Teaching resources
Negotiation, teamwork & decision-making exercises
DRRC's exercises and cases are used by instructors in schools of management, law, communications and public policy around the world, as well as by consultants and management trainers. The exercises involve role-playing and the cases involve students discussing a real-life problem in class. Each exercise and case is accompanied by extensive teaching notes. Some of our most popular exercises are listed below. To learn more about all of our offerings and to order, visit our DRRC exercises website at DRRCexercises.com and create an account.
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Coffee Contract: This distributive exercise provides a good context for teaching fundamental negotiation concepts like bargaining zone, reservation price, BATNA, openings, concessions and threats.
Moms.com: This is a two-party, quantified, deal making negotiation between a film company and a T.V. station. It provides a good opportunity to introduce the concept of Pareto optimality.
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
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Amanda: This is a third-party exercise in which a manager is called in to resolve a dispute between two other managers.
Viking Investments: This complex multi-issue, two-party dispute between real estate developer and subcontractor emphasizes escalation of commitment and the effects of focusing on rights or interests in dispute resolution.
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
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Alpha Beta: This is a cross-cultural, team-on-team negotiation of a potential alliance that requires the two parties to enact a unique cultural style during the negotiation.
Aussie Air: A quantifiable, multiparty multi-issue negotiation modeled on a consortium’s takeover attempt of Qantas Airlines, the purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate how negotiations are influenced by social context:
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
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Carter Racing: This exercise uses data from a real-life case to illustrate decision biases in negotiations.
PB Technologies: This is a hidden profile task designed to teach the importance of effective information sharing in teams. Students are asked to recommend one of three finalists for the position of CFO.
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
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Harborco: This is a multiparty, multi-issue, quantified negotiation concerning development of a deep-water port that involves representatives of the government, unions and the environment.
Kidney Case: This is a multi-person exercise that involves the allocation of a single kidney.
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
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Motorola’s Droid 2: This case concerns a last-minute request for a design change on a product currently in production, threatening its launch, causing financial implications, and potentially disrupting a hitherto highly effective team.
Kirat Housing Development: This case involves the impact of bribery on a negotiation. Students will be able to identify and quantify the risk of bribery and evaluate exit options, such as whistleblowing, and their risks.
These are only a subset of exercises and that more exercises are available at DRRCexercises.com
Teaching exercises
How to submit an exercise
Exercise submission guide
DRRC's collection of negotiation and decision-making exercises and cases are created by faculty members of all disciplines to facilitate instruction in the classroom. They are designed to give students a more in-depth experience with the material you are covering in the classroom. The primary focus of www.DRRCexercises.com is to provide premier teaching materials across many disciplines to students around the globe.
We at the Dispute Resolution Research Center (DRRC) always welcome exercise submissions. The editing and approval process can take several months, as there is typically back and forth work between DRRC and the writer to fine-tune the exercise and get it ready for publication.
Some questions to ask before submitting an exercise:
- Have you completed drafts of all roles?
- Have you tested the exercise yourself in a classroom or workshop?
- What Category & Subcategory does this exercise fall into:
- Negotiation: Agents, Based on Real-World Cases, Coalitions & Power, Cross-Cultural, Deal Making, Dispute Resolution, Distributive, Government & Public Policy, Human Resources Themes, Integrative, Law School use, Multiparty, Objective Standards, Real Estate, Third Party, Trust & Ethics, Younger Students & General Audience
- Teamwork: Creativity & Brainstorming, Cross-Functional Teams, Emotional Intelligence & Coaching, Problem Solving, Team Decision Making, Team Dynamics
- Decision Making: Decision Making & Game Theory
- In addition, consider what gaps you may see in our collection and whether you have an exercise that would help fill that need. We aim to keep our collection dynamic, and adding new exercises regularly helps us make that happen.
- Have you completed a draft of the teaching notes? Please see below for our teaching note guide.
Teaching note guide
The faculty using our exercises and cases rely on teaching notes to understand the class logistics and teaching points. Therefore, a teaching note must accompany all exercises submitted to us. We recommend that you keep the teaching note clear and concise.
What to include in your teaching note:
All teaching notes submitted to us should include the following:
- Overview of the exercise
Include a brief description of the exercise or case and key issues. - Target Audience
Suggest the best audience for this exercise: undergraduates, MBA students, or executives. If multiple target audiences, discuss different teaching strategies. - Objectives
- List clear and specific learning objectives for this exercise
- Explain why they are essential and relevant for the course you are teaching
- Teaching Goals
A detailed teaching plan and analysis should include the following information:- How far along in the class should the exercise should be presented
- Learning points
- Level of difficulty
- How to utilize the exercise in class
- Ways to use the exercise in class
- Logistics
Include a detailed plan for how to run the exercise or case. For example, for a two-party negotiation role-play exercise, the following questions should be answered:- How long will it take to read and prepare for the negotiation?
- Will the preparation take place in or out of class?
- How many students will be in each role? If more than one, how much time should be provided for students to prepare with their teammates before negotiating?
- How long does the negotiation take?
- How long does the debrief take?
- Discussion suggestions
Include discussion questions to use in the class debrief (along with suggested answers). - Data
If needed, please include any data analysis/excel spreadsheets to assist in the facilitation of your exercise. - Supplementary reading/multimedia suggestions
Provide any reading or multimedia suggestions that are relevant to the class. - Personal Feedback
Provide background on how this exercise has been received in each class (including common outcomes) and the discussion points that students tend to focus on.