I was recently taking my negotiations class through the basics of Power (can someone make you do something?), Rights (am I allowed to do this?), and Interests (what do I want out of this?). In my presentation of the information, I was preoccupied with the previous days events. The issue that was on my mind was transportation in cities, specifically bicycling in Toronto.
When it comes to cars versus bicycles, there is not much confusion about who holds the power when the rubber hits the road…or the shoulder blade hits the sidewalk, which happened to be the case. In terms of rights, I think I had every right to be biking along side the snake of traffic that crawled south on Mount Pleasant last week. Although the conversation that I had that evening with one of Toronto’s finest suggested maybe I can’t pass cars on the right… Hmmm.
Like most of these situations, Interests are the highest leverage place to start. From the cyclist’s prospective, they enjoy physical exercise, dodging gas prices and parking rates, and all the other counter-culture benefits they seek. Stepping away from the issue, the ability for more people to bike in the city would reduce the number of cars on the street and the demand on downtown parking spots, both of which would be in the interest of drivers. It is a tough one but part of the solution will be convincing drivers that cyclists should be welcome on the streets, which means you have to look for them when you are making that last-minute right hand turn.
School is back in for lots of people, including, yours truly. Among my back-to-school activities was spending a day this week in the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence. It lived up to its name in providing a high bar, as well as insight, tools, resources and support to clear the bar. Following the “diversity” that underpins all aspects of the school, instructors are encouraged to meet/exceed expectations in any way they see fit.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there was lots of discussion on how to handle the use of laptops (the entire facility has wireless Internet access), and presumably other communication devices in the class. Just like the real world, there is no formal policy, and the guidance from experienced faculty covered the gamut, including one instructor who said that a full out ban was the best answer. Comparable rules in the workplace are not unheard of (e.g. hand over your device to the Blackberry Check before you enter the meeting… don’t lose that ticket!).
What to do?
For those of you taking my course this semester, here is what you can expect. In the spirit of “dialogue,” we will clarify expectations on both sides, and see if we can agree upon (negotiate) some behaviours that support meeting those expectations. I have no idea if it will work but I do have a strong BATNA. I would suggest that students show up with pens and paper just in case.
For those of you not taking the course, I will keep you posted on any agreement that we reach and detail it here, if possible. I am not expecting anything groundshaking, nor do I think this approach is extremely innovative. In most settings, I think that the behaviours and norms develop, but I hope this dialogue can clarify and accelerate a healthy balance while meeting needs and expectations of all parties. I know of some organizations that are starting to encourage these same dialogues.
Maybe we are onto something here.
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