Multiparty negotiations

Negotiations
BUSI-1632

Tutorial 10
March 2023

Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2023

Multiparty negotiations

We will use LEGO exercises to

Today we are going to play
demonstrate the increasing
with LEGO as part of Serious
complexity of multilateral
LEGO Play (SLP)
negotiations
Opening comments
Most negotiation theory has been developed with the assumption that negotiation is a bilateral
process (between two parties). Yet many are multiparty (more than two parties) or have other
actors involved in the process.

Each party has their own interests and positions, and this can create complexity and challenges in
reaching a collective agreement.

Today we are going to experience this complexity through a Serious LEGO Play (SLP) exercise.

Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023

What is SLP?
Serious LEGO Play (SLP) is an approach to learning which uses LEGO to support discussion,
creative thinking, problem-solving through creative play.

It has been used in both universities and in the business world to demonstrate principles of team-
working, decision-making, leadership, and, as is the case today, negotiation.

Today we will be building a bridge in which multiple parties have their own construction
requirements. Your challenge is to negotiate and find integrative solutions to incorporating
everyone’s ‘interests’

Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023

 Building bridges
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023
 This activity demonstrates some of the challenges of multiparty
negotiations.
Activity 1
There are two construction rounds: the first is a bilateral negotiation,
and the second is a multilateral negotiation.

Get yourselves into pairs now, and read your individual instructions.
Do not share your instruction cards!

Once you have read your cards: start building your construction that
meets both parties’ requirements.

YOU HAVE 10 minutes!

This image, from LEGO, is licensed under Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023
 Bilateral round scorecard
Team Person 1 points Person 2 points

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2
3
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7
8

Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023

 Join with another pair so that you’re now in a team of four.

Activity 2 Read your new individual instructions. Do not share your instruction
cards!

Once you have read your new instruction cards: start building your
bridge that meets all parties’ requirements.

YOU HAVE 15 minutes!

This image, from LEGO, is licensed under Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023
Multilateral round scorecard
Team Person 1 points Person 2 points Person 3 points Person 4 points

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Created by: Dr Scott Tindal 2023

Reflections

Process: Was it more difficult working in a Outcome: did the structure (agreement)
group than as a pair? Why? meet your requirements? Why / why not?
Recap Lecture:
Differences between bilateral and multilateral
negotiations
Informational complexity – Total volume of information, more perspectives on issues is
increased.

More complex agreements – to ensure that the single agreement covers the interests of all the
parties. The agreements (represented by the LEGO structure) can become messy as it attempts
to incorporate multiple interests.

Procedural complexity – The process of negotiation becomes more complex. In one-on-one

negotiations, parties take turns. In multiparty negotiations, whose turn is it to do what? Who
makes opening statements, in what order, how are viewpoints raised and addressed, etc.
Differences between bilateral and multilateral
negotiations
This all means:

1. Negotiations takes longer, so more time will be needed.

2. There is a greater risk of loss of control.

3. More time will be needed on how the process itself is managed.

4. The final agreements can become messy structures, full of compromises and contradictions as it seeks to
reconcile multiple, overlapping interests.