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Case Study: When Two Leaders on the Senior Team Hate Each Other

• Boris Groysberg
• Katherine Connolly Baden

How should a CEO address friction between his CFO and the sales chief?

In this fictional case, the CEO of a sports apparel manufacturer is faced with an ongoing conflict between two of his top executives. Specifically, the head of sales and the CFO are at each other’s throats and the tension is having a ripple effect on their teams and the rest of the organization. The CEO, who tends to avoid conflict himself, is struggling with how to respond. His options include changing the company compensation scheme to encourage better collaboration, firing the two leaders, getting them each a coach, and doing more team building activities.

The feedback in the 360-degree reviews was supposed to be anonymous. But it was crystal clear who’d made the negative comments in the assessment of one executive.

• BG Boris Groysberg is a professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate at the school’s Race, Gender & Equity Initiative. He is the coauthor, with Colleen Ammerman, of Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). bgroysberg
• KB Katherine Connolly Baden is a research associate at Harvard Business School.

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Unlocking Success: The Role of Negotiation Case Studies in Business and International Contexts

• Author Georgie Mclean
• Published 3 March 2024

Negotiation is an integral skill in both personal and professional settings, dictating the success of interactions ranging from everyday decisions to major corporate deals. This article delves into the importance of case studies, providing a structured path to mastering this crucial skill through examples and analyses. We explore how these case studies can improve negotiation skills, the best types of cases to study, and where to find real-life scenarios.  

How Will Case Studies Help M e Improve As A Negotiator?  

Case studies are not just stories; they are valuable learning tools that provide insights into the dynamics of negotiation processes. They help in understanding both successful strategies and common pitfalls. Through analysis of different negotiation scenarios , such as famous business case study examples, individuals learn to anticipate potential challenges and react appropriately, enhancing their negotiation capabilities significantly.  

Case studies often detail the strategies used by negotiators, the outcomes achieved, and the lessons learned. They allow individuals to see the application of theoretical principles in real-world contexts, helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice. By studying varied international negotiation scenarios and corporate deals, individuals can broaden their understanding and adaptability, which is crucial for successful negotiations.  

What is the Best Type of Negotiation Insight Example to Study?  

The best type of insight depends on one’s professional needs and the complexity of the negotiations they face. For students and newcomers to negotiation, starting with basic ones that cover essential principles, such as the example of negotiation between two companies, can be very beneficial. As one advances, more complex scenarios involving multiple parties or high stakes, like those seen in international negotiations or government agreements, can provide deeper insights.  

Business case studies often involve a range of elements such as deadlines, legal implications, and high financial stakes. Studying these cases helps in understanding sector-specific nuances and can prepare employees for similar challenges in their fields.  

Where Can I Find Real Life Business Negotiation Case Studies?  

Real-life cases on negotiation can be found in several places: 

• Books and eBooks: There are numerous books dedicated to negotiation techniques that include detailed case studies. Books specifically focusing on  negotiation cases for students are also available.  
• Training Programs: Organisations like ENS Negotiation and Influencing offer workshops and seminars that include a variety of case studies and real-world scenarios to help professionals understand and improve their negotiation technique.  
• Online Platforms: Websites like negotiate.org provide resources and insights into negotiation strategies and also include examples and case studies drawn from real-life business scenarios.  

What Makes Case Studies So Crucial for Business Negotiators?  

Case studies are critical because they provide a granular view of tactics and decision-making processes in high-stakes business environments. These studies allow negotiators to dissect complex involving large companies, significant financial stakes, or critical strategic outcomes. By understanding the moves and countermoves of seasoned negotiators, learners can develop a robust toolkit of strategies and approaches. Such insights are invaluable for anticipating challenges and crafting nuanced responses that leverage proven tactics, thereby enhancing the negotiator’s ability to manage complex with greater confidence and strategic foresight.  

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Georgie Mclean

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Team-Building Strategies: Building a Winning Team for Your Organization

Discover how to build a winning team and boost your business negotiation results in this free special report, Team Building Strategies for Your Organization, from Harvard Law School.

Best-In-Class Negotiation Case Studies

Negotiation case studies to help you improve your negotiation training and instruction.

By Lara SanPietro — on August 5th, 2019 / Teaching Negotiation

What’s one of the best ways to teach the art and science of negotiation? Negotiation case studies that spark lively discussion or facilitate self-reflection. Based on real-world examples, these teaching resources are designed to help students envision how to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and beyond.

The Teaching Negotiation Resource Center (TNRC) at the Program on Negotiation offers negotiation case studies from renowned authors who’ve negotiated trade agreements, aided peace treaties, and handled many other high-stakes deals. By drawing on their own experiences, they’ve crafted negotiation case studies that are authentic, compelling, and enlightening.

Two of the TNRC’s most useful negotiation case studies are Negotiating About Pandas for San Diego Zoo and The Mariyinsky Palace Negotiations .

Featured Negotiation Case Studies

Negotiating about pandas for san diego zoo.

How do you negotiate from a position of relative weakness? It’s a question that plagues negotiation students and professionals alike. This case tackles the issue head-on with a negotiation between the executive director of an American zoo and China, the only country in the world that has giant pandas.

If that’s not challenging enough, the case becomes more complex when the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and nongovernmental (NGO) conservation groups get involved. Based on actual negotiations, this three-part case offers lessons for business, law and government students as well as professionals. By working on this case, participants can learn to:

• Pay attention to the “big picture” and the creation of frameworks (formulas) that structure a transaction or relationship between parties
• Identify different sources of bargaining power and BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement)
• Handle uncomfortable topics or tasks in creative, tactful ways that are sensitive to the parties’ relationship
• Respond effectively to extreme demands from a counterpart
• Consider when (if, how) to incorporate cultural factors in plans for negotiation

The Mariyinsky Palace Negotiations

A factual case study based on the disputed 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, The Mariyinsky Palace Negotiations: Maintaining Peace Throughout the Ukraine’s Orange Revolution offers a rich illustration of complex multiparty negotiation dynamics.

This case study, which is based on extensive research and interviews with key observers, offers an account of the factors that contributed to the contested first runoff election, unprecedented second runoff election, and victory for opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. An advanced teaching tool, Mariyinsky Palace Negotiations features a comprehensive exploration of:

• Sophisticated negotiation techniques
• Coalitional and other multi-party dynamics
• The pressure of constituencies and the role of third-party facilitators
• The influence of external events on the negotiations

Take your Training to the Next Level with the TNRC

The Teaching Negotiation Resource Center offers a wide range of effective teaching materials, including

• Over 200 role-play simulations
• Critical negotiation case studies
• Enlightening periodicals
• More than 30 videos
• 100-plus books

Most TNRC materials are designed for educational purposes— for use in college classrooms or corporate training settings. TNRC cases and exercises help mediators and facilitators introduce their clients to a processor issue and help individuals who want to enhance their negotiation skills and knowledge .

Negotiation case studies introduce participants to new negotiation and dispute resolution tools, techniques and strategies. Videos are also a helpful way of introducing viewers to key concepts, and TNRC books , role-play simulations , and periodicals address the theory and practice of negotiation and conflict management.

Check out all that the TNRC has in store >>

Originally published in 2014.

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Preparing for negotiation.

Understanding how to arrange the meeting space is a key aspect of preparing for negotiation. In this video, Professor Guhan Subramanian discusses a real world example of how seating arrangements can influence a negotiator’s success. This discussion was held at the 3 day executive education workshop for senior executives at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

Guhan Subramanian is the Professor of Law and Business at the Harvard Law School and Professor of Business Law at the Harvard Business School.

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