APRIL ISSUE

Coalition Formation Exercises

Bring the complexity of real-world negotiation into your classroom with a set of dynamic, experiential exercises designed to deepen student engagement and learning. Students develop critical skills in strategy, collaboration, and decision-making while grappling with competing priorities, shifting coalitions, and incomplete information across a range of high-stakes scenarios. These exercises go beyond traditional case discussion, offering a structured, hands-on approach that helps students actively apply concepts and better understand the realities of negotiation in practice.


The portfolio includes:


Albion Basin: Multi-Party Negotiation in Practice


How do you reach an agreement when stakeholders value very different outcomes? In this immersive exercise, participants represent competing interests in a sensitive land-use negotiation. Working within teams and across groups, they must prioritize issues, form coalitions, and make strategic tradeoffs. The experience highlights the complexity of multi-party negotiation and the importance of alignment, creativity, and collaboration in reaching durable solutions.

MotorWorks: Negotiating Across Power, Politics, and Trust


What happens when organizations must rebuild trust while balancing competing national interests? In this multi-party, multi-country negotiation, participants navigate the aftermath of a corporate crisis, weighing financial, ethical, and reputational considerations. As they form coalitions and manage power dynamics, they explore how agreements are shaped not just by numbers, but by perceptions of fairness, accountability, and long-term impact.

Galbraith and Company: Coalition Dynamics in Multi-Party Negotiation



What determines outcomes when no single party has full control? In this multi-party, multi-issue negotiation, participants represent five distinct stakeholders whose interests intersect and compete. As they navigate group decision making, they must build alliances, manage shifting coalitions, and balance competing priorities. The exercise reveals how coalition formation shapes negotiation outcomes and highlights the strategic complexity of reaching agreement in group settings.

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We at KTR are actively working to make our full catalog of educational materials compliant with US ADA accessibility standards. Throughout this ongoing effort, we have been and will continue to be committed to ensuring that all students and educators have equal access to our resources.

 

How to find accessible materials:

Products that have been updated to meet accessibility standards (i.e., WCAG 2.1 AA) are clearly marked on their individual product pages. We encourage you to look for the accessibility label when browsing our catalog.

 

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We appreciate your patience as we work toward producing a fully accessible catalog. For questions or assistance, contact us at ktr@kellogg.northwestern.edu.


El Cerrito: Driving Growth Without Compromising the Brand


What happens when ambitious growth targets collide with brand integrity? In this case, a luxury brand manager is challenged to significantly increase profits in a mature, high-end market—without eroding the exclusivity that defines its success.


As they weigh strategic options, participants explore the tension between short-term performance and long-term brand equity, as well as consider how leaders make high-stakes decisions when the path forward is far from clear.

 

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