Case Lens on Negotiation Skills In the Backdrop of Hollywood Movie, A Hijacking
Synopsis
This Case Lens on Negotiation Skills, based on the Hollywood thriller, A Hijacking, sensitizes the participants about the nuances of negotiation. This case highlights how to handle a negotiation under extreme stress and with high stakes. The way Mikkel Hartmann (Mikkel) and Peter Ludvigsen (Peter), negotiate for the release of the crew over a period of over four months, offer enough insights into how one should negotiate in a personal and professional context.
Prerequisite Viewing/Mandatory Viewing
The students/participants need to mandatorily watch the movie A Hijacking, without violating the IPR laws. The temptation of either exhibiting the movie in the classroom or the students/ participants downloading the movie from any hosting sites should be desisted lest we set unwarranted precedents in violating mandatory IPRs.
Classroom Orchestration
This Case Lens (video consisting the introduction and the accompanying five questions) can be orchestrated in the classroom in the following suggested flow:
1. Asking the students/participants to view the movie 2-3 days before the classroom discussion
2. Playing/exhibiting the Case Lens video in the classroom
3. Ideally, faculty/facilitator should analyze the first warm-up question and the remaining four questions should be analyzed by the participants/students. The class should be divided into four learning teams and they should be asked to prepare for all the questions. After giving them about 15 minutes, the classroom discussion/analysis should be attempted. This can be executed either by asking one of the teams randomly to present their analysis or each team should be allowed to lead a discussion for each of the questions
4. Each question would take varying times [the suggested timings are given in Exhibit (TN)-I] and it is highly recommended that the last 5 minutes should be spent on debriefing and synthesizing. The debriefing segment should be used to synthesize the expected learning outcomes of this Case Lens
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Case Lens Positioning and Setting
This Case Lens can be used as a pedagogical tool in the following programs:
• MBA Programs – Conflict Management – Selling and Negotiation Skills – To understand the ways of handling a negotiation under highly stressful situations involving high stakes
• Executive Development Programs/MDPs – To sensitize the participants and offer insights into how one should negotiate in a personal and professional context
Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of this Case Lens discussion/analysis, each of the participants/students should be able to understand/appreciate:
• The basic and broad contours of negotiation in a personal and professional context
• The role of Peter in leading the negotiation himself despite the caution from Connor Julian and other board members
• The six habits of effective negotiators and the importance of non-verbal communication – especially in a crucial negotiation as that of Peter, negotiating for securing the release of his company men
Assignment Questions
The assignment questions, as outlined in the Case Lens video, are:
I. What are the basic and broad contours of negotiation in a personal and professional context? How does negotiation manifest in our personal and professional lives?
II. Analyze Peter Ludvigsen’s negotiation strategy and his power to persuade all the stakeholders – the pirates and their negotiator Omar, the capsized ship’s crew, the crew members’ family members, the company’s board and even his wife – to stay the course to get the release of the captured sailors of MV Rozen Ship.
III. .......................
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Preamble to the Case Lens Discussion
The purpose of this Case Lens is to understand the broad contours of negotiation in a personal and professional context. Assuming that the students/participants would have watched the movie before the classroom discussion, this Case Lens poses a series of questions on how one should negotiate effectively under highly stressful situations.............
Case Lens Analysis
I. Discussion on the Warm-up-Connect Question by the Faculty
What are the basic and broad contours of negotiation in a personal and professional context? How does negotiation manifest in our personal and professional lives?
The participants may be given a role play to understand a typical negotiation strategy, negotiation process, negotiation tactics/counter-tactics in negotiation process and importance of non-verbal communications in negotiations. Such a role play can offer better insights into a simple negotiation and help sensitize the participants to the situations/challenges which are likely to arise in developing a sound negotiation strategy.
Further, the faculty can sensitize the participants to the importance of building professional competencies, by discussing about simple negotiation skills which are required in our everyday life, like negotiating in our personal lives, for our daily activities, etc.
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Exhibits
Exhibit (TN)-I: The Case Lens’ Classroom Orchestration
Exhibit (TN)-II: Discussion Questions
Exhibit (TN)-III: Simple Examples of Negotiation in Personal and Professional Lives
Exhibit(TN)-IV: Broad Contours of Negotiation in Professional Lives
Exhibit (TN)-V : Peter’s Power to Persuade
Exhibit (TN)-VI: Peter’s Negotiation Strategy and his Power to Persuade all the Stakeholders
Exhibit (TN)-VII: Possible Barriers To Peter’s Negotiation
Exhibit VIII: Six Habits of Highly Effective Negotiators
Exhibit (TN)-IX: Relationship Between Negotiator’s Stance and Negotiatee’s Stance
Exhibit (TN)-X: Non-Verbal Communication in Negotiation – Analyzing Peter Ludvigsen’s Negotiation
