Leading Through Negotiation for Women
Description
Negotiation is a critical skill in the CGIAR--it is one of the ways the system works. When a woman fails to negotiate for what she needs to be successful, the potential for the accumulation of disadvantage magnifies.
This course was established at the request of CGIAR women who had completed the Women's Leadership and Management Course and wanted further training in negotiation.
Successful negotiation requires clarity on what can be negotiated. However, more goes on in a negotiation than the debate over the terms of agreement. As we bargain over issues, a parallel discussion--or shadow negotiation--is simultaneously taking place.
What is this shadow negotiation? The shadow neogtiation is where relationships; perceptions of power and control; and hidden agendas are most likely to surface. To manage successfuly in these shadow negotiations requires a set of strategic moves that help the negotiatior establish her place at the table; enlist the other party to work with her; and to deal with challenges that can potentially derail negotiations.
The Gender and Diversity Program offers this course in collaboration with the Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO) and it is led Prof Deborah Kolb*, co-author of The Shadow Negotiation: How Women Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success.
Working with case examples drawn from international NGOs, Prof Kolb helps participants develop practical skills for managing negotiations in ways that promote their interests and those of their organization.
When?
This course is offered every two or three years. The next course will be held in ILRI, Addis Ababa from 4-6 March 2008.
Estimated cost
US$1,800 per participant for tution and all course materials. Travel, accommodation and meals are paid separately for participants by their institutions.
Course Objectives
In this customized three-day course, you will:
- learn the fundamentals of different negotiation models (distributive and joint gain);
- understand the multiple ways gender plays out in the shadow negotiation;
- assess your own bargaining strengths and weaknesses;
- learn strategies to position yourself as an effective 'woman' negotiator;
- discover how connection skills promote potential for collaboration and problem solving;
- learn negotiation principles to build supporting coalitions; and
- use feedback to reflect on your style and its fit with negotiations in your organization.
Related outcomes/benefits
- Demonstrates Center commitment to the advancement of women.
- Improves the abilities of female staff to negotiate with prospective donors and granting agencies.
- Raises women's awareness of the role of negotiation in strategic partnerships.
- Increases women's own awareness and understanding of gender issues in negotiations such as negotiating their own contracts or work-life benefits.
- May increase loyalty and reduce turnover of high-potential female staff, if enriched job opportunities and career paths are open to them following training.
- Strengthens the network of women professionals working in the CGIAR and its partner organizations (NARs, FAO and others), facilitating better information exchange, professional support, and guidance and assistance when needed.
Who should attend?
This course is tailored for senior-level CGIAR women who need to be more effective negotiators, and who desire to enhance their internal and external (donors, partners) negotiation techniques. Board members, senior managers and senior scientists with research management responsibilities will gain the most advantage from this program. The course is also open to women from CGIAR partner organizations (NARs, FAO and others).
* Prof Deborah M Kolb has extensive experience and expertise in executive education programs for senior-level women. She is Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Professor for Women and Leadership at the Simmons School of Management (USA) and an affiliate of CGO, which she co-founded in 1998. From 1991 to 1994, Prof Kolb served as Executive Director of the Progam on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (USA). She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Program, where she co-directs The Negotiations in the Workplace Project.
Prof Kolb is an authority on gender issues in negotiation and leadership, especially how women can negotiate the conditions for their own success, while also contributing to organizational effectiveness. Besides The Shadow Negotiation, Prof Kolb has also co-authored several other books on this subject, including, Everyday Negotiation: Navigating the Hidden Agendas of Bargaining; and Her Place at The Table: A Woman's Guide to Negotiating The Five Challenges of Leadership Success.
G&D Resources
• Female and Male CGIAR Scientists in Comparative Perspective. G&D Working Paper No 37. (PDF 4,808 KB)
• Executive Selection in the CGIAR: Implications for Gender and Diversity. G&D Working Paper No 30. (1,934 KB)
G&D's Cybrary of Best Links on Gender and Organizations
PDF Brief on Negotiation Skills for Women (69 KB)
