Dispute Resolution Research Center (DRRC)

09/04/2026

Create classroom experiences students remember!

By translating Kellogg research into immersive experiences, Kellogg Teaching Resources connects business theory to real human behavior and outcomes.

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09/01/2026

Some of the hardest negotiations happen outside the workplace.

Difficult Conversations Vignettes is a two-party negotiation exercise with three short role plays: family obligations, loaning money to a family member, and asking for a raise.

This exercise helps participants:
- Practice making and responding to difficult “asks”
- Build micro-strategies for communication under pressure
- Strengthen active listening in tense conversations
- Adapt strategies based on context and counterpart behavior

Developed by Melissa Reinberg, founder of Negotiation Works, a nonprofit that supports individuals emerging from traumatic situations in building everyday negotiation skills.

🔗 Buy the exercise at teachwithkellogg.com/teaching-catalog/?ep_filter_material_type=exercise&s=vignettes

08/28/2026

Looking for new ways to bring high-stakes negotiation into the classroom?

On September 9, we’re hosting two webinars featuring teaching materials that put students at the center of complex negotiation challenges—from geopolitical constraints and power imbalances to broken trust and coalition building.

Join us for one—or both—sessions and discover practical ways to create rich, engaging negotiation discussions in your classroom.

🏀 Full Court Press | 11:00 AM CT
Danielle Gilbert of Northwestern University will explore Full Court Press, a case examining the real-life negotiations and advocacy efforts that helped secure WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from Russian detention.

Learn how the case can spark discussion around high-stakes negotiation, coalition building, geopolitical constraints, and the role of media and public advocacy.

Register: https://northwestern.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZAkkP15yTZ-oIVysPUTWxA

🌎 Mars-Jupiter: Nuclear Negotiation | 3:00 PM CT
Katerina Bezrukova of Buffalo School of Management will introduce Mars-Jupiter, a dynamic role-play inspired by real-world U.S.-Iran negotiations.

Discover ways to use the exercise to explore broken trust, cultural differences, power imbalances, renegotiation, and opportunities for mutual gain.

Register: https://northwestern.zoom.us/meeting/register/WNnkRX9BRt-c-kcso0WefA

08/25/2026

Why do negotiators leave value on the table even when better deals are available?

One reason: complex negotiations exhaust our cognitive resources, causing people to settle for agreements that are good enough instead of finding the best possible outcome.

That's one of the key lessons students discover in CMO: Chief Mom Officer, a multi-issue negotiation exercise by Terri Kurtzberg.

Set in the streaming media industry, the exercise challenges participants to negotiate across multiple issues simultaneously, forcing them to think beyond simple compromises and explore opportunities to create value.

Along the way, students experience—and learn to overcome—common negotiation pitfalls:

• Splitting the difference instead of optimizing the package
• Focusing on individual issues rather than total value
• Missing opportunities for logrolling and tradeoffs
• Settling too quickly when negotiations become complex

As Kurtzberg explains:

"Complicated cases with this many things going on exhaust our cognitive resources very quickly, leading people to accept sub-optimal deals just to be done."

The exercise is particularly effective for helping students understand why preparation, value analysis, and disciplined decision-making are critical in complex negotiations.

CMO: Chief Mom Officer is an update of the Moms.com case originally written by Ann Tenbrunsel and Max Bazerman.

👉 Explore the exercise at TeachwithKellogg.com

08/20/2026

Bring the complexity of real-world negotiation into your classroom.

On September 9, we are hosting two webinars for instructors interested in exploring the challenging dynamics that shape high-stakes negotiations.

Join us for one—or both—sessions and leave with practical ideas for bringing consequential negotiation challenges into your classroom.

🏀 Full Court Press | 11:00 AM CT
Danielle Gilbert of Northwestern University will explore Full Court Press, a case examining the real-life negotiations and advocacy efforts that helped secure WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from Russian detention.

Learn how the case can spark discussion around high-stakes negotiation, coalition building, geopolitical constraints, and the role of media and public advocacy.

Register: https://northwestern.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZAkkP15yTZ-oIVysPUTWxA

🌎 Mars-Jupiter: Nuclear Negotiation | 3:00 PM CT
Katerina Bezrukova of Buffalo School of Management will introduce Mars-Jupiter, a dynamic role-play inspired by real-world U.S.-Iran negotiations.

Discover ways to use the exercise to explore broken trust, cultural differences, power imbalances, renegotiation, and opportunities for mutual gain.

Register: https://northwestern.zoom.us/meeting/register/WNnkRX9BRt-c-kcso0WefA

08/18/2026

The Dispute Resolution Research Center (DRRC) at Kellogg is celebrating its 40th anniversary and an incredible legacy of bringing together scholars, developing generations of negotiation researchers, and creating innovative ways for students to learn through experience.

Today, that work continues to evolve—from traditional role-plays to online simulations and AI-enabled exercises—while staying grounded in the mission that has guided the DRRC for four decades.

Read more about the DRRC’s history, impact and what’s ahead: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news/blog/2026/08/18/drrc-40/

As a global authority on negotiation, conflict and cooperation, the DRRC continues to expand the way leaders learn, teach and manage.

08/12/2026

What makes a negotiation exercise memorable years after students complete it?

According to author Gaylen Paulson, one answer is simple: surprise.

Energetics Meets Generex is a two-party negotiation based on a real wind energy transaction, but what makes it especially effective in the classroom is how it challenges participants' assumptions throughout the experience.

As Paulson explains:

"Surprise is a major catalyst for learning and recall. In the EMG exercise, we wove together multiple surprising twists that create gaps in understanding and compel participants to rethink what they know."

The exercise includes unexpected developments during the negotiation, a debrief that shifts participants' thinking, and a real-world connection that often sparks lively discussion long after the exercise ends.

Paulson's most enduring lesson for students?

Remember your 80/20s.

• 80% preparation, 20% negotiation
• 80% thinking about them, 20% thinking about you
• 80% talking about them, 20% talking about you

As he notes, many negotiators instinctively do the opposite.

Years later, former participants still remember "the wind farm case" and the 80/20 principle—and how it changed the way they approach negotiations.

How do you create learning experiences that students remember long after the semester ends?

👉 Purchase the exercise at https://teachwithkellogg.com/product/energetics-meets-generex/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Energetics&utm_id=LIpost

A webinar with teaching insights is also available!

08/10/2026

Can you negotiate effectively when part of your language is off-limits?

No-E-I, by Nir Halevy and Elizabeth Miclau, is a short team-on-team negotiation exercise that immerses participants in the realities of cross-cultural communication. Two delegations representing fictional nations must negotiate a groundbreaking trade agreement, but one side cannot use the letter “e,” while the other cannot use the letter “i".

The exercise highlights the importance of adaptability, perspective-taking, and collaborative problem-solving while providing an engaging introduction to key cross-cultural negotiation concepts.

🔗 Buy the exercise now at https://teachwithkellogg.com/product/no-e-i/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=NoEI&utm_id=LIpost

08/05/2026

Can AI help students become better negotiators?

In Professor Leigh Thompson's "Negotiating in a Virtual World" course, students design AI negotiation agents, negotiate entirely in virtual environments, and learn through simulations grounded in research-tested frameworks. Along the way, they discover how AI can strengthen preparation, practice, and reflection—while reinforcing that effective negotiation still depends on empathy, trust, strategic thinking, and relationship building.

It's a timely look at how experiential learning is evolving alongside emerging technologies.

Read more: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news/blog/2026/03/26/ai-negotiation-thompson/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=KelloggArticle

An experiential course is challenging the design and ethics of AI tools.

08/03/2026

Imagine spending the next three years collaborating with world-renowned scholars, pursuing your own research agenda, and becoming part of a lifelong academic network.

That's exactly what the Dispute Resolution Research Center's Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management offers.

This three-year fellowship offers the opportunity to:
• Collaborate with internationally recognized Kellogg faculty whose research explores topics related to conflict and cooperation, broadly defined.
• Receive a competitive salary plus dedicated research funding including support for independent projects
• Join a vibrant intellectual community with access to leading scholars, interdisciplinary collaborations across Northwestern, and a network of fellow postdoctoral researchers
• Gain valuable teaching experience and learn from Kellogg's innovative approaches to negotiation education
• Become part of a distinguished global network of DRRC alumni that continues to support fellows throughout their academic careers

The fellowship begins in September and is designed for scholars with exceptional research potential in areas broadly related to conflict or cooperation.

📅 Application deadline: November 15, 2026

Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3RjXc4o