Syllabus in 60: Negotiation Strategies

Faculty research is embedded throughout the courses taught at Minnesota Carlson. Here’s a 60-second breakdown of one of the many classes leaving an impact on students.

MGMT 6004 - Negotiation Strategies

Negotiation skills, like a muscle, require rigorous, structured training. That’s according to Work & Organizations Associate Professor Alan Benson. Drawing from his expertise in personnel economics, Benson integrates multidisciplinary research — ranging from game theory to persuasion — to help students understand the mechanics of decision-making. The course focuses on transforming students into adaptive negotiators. Case studies provide students with opportunities to apply principles to a variety of negotiation settings, including salary talks, performance evaluations, acquisitions, supplier contracts and more.

Key Takeaways

1. Graduate Elective: Negotiation Strategies is an elective course open to MBA and master’s students.
2. The Weekly Cycle: During the course, students follow a rigorous rhythm of major case simulations, diagnostic debriefs, and interactive lectures to reinforce frameworks.
3. Reflective Growth: Through negotiation analysis journals, students reflect on their progress and apply classroom concepts to real-world personal or professional deals.
4. Overcoming Biases: The curriculum explores cognitive biases and heuristics, such as anchoring and framing, to teach students how to navigate the psychological barriers that can derail agreements.
5. Building Confidence: “A single difficult conversation can define a career or a deal,” says Benson. “This course moves students beyond intuition to mastery, providing the toolkit to diagnose problems in real time and respond naturally, strategically and confidently.”