious integrity that are likely to give unreliable testimony. Honest and otherwise reliable people can sincerely affirm as true what is actually false. When our memories are put to the test, we do not discriminate very well what was actually encoded from what we reconstructed to make sense of the event. Thus we can quite sincerely testify as having observed something that never took place because we may be relying on an active retrieval process that fills in the gaps. This process is a normal and integral aspect of our memory. There are many factors that influence the way the gaps are filled in. Many of these factors are subtle and contextual in nature. And outcome knowledge is one of the key ingredients in shaping context.
In one of her experiments, Loftus showed how the framing of a question can influence what is subsequently reported. With the cooperation of the Seattle Police Department, Loftus and Palmer (1974) had people view realistic films of actual and staged automobile accidents and then answer questions about what they saw. One of the questions was “About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” This question elicited a different estimate of speed than questions using the verbs collided, bumped, hit, or contacted in place of smashed. Although the subjects saw the same films, cars which were framed by the word smashed were found, on average, to be traveling nine miles per hour faster than cars which merely contacted. Smashed provided some other information as well. A week later, experimental subjects were called back and asked “Did you see any broken glass?” Fourteen percent of the subjects whose question was framed with the verb hit reported seeing broken glass, while 32% of the subjects whose question was framed with smashed reported seeing broken glass. As the reader may have already guessed, there was no footage of broken glass in the films seen by these “eyewitnesses.”
Leadership and Decision Making:
What is the role that leaders can and should play in organizational decision making? Here are five suggestions:
Recognize that decision making is a continuum. Who makes the decision is not an either/or question. It’s more complex than that. The continuum runs all the way from Leader makes the decision unilaterally, to Leader gathers information and then makes the decision to lead and his or her team make the decision jointly, to Leader delegates the final decision to others.
Effective leading does not depend on you having all the answers.  Look around for who may also have ideas and insights. Leaders who are comfortable with themselves are also comfortable in empowering others.
Consider a brainstorm and participation/negotiation.  Decisions should involve a group when the choice may be unpopular; or when it would be helpful to gather additional information prior to making a decision, or when you as a manager know that you don’t have important data, observations or direct experience.  (Note:  Decision making ties into negotiation activities and skills see module on that topic).
Know when to delegate the decision-making process. Not every decision needs a committee. Consider who needs to take the lead.  Staff is often quite willing to have the CEO make some decisions; it gives them a sense that someone is in charge.
Leadership and organizational culture are two sides of the same coin. Know whether your work culture is more hierarchical or more team focused. If the organizational culture is participatory/team-centric or one in which it is OK to speak up.  You will observe workers doing so.  As a result, the leader is more likely to get the information needed to make an informed decision.
If, on the other hand, the culture is characterized by “shoot the messenger” with decisions handed down, only the foolhardy are likely to want to be a player when it comes to making tough decisions.  The culture of strict hierarchy is changing in many organizations, but your work as a leader means that you will observe and become skilled at knowing when you can involve others in decisions, and when you must be seen as the decision maker.
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Module 11 – Negotiation

What’s the benefit of studying this topic?
Working, perhaps living in different countries, means multiple levels of negotiation.  Holding an awareness of cultural impact in your negotiations will enable you to be open and effective.  This mindset sets you up for success in a global, interconnected work life.     Readings:
•    Adler Ch 9 emphasizes specifics of different negotiation styles likely tied to a range of cultural values
•    Adler Ch 10 explores cultural transitions when living in different countries
•    Adler Ch 11 suggests an important role for your spouse as you/your family adventure across country borders and cultural values. Although US-centric culture often omits an emphasis on family, when managing professional advancement, family goals are emphasized in other cultures, and underpin important career negotiations.
•    Lecture 11 (below)
Review:
•    Power Point offers insights on the qualities of a good negotiator, and a checklist for managing the negotiation environment. (Scroll down to locate power point).
•    Select 1 video clip or more, to add ideas.  (See last section at the end of this web page).
Module 11
Negotiations in Multi-Cultural Settings to Bring It All Together
Introduction: Setting the Stage
Keep three key areas in mind discussed in other modules: ethics, motivation, and decision making.  Think about how the ideas within these earlier topics also impact conflict and negotiation.   The course elements are inter-related — leadership is about many differing areas of importance in an integrated way.
But a leader must be an agent of change. As a change agent, he or she will navigate through conflict and negotiations in making decisions.   Change is improved with effective management of conflict in the organization.
Along with conflicts and negotiating them to solutions, comes stress–let’s spend a minute thinking about what stress can do.

Take the use of steel in construction. Steel is a durable, yet flexible material that can accept much stress; enabling stability in a building. The benefit over wood is that in a fire, the stress of the heat won’t cause damage as quickly. Yet, should the stress be overwhelming on an increasing basis, the steel too, will cease to function; and the building will fall. Stress is generally a good thing; it allows the building to settle, and it absorbs the effects of weather; but too much stress is not healthy for the building or for leaders and workers.   In managing conflict negotiations well, you as a leader will need to also balance time, pace, and communication to find the right level of stress.
At-a-glance Definitions:
Conflict:  Difference of view points, opposing perspectives, or a disagreement.  As a conflict deepens there is growing understanding of harmful risk and expanded resistance to seeing other opinions.
Negotiation:  A process for determining agreement and cooperation. This process is not a bad thing or situation.   The need to negotiate suggests awareness that something can be better or improved.
Americans Have Framed Much of the Negotiation Approach:
USA leaders with their important history of industrial development and the country’s continued diversity of people have influenced negotiation processes.  Here’s a basic American-centric approach:
1.    Keep calm. The party, who loses her or his cool first, generally will come up short.
2.    Negotiate with facts over emotion. Too often, the negotiator will wave the flag, cry out for the disadvantaged, or over-exaggerate the situation.
3.    Be prepared to walk away and go another day. Sometimes it’s better to plant the seed, leave, and come back to the table.
4.    Don’t be afraid to give up something early. When you are dealing with an issue that has benefit for both parties; give something small up front. The other party will see the need to reciprocate; and you then, want to go for the steak.
5.    Kenny Rogers said it best, “know when to hold them; know when to fold them; know when to walk away; know when to run.” By that, I mean – when negotiating, have a complete picture of the situation; don’t lose sight of the trees in the forest; and be careful not to win a battle; but lose the war.
Differing Negotiation Expectations from Different Cultures:
Here’s the issue–other cultures did not learn USA rules. They learned their own and that cultural knowledge becomes an important push or pull, when negotiations must happen across cultural belief systems.
Information as Basis: What’s valued     Presenting Ourselves: Expectations for Attitude     Determining an Agreement: What Interactions Seem Important
Arabs – affective appeals
Expectations are to build upon personal expression–joy, sadness other feelings
Russians- axioms or principles appeal
Expectations are to start with grounding philosophy      Japanese-
•    Emotional sensitivity is highly valued
•    Emotions are hidden, highly subtle
•    Face saving critical     Latin Americans-
•    Emotional sensitivity valued
•    Aggressive and passionate
•    Explicit power plays
•    One individual decides
Americans- factual appeals
Expectations are to use facts (objective data)
Americans-
•    Often disregard role of emotions
•    Hold a deep desire to be direct (and quick)
•    Attitude of being practical     Americans-
•    Emotional sensitivity not valued (seen as revealing weakness)
•    Impersonal and straightforward
•    Team input but often single decision make
•    Factual, cost-benefit analysis-based decisions
Adapted and summarized from Adler, Ch 11, and Hofstede

Note: Selected cultural information and attention to a range of countries compared with American culture aim to hold the purpose of illustrating, not evaluating differences.  Cultural values are not good or bad.  They exist and need to be recognized.  For more specific information, review reading assigned from Adler found at the top of this web page.
Contrasting cultural expectations will be seen quickly in negotiation discussions.   These contrasts are likely to create a sense of surprise and perhaps frustration. Here’s an example:
•    Americans may often focus on preparation, judgment, integrity, persuasiveness.
•    Chinese offer interactions which demonstrate dedication, winning respect, broad perspective and integrity.
Adler (Chapter 9) suggests a more inclusive, dialogue approach which is “culturally synergistic”.  When negotiating across culture or working with a diverse group consider these actions carefully:
•    Prepare
•    Train around cultural values
•    Define interests
•    Build relationships
•    Separate people from the problem
•    Observe and then adjust to other styles and pace
•    Exchange information about people, experience, priorities and tasks
•    Invent options for mutual gain  (actively use Best Alternatives)
•    Use criteria appropriate for cultures represented.
Use of Best Alternatives–BATNA:
BATNA is a term coined by Roger Fisher and William Ury in their 1981 bestseller, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Without Giving In.  The ideas in this book continue to be a standard for learning negotiation skills.
BATNA stands for “best alternative to a negotiated agreement.” BATNAs help you as a manager to lead decision making through conflict, because the planning provides you with a wider range of options.  With more options, critically thought through (here’s the value for critical thinking skill once more), then you are better prepared to make a stronger, better decision or plan.  Said differently, you will not make a wise decision without some thinking.
In the simplest negotiation, you may find that you and others may easily find a 3rd option, based on discussion. In that case, you don’t need the BATNA.  But more often, than not, the process of critical thinking used to develop alternatives will improve the negotiated agreement. Research into negotiation behaviors continues today.  In the web links in the last section of this page, you will find a way to access the Project on Negotiation (PON, 2012).
The reasons for negotiation are:
•    There are different views for activities ahead and there’s a need for cooperation.
•    The different views conflict.
•    Better results are possible.
Having a good BATNA increases your negotiating power, and influence for effective leading.
BATNAs are not always easily seen. They surface through careful thinking and a simple process for finding the option that fits.
1.    Develop a list of actions you might take if no agreement is reached.
2.    Add to the more promising actions so that you can see them as practical step by step actions.
3.    Identify (decide) which option appears best.
Cultural values add complexity and diversity of beliefs require the consideration of a broader range of factors and possibilities. For example, a community discovers that its water is being polluted by the discharges of a nearby factory, with headquarters in another country. Community leaders’ first attempt to negotiate a cleanup plan with the company, but the business refuses to voluntarily agree on a plan of action that the community is satisfied with. In such a case, what are the community’s options for trying to resolve this situation?
•    The community could wage a public education campaign and inform citizens of the problem. This media attention could lead to new interest from a competing multi-national agreeing to be a “good corporate citizen” and offering better environmental strategy for the community.
•    They could contact a designated international agency (such as subset of the United Nations) and see what sort of authority that agency has over such a situation.
•    Community leaders could lobby appropriate governing agencies in country to develop and implement more stringent regulations on polluting factories.
At the same time you are determining your BATNA, you should also consider the alternatives available to the other side. The more you can learn about their options, the better prepared you will be for negotiation.   In the discussion and learning process, you may find that both others and yourself were not informed, but thought you were. You are likely to discover more constraints and underlying interests.
When negotiating with people holding more collectivist values, as well as those who want to reduce uncertainties, know that you will be expected to talk about various alternatives so that everyone can develop or learn views of what may be very reasonable.  It will be helpful to hold an open, patient and curious mindset.
Also understand that if you are acculturated as an American, or if you grew up in a culture that has a high commitment to competition (Hofstede) you want to be especially thoughtful about how you see the outcome.  Negotiation is not a horse race, with one winning and others losing.  Negotiation is a series of discussions in which people learn, add to understanding, and find a better solution for all interests represented.
Research Trends:
Studies related to negotiation have long held the interests of psychologists, sociologists and the legal profession.  Before the 20th century studies were reported, and conflict management and mediation theorists having published more than 5,000 articles since.
Of keen, recent interest to the researchers are three topics:  (a) use of technology and computer simulations to assist with data and strategy management of the negotiation process; (b) exploration of emotional intelligence as a related field to add resources and understanding about trust building; (c) stakeholder theory and the role of important influence impacting negotiations.
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