September 13

Even with a good idea of where you are coming from and where you are going, negotiations is tough. You must have your game plan completely prepared with little question about what you want to accomplish. The difficult thing about this simulation is that we are assuming a completely foreign circumstance and asked to make up eight things that we want to negotiate into a contract. It is like trying to shoot darts in the dark.

What I have learned from this simulation thus far is that I would not want to assume a new position as Superintendent and have to negotiate right away. It would be an extremely difficult process with such limited background knowledge about the district and staff.

9/12/09

The IBB presentation contained a lot of useful information that will be very applicable during negotiations. The theme that I continue to hear is trust and positive relationship are critical. Relationships must be built on that or the chances of having a positive productive negotiations is minimal.
I enjoyed the Easter Island activity. It gave insight as to how the negotiation process occurs. Several of the key components I learned are:

• listening is critical
• must have a direction focus
• leadership is needed and required
• differences of opinion do occur, but must be respected
• agreement does occur because both side do wear down

9/13/09

The bargaining simulation has been a very useful exercise. I have not had any prior negotiation experiences; however, I feel the time, effort, and knowledge gained from this will make me well prepared. After watching the video I tried to watch my body language and the unions. It can be very telling what the other side is thinking before they make a comment.
We are fortunate to have such a wonderful relationship with the union. Their demeanor, language, and thorough explanation make it an enjoyable learning experience.
I also appreciate the time we have taken to review for the exam. It is helpful to know what to expect before we take the test.

EDL 623 9/13/09

With the negotiation simulation today I must say thanks to the group 2 union team. It was easy to listen to your 10 items. In your 10 items you had a few items that were easy to agree with as you brought them up. I like that you clarified each item as we went through them. It took the guess work out of it.
I also want to thank you for working with us outside the sessions to establish common salary schedule and teacher demographic worksheet.
As a note taker I agree that it is very difficult to keep involved with the negotiation process and keep notes.

EDL 623 9/12/09

The IBB information was very beneficial. During the simulation it was interesting to hear the different perception established from what little information given.
When working in our small group we all were able to give our input as to why we picked who we did. As we went through we decided to go with the popular vote method. I don’t know if where we would have gone with 1 nay and that person is out.
As Jerry tallied the yeas and nays the jousting started throughout the room. With the added thumb down elimination and stall, the jousting increased. We even look at different ways to approach a resolution. Many reasons were given, but it would have been nice to hear everyone’s reason for picking who they did. As the process wore on it just wasn’t possible.
I think it would be nice to be able to go through this process in a real ideal situation to see how it is meant to work. In looking at members of our past negotiation teams at school we would need a lengthy training to accomplish a good situation.
With the factory situation it was good to see that sometimes broadened approach can solve related issues at another time. When we came together many of the options were similar and had the other party’s interest in mind.

September 13th

Another very useful day! I really like it when I have a class with practical experience rather than having a bunch of busy work built into it. Thanks Dr. Closen! Since most of us have never been directly involved in bargaining before, I think we all are getting very valuable information that will help us later. Dr. Closen has said it, I think both guest speakers said it, and Chapter 7 in the ISB Collective Bargaining text says it: "Bargaining preparation is crucial." However, I think all of us who have no previous experience can testify that it is hard to prepare for something we have never done before. That makes the practical experience of being able to simulate it, before we have to do it for real money and language issues as a superintendent, an invaluable class activity.

Day 2

In my blog I meant to compliment the board in group 2 Your proposal may have taken some time but it was pretty well thought out!! You did a very good job of putting that together during class time and it was petty thorough!

September 12

The simulation was beneficial. I am not a person who likes adversarial or confrontations- don't get me wrong I can stand my ground when necessary, but my preferred way is diplomacy, so I probably would not be a good negotiator. The simulation is good as that probably is how it really is, but as a group some of it made me a little uncomfortable. I feel the union in group 2 did a really nice job of putting together the proposal during class. You had the opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other face to face and you were pretty thorough. While I was participating in this and as Dr. Closen was telling us to look at body language, I started thinking about our meetings with parents during IEPs, conference, and other times. I have often purposely not looked at someone in the room during this time because I was afraid my facial expressions would give away how I was really feeling about things. Not only is that good to think about during negotiations, it is also good to think about in meetings in general. As far as the test goes Wade, just take it and don't worry about it. I figure that there are 125 questions and the score is 200- there must be some sort of weighted grading where maybe one answer gets more credit than another. It is not "hard" you just have to try and use common sense and go with your gut answers. Dr. Closen I am wondering if you are like a cat with nine lives....jumping out of an airplane, walking in a basement full of water...how many of those lives have you used??? Class was very beneficial - I may not be a great negotiator, but I certainly did learn some things about respecting what others in your learning community will fight for and how emotions can get out of hand over sometimes seemingly "silly" items. Oh and Dr. Closen I often go between being too hot and cold....I guess it's just my age - thanks for noticing! ;)

Sunday, Sept. 13

Today's process was an overall good experience. Reflecting on the PP information from the last two days correlates well with our simulation. There is a lot to consider throughout the process.
I agree that the use of the flip cameras was effective. The non-verbal communication is often the important information that is conveyed. We have a flip camera in our District and are in the process of purchasing more for student use.
The negotiation process is a time consuming task. You can see when passionate people come together on two different sides, a variety of skills are needed for the process to be successful. Trust is huge and if it not in place it leads to assumptions and unintentional miscommunication. It is critical to build an environment in which emotions and agendas are left at the door. Furthermore, the "long on listening" strategy may actually be a time saver.
I was feeling the pressure of running 30 minutes past 1:30 today. I can only imagine the pressure when it is 10:30 or 11:30 at night and negotiations are still processing.
Overall, pretty good weekend!

623 second day 9-13-09

623 Blog
9-13-09
Once again the simulation has proven to be interesting, fun and educational. I enjoy working on strategy with my team preparing option and counter option. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the negotiation goes and I hope we have enough time to go through the entire process.
Listening to Deb about the test has heightened my anxiety of taking the test and whether I will be prepared. THANKS DEB!!!!!!

September 13 Weekend 2 Sunday

Presenting to the Board  group 1 was enlightening.  Seeing the video even without sound gave vital information to the importance of keeping non-verbal cues in check. As note keeper it is important to record the non-verbal as well as verbal to check for understanding or to gain information.  Even though we as a team were well prepared for negotiations and our ten points, we got to the table and were confused on an item.   

Sunday, 9.13.09

Discussions today focused around the simulations. I found this to be beneficial since the discussions were related to our experiences that we were encountering.

The use of the flipit was also insightful. Seeing yourself and your actions are a great reminder of how others may perceive your non-verbal communication. I am going to investigate these further and consider their uses in our building.

Reviewing and tying in what we are learning together today helped. Discussing the IBB simulations and their benefits and drawbacks was also helpful to hear what others perceptions were.

9-13

The simulation activity is going very well and is interesting.  I think it is a great way for us to learn/practice the process.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out and the differences in how the two groups handle the process.  

Watching the video of the negotiation sessions with no sound (intentional or not) was a great way to reflect on body language and non-verbals.  The point Dr. Closen made about having one member of the group be the "people watcher" was a great idea.  

September 12 Weekend #2 Saturday

Jerry had a great deal of information.  The scenerio's were good.  I found the process interesting as people tried to lobby their points and the strategies used to move the group to a decision.  The strategies can also be used when dealing with parent groups or trying to move a staff on to the next topic.  The bargaining simulation went well.  I am the note keeper and had to develop a system so that I would be able to re-call information when needed.

Weekend 2 - Day 2

I thought the simulation was very helpful. I have a much better understanding of how many little things play a big role in successful negotiations. Before the actual simulation I hadn't thought much about table position strategies, monitoring body language, facial expressions, etc. Other experiences such as pausing before a response or responding quickly may have its advantages or disadvantages. These are all items I will review and work on for my first time of actual negotiations.

9-12

I know I talked about this after the first weekend, but the importance of trust was brought up again today.  I think this is so important to me because I have seen and lived with the ramifications of when there is no trust between the parties.  It takes years to overcome, even when the players change.  So, I just think it is great for trust to be such a focus in the course.

The IBB presentation was very informative.  I think the process would work well in certain districts that have the trust built and good relationships built between management and union.  Our district utilized IBB five years ago.  Unfortunately, I don't think the relationships were built and in place for the process to be successful.  In fact, there were many hard feelings following the IBB and the district is still trying to overcome the distrust.  We will not be using IBB this time around.  

The Easter Island activity was interesting.  Frustrating, but interesting.  Although unrealistic, I do think the activity demonstrated well how the process would play out.  

Sunday 9.13.09

The information from the Sunday class was very productive. Discussing the different phases of the simulation as we are experiencing them is a great way for me to organize the information in my mind! I find the simulation activity an excellent way to apply the information we are reading in the books into practice.

I like the flip video. I am going to look into getting one of those for my building. I wonder how teachers would feel if I used it during a walk-through.....

On a side note, I also enjoyed the conversation about the superintendency test.

Weekend 2 - Day 1

I enjoyed the scenerios used with the IBB. I can see where posing a neutral question would be successful when bargaining. After using the scenerios I was also made aware of the frustration possibilities in gaining concensus and the difficulty getting everyone on the same page. I thought Jerry did a good job and presented a lot of good information. He was very patient in facilitating our activities.

Second Weekend, Day 2

The simulation process today was a great experience. Presenting proposals to the board and listening for reactions gave insight into what they were thinking. The chess game of anticipating the items that would be returned, preparing for a response, and prioritizing what is really important was worthwhile. I can see how the game can be played and how looking ahead and doing your homework is critical.

Watching the video, even without sound, was a good exercise to review the nonverbals we had given. The body language can tell a great deal about which items are "sacred cows" and which may have some wiggle room. Having a designated person to observe body language in negotiations and record reactions and the topic that was currently being discussed is a great suggestion.

September 12th

I really enjoyed the time spent working on the scenario and setting the ground rules. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the process goes with our two groups, especially when we ask for the farm!

Jerry was very knowledgeable. The information and scenarios he had us go through were very beneficial and frustrating at the same time. I can see how IBB could work, but it is essential that you have the right players at the table. If there are any egos, trouble is sure to follow. Maybe the extra time that I perceive this takes would pay off in the long run.

September 12th

A very interesting class today. Even though I thought our group was fairly well prepared to choose the items we wanted to negotiate, once we started the discussion and looked at different angles of various articles, the process was much longer than expected. When you have three people from three different districts bringing the experiences and perspectives from those districts, it is amazing how many flaws you can find in a contract. The same goes for the Brave New World exercise with Jerry in the afternoon. Judging from the many opinions and deep thinking that went into who we would pick for survivors, Interest Based Bargaining could create quite an interesting format for collective bargaining. Our superintendent wants our district to go to IBB next year after several very controversial and heated bargaining sessions this past spring. I have never been involved in collective bargaining at our school on either side, but if we go to IBB I would love to watch the process unfold.

To Deb

I am so relieved to hear you say the test was hell. I had a couple of people say it was a breeze. I was beginning to feel stupid. The questions were long and complicated (sometimes) and after a few, I started to panic thinking to myself, I can't concentrate for 125 questions like this. I would say almost anyone who is a principal has a hard time sitting still for that long concentrating on one thing! The questions weren't hard and you are right -I don't think WIU or any institution could possible prepare you for that test. There were always two possible right and two pretty much wrong - but were you guessing the same one the testing company thought was the correct answer. I left that test not having a clue how I did. I dreaded the approaching deadline for the results and can say I was never more relieved than to get a pass. I was pretty sure I could possibly be one of the first who didn't pass it! The scary thing...there is no way to study for it or even figure out where you might have been wrong.

September 12, Weekend #2

I thought today was very interesting and worthwhile. The morning was a challenge. I see the bargaining process as a frame of mind. It took a while to begin to feel comfortable with how things may work. I really like the simulation activity because it is putting us in the actual roles. It will be good if we can keep things as authentic as possible. Although I am not completely comfortable with my role, I can see the value of the experience. I think the existing contract is messy. Hopefully, the effort of both sides will be able to lead to a product that better meets the needs of all involved. Will we be better off to stick with a traditional approach or attempt to work in concepts of IBB?
The afternoon was interesting as well. The activities were well suited to match the negotiation process. Two points:
We were very protective of who should or should not have been sent to Easter Island. The process used did a nice job of trying to structure the IBB nature of negotiating and bringing things back to our goal/our standards. Lesson well learned.
Secondly, the reality of our final situation seemed ironic. From my experience, the schools are the ones to bend over backwards to meet the needs of the community. I am thinking that if this District can not collaborate with the business community more than what was explained, are they not setting themselves up? If I was a taxpayer, I don't know if I would be too willing to support a levy or a bond issue if I sense the inflexibility of the District.

Second Weekend Day 1

The simulation of the collective bargaining activity is very interesting. It is nice that everyone is taking the exercise seriously. We have started out well and it is interesting being on the "Union" side. I have spent a few years on the administrative side and I have to admit it is a bit difficult to switch thinking back to the teacher's way of thinking. This exercise is quite valuable and I appreciate the time we are spending on this activity.

On a side note, the superintedent exam was hell and I am glad I am finished with it. 125 questions of "what ifs" got a little confusing about question # 89. Today I am not sure how well WIU prepared me for the exam, but I am sure after a good night's sleep and the clarity of daylight I will feel better!

September 12

Today was very interesting. The simulations at the end of the day were somewhat stressful. It would be easy to see how emotions could become carried away in negotiations where one's livelihood depends on the outcomes. Ours was only a silly simulation about having "the power" to actually pick who would survive going to a new island. I chose not to pick the army medic with nightmares and post traumatic shock syndrome and wow - !! Thanks Chad for going along the second pick through - I caved with a neutral decision!! Even though the simulation was ridiculous decision making, issues can become emotional. I can see some of the people in my district who are emotional and passionate about their union and have to respect that with their personalities. I have a tendency to be more easy going and have a hard time understanding that passion! It was actually fun being the one to stand against the group! Negotiation is something that we probably all need experience with as superintendents. I now wish I would have been more involved on our negotiations this past spring and summer. The administrative team was not included - only our business manager. The process of working through problems and solving the issues is a much better way to make progress.

Saturday, September 12

It will be interesting to see how the collective bargaining simulation plays out.

Our special speaker did a nice job of explaining the process of Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) and the activities helped reinforce the main ideas and keep us involved. IBB has qualities worth considering. The process seems more people friendly than traditional negotiations. Because school boards and teacher unions are “married” to each other, IBB seems like a good option. Sharing in an open discussion sounds more professional than the traditional notion of making demands to identify issues. The collaborative nature of IBB is also appealing. The process seems much less combative. Training for all involved in the negotiations process and an experienced and neutral facilitator would be a must.
On the other hand, the process could be very lengthy if there are a lot of topics or issues that both sides want to negotiate. Coming to consensus could take forever.

Second weekend Day One 9-12-09

Blog
623
9-12-09
The simulation process that we did in the morning continues to be very interesting and educational. The strategy and meeting with the other team to discuss ground rules and work on the items for negotiation has been very beneficial to me.
Jerry Meehan – Interest Based Bargaining
Jerry did a nice job of explain IBB and the steps (process) that is used by both parties. The class discussion and simulation I felt was very worthwhile. It was interesting to see how the class negotiate on who was sent on to Easter Island and who had to stayed behind. The discussion, voting and negotiation process was on target for what lies ahead of us as Superintendents, with IBB or the traditional process

This process made sense to me and seemed like a great way to negotiate, not sure how the union/teacher’s in my district would perceive this process after being on strike last negotiation.

SEcond Weekend, Day 1

The IBB "Brave New World" simulation activity was fascinating. We all had different opinions about the individuals based on our own background prejudices that affected the overall consensus. I was surprised how long we were left to our own to debate and eliminate choices as the process went along. It almost appeared to be too unstructured to really be productive. In the end, we were able to make a list but included several that were undesirable to many. While everyone says that they "could live with the decision", it didn't leave people feeling great about the final decision but instead being okay with most of it. The process lends itself to consensus building in a number of situations outside of collective bargaining.

Happy Labor Day

HOpe everyone had a great 3-day weekend.