“Deal Making 2.0: A Guide to Complex Negotiations”
David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius Harvard Business Review, November 2012
Negotiations can be like puzzles – with pieces that fit together in one way to achieve a coherent image. I think of them as coalition building where the sequence and psychology is important but there may be several ways to achieve a positive end result.
In this HBR article, the authors lay out a sequence of events to manage complex and even historically difficult negotiations using as an example the Pacific Maritime Association’s contract negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. This quick read outlining a sequence for a concept they label “negotiation campaign” is for anyone who has to manage negotiations of any size – from musicians’ agreements to family vacations.
Summer’s winding down, and I’m sure most of you have heard Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” roughly 2,000 times by now. Maybe you’re sick of it. Maybe it’s still catchy and you love the endless stream of lip-synced tribute videos. Maybe you wonder why this song, of all the songs out there, has caught on like wildfire.
A few years ago I heard an interesting NPR piece positing that this kind of popularity might be attributed to derivative content, citing Ke$ha’s “TiK ToK” and Avatar as examples. A recent New York Times article about “Call Me Maybe” by Ben Sisario focuses instead on a change in the process by which songs become hits, crediting social media’s increasing influence with altering the standard progression of a track from relative obscurity to “song of the summer.” (more…)
My teenage son recently asked me during a conversation about brainstorming, “do we really need rules for everyone to follow?” I had just finished reading Jonah Lehrer’s “Groupthink” in The New Yorker and recalled his remark, “The fatal misconception behind brainstorming is that there is a particular script we should all follow in group interactions.”
I have been part of many effective brainstorming sessions (at NAS) and just as many nightmarish ones (not at NAS). In my quest to learn more about the dynamics of the process and if there truly are rules that help everyone involved, I read the article, “Brainstorming Groups in Context: Effectiveness in a Product Design Firm,” written by Robert I. Sutton & Andrew Hargadon in 1996. (more…)
As in other nonprofit sectors, most energy and resource in our sector is focused on what the authors call “isolated impact” at the organizational level. Can the full value of arts and culture in society, to enhance lives and deepen democracy, be realized through this approach or do these complex possibilities need a different strategy? When discussion in the cultural field turns to collective action, it tends to turn toward lobbying and advocacy and changing public opinions of the arts. This article suggests a different focus for collective action: changing the system in which action is taken by nonprofit organizations to improve coordination and have a greater collective impact on society. Could a system of collaboration help you and your community deliver on a larger cause?
We’ve been having some interesting discussions with cultural leaders about the relevance of cultural organizations in their current forms. This article adds some food for thought. Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding sites are becoming platforms for “intermediaries” as well as artists and producers. Individuals are taking on the roles of commissioning, producing, and presenting new work and events. Could your organization’s role or model be replaced by a pro-am, freelance model given the new platforms? If not today, are trends pointing towards a disruption in the standard operation of the cultural sector that will leave you behind?
With that helpful and perhaps needed disclaimer out of the way, writer/designer/consultant Helen Waters pens a lengthy and thought-provoking dissection of what design thinking isn’t, what it can’t do, clues to why it has been at times oversold…and why it is still well worth considering the real value it provides. And why designers may have long since learned to walk in the opposite direction when some folk use the word. (more…)
The minimalist ratings of nonprofit organizations, using overhead and fundraising ratios, are deeply flawed. Are we collectively making the situation worse by shaving the numbers? A recent study found that over 40% of nonprofits report zero fundraising expenses, which suggests nonprofits can’t be trusted to share information in the public interest and the rating agencies are all that more essential. Our collective actions are feeding the current system rather than demonstrating its irrelevance through honest, open and more comprehensive and meaningful data. (Full disclosure: NAS does not raise money from individuals and therefore lists its grant-related expenses under business development rather than fundraising.)
Do nonprofit cultural organizations have a particular responsibility to reach into and represent all parts of the community? Does the benefit of nonprofit status require us to take more risks than commercial theatre? A recent article explores the Minneapolis community’s reaction to the lack of diversity in a local theatre’s upcoming season. While this piece focuses on the choices of one artistic director, other leaders in the field have also argued that not all organizations should feel obligated to be diverse. On the other hand, leadership from theatre companies such as Ten Thousand Things and Actors’ Theatre of Louisville argue that ensuring inclusivity is not only the responsibility of an arts leader, it also just makes good business sense.
I am interested to hear your thoughts on questions about representation, community, and diversity raised here.
This brief article from Scott Anthony, of Innosight and the author of The Little Black Book Of Innovation: How It Works, How to Do It, looks at consumer needs and innovation opportunities.
Also mentioned in the article is The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael Raynor. Along with The Innovator’s Dilemma by Christensen and Creative People Must Be Stopped by David A. Owens, these are wonderful books to have read and on your innovation reference shelf.
“The human factor in service design” discusses the importance of understanding what truly motivates your customers as a way to more efficiently and effectively design and deliver services. By identifying which aspects of service the customer does and does not value, companies can make better decisions about how to use existing resources to deliver in key service areas. The McKinsey team introduces three key questions to consider when designing or changing current services and delivery methods: How human is our service?, How economic is our service? and Can our people scale it up? The questions encourage companies to evaluate not only customer needs but the company’s resources, capabilities and economic goals. The group emphasizes implementing and maintaining organization-wide policies and procedures to ensure consistent delivery of service, and that the evaluation of services, delivery and organizational capacity should be conducted by cross-functional, senior-level teams. (more…)
The complex issues involved in leading a cultural nonprofit today can challenge even the most skilled management team. Using our first-hand experience in the arts and working with faculty from leading business and graduate schools, we deliver executive-level programs that help you find new opportunities, manage your resources and lead your organization toward its mission.
