12.7 Discussion and Practice

Using your favorite search engine, identify two projects—one a success story and one a horror story (i.e., failure). As you read the background stories, what role did conflict play in each? Remember, conflict is not “combat.” Conflict can easily lead to negative outcomes, but it can also enable enhanced results. Based on the success story, what can you learn about harnessing conflict to drive better thinking and outcomes? Based on the horror story, how would you manage the conflict to achieve a better outcome?

Power is a vital element in almost all relationships. Identify two social settings in which you interact (e.g., family, friendships, work, school club, sports team, et cetera). For each of these two settings, which of the five sources of power do you possess? How effectively do you use this source of power to influence decision-making? Is there another source of power that you could cultivate to increase your influence? What specific steps could you take to develop and use this alternative source of power?

Now, identify one other person from your choice of the social settings you identified above. What is the source of this person's power? How well does this person use this source of power to influence decision-making? Compare and contrast the two sources of power (your power source and the other individual's power source). How do they interact to lead to the outcomes you experience in this relationship? Be prepared to share your observations in class.

Have you ever wished your smartphone had an indestructible screen? Using your favorite search engine, look up Apple’s failed attempt to create the indestructible smartphone screen. What happened? How did trust play a role in this failed new product development project? That is, how did trust make it possible to attempt to use value co-creation to come up with something novel and cool? After reading about Apple’s behaviors and decisions, would you trust Apple as a partner for attempting to work together to rewrite the competitive rules through an innovation project? Specifically focus on Apple’s signaling behavior. That is, how did Apple signal that it wants to be a trustworthy partner? Could Apple better signal trustworthiness? If so, how?

Using your favorite search engine, identify a real-world negotiation that has happened sometime in the past 24 months. This could be at the country level (one country negotiating with another), firm level, or individual level. Answer the following.

• What were the positions of each party?

• What were the interests of each party? (If the interests were not discussed, what do you think each party’s interests were?)

• What do you think the BATNA might have been for each party?

• Who “won” the negotiation?

Identify two different and distinct social settings in which you interact and for which decisions are made (e.g., family, work, school club, sports team, et cetera). For each of these two settings, who are the core individuals who influence decision-making? Now, apply the three steps that comprise gathering psychological intelligence: 1) Assess sources of power, 2) Evaluate motivations, and 3) Determine perceptions. What insights have you gained about how decisions are made? Based on this insight, how can you play a more influential role in helping the organization achieve key goals?