Case Study: Michelle Rhee

Moving from Self-Judgment to Self-Understanding

In Getting to Yes with Yourself, Ury (2015) applies the principle of understanding to the process of self-reflection. Ury (2015) argues that self-judgment is unproductive and that, in order to truly understand ourselves, we must be willing to look at our own interests and motivations honestly. This approach can be seen as missing in the documentary The Education of Michelle Rhee, which follows the former chancellor of the Washington D.C. public school system as she tries to reform the city's education system. Throughout the film, Rhee is faced with difficult decisions that require her to think about her own interests and those of the students she is trying to serve. In the end, it turns out that she does not do much in the way of applying the principles of Getting to Yes, but instead operates on her own authority to make changes that upset stakeholders and constituents, who then responded by electing a new mayor and forcing Rhees resignation.

By applying the principles of principled negotiation, one can be better able to make tough choices that are in line with ones values and goals. As a result, one can make remarkable progress in a short period of time. However, in Rhees case, when she was being dressed down by the Chair of the Council of District of Columbia, she tried to stand up for herself, stating that she was the head of the agency and had to make tough decisions about moving the budget from one place to anotherbut the Chair reminded her that she is supposed to listen to the legislative body, which she was not doing. Others clearly saw her as autocratic and unwilling to listen to the needs of the student body and parents. Thus, in this case, there is a great deal of need for moving from self-judgment to self-understanding.

Moving from Blame to Self-Responsibility

In the art of negotiation, it is often easy to fall into the trap of blame. One party may blame the other for their intransigence, or for their unwillingness to compromise. However, blame is seldom productive in a negotiation. Instead, it is more effective to take responsibility for one's own actions. By doing so, each party can retain their dignity and focus on finding a mutually agreeable solution. In addition, taking responsibility for one's own actions can help to build trust between the parties. Once trust has been established, it becomes easier to find common ground and reach a successful outcome.

There is evidence that Rhee does thisfor example, she steps aside after the election, allowing the effects of her reform to be felt in the political sphere and accepting the voters pushback. Nonetheless, she is deemed a fierce reformerone who does the necessary work of closing half-empty schools and firing incompetent teachers and administrators. At least, that is one way to look at it. However, on the other hand, it could be argued that Rhee also needs to hold herself more accountable. She tied teacher tenure to student performanceand saw test scores improvebut before the year was out questions were raised about the legitimacy of those scores (PBS Frontline, 2013). The...

Thus, in this case, there is great evidence again that Rhee should have moved from blame to self-responsibility a lot sooner and re-evaluated the merits of her ideas on reform.

Reframing Picture from Unfriendly to Friendly

Fisher et al. (2011) advocate for a technique called reframing. Reframing is when one takes an opponent's position and re-frames it in a way that is more favorable to you. Reframing is a powerful tool because it allows one to see things from a different perspective. In many cases, two parties are locked into a conflict because they are both trying to achieve the same thing. If they can reframe the issue, they may be able to find a way to cooperate instead of compete. Reframing can help people find solutions to problems that they thought were unsolvable. For example, imagine if one is trying to lose weight but has hit a plateau he might feel like nothing is working. But if he reframes the goal from losing weight to improving his health, he suddenly finds it easier to stay motivated and stick with the plan.

For example, in the case of Michelle Rhee, she could have reframed the situation by saying that she was trying to help the students of Washington, DC by giving them access to better schools. This would have been more favorable than her actual framing, which was that she was trying to fix the broken school system. She stated this in public and stood by that framing of the issue. The people did not like that, though, and they voiced their displeasure in the election. Reframing can be an effective way to improve ones negotiating position, and it is something that Rhee could...

…them to maintain their interests. By keeping these principles in mind, both parties can come away from the negotiation feeling like they have won. However, to make it work, a negotiator has to be willing and able to invent new options that will benefit everyone. It is really part of being a creative negotiator. This approach was wholly missing in Rhees approach.

Rhee could have avoided some of the conflict if she had been more open to finding options for mutual gain. For example, Rhee could have worked more closely with the city's teachers union to find areas of agreement. She also could have been more transparent about her plans and budgets, and solicited and accepted input from parents and community members. By taking these steps, Rhee could have built more support for her reform efforts and helped to create a more cohesive education system in Washington, DC. Her decision-making process would have included important input from the public, and with the publics input in mind she could have positioned herself to see new options for reform that would have been better for all. She did win in her negotiation with the union, but it was really just a way for her to push her own agenda forward in the endand that is not what successful negotiation is about.

Need to Insist on Using Objective Criteria

Rhee did feel that she was using objective criteria, such as test scores, budgets, teachers tenure, pay, and so on. However, she was looking at the objective criteria through a subjective lens, which was the framework that she used to approach the problem. Her framework was somewhat biased in that it did not allow for other possible interpretations. Objective criteria are only as good as the mind that knows how to use it. Relying on subjective criteria, such as each partys feelings or interests, can lead to an unfair agreement. Instead, negotiators should focus on facts and objective standards. This will help to ensure that the agreement is fair and equitable. Furthermore, by focusing on objective criteria, negotiators can avoid the pitfalls of emotional bargaining. Emotional bargaining often leads to impasse, as each party tries to convince the other of their own importance. However, if negotiators can agree on objective criteria, they can move past this impasse and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Rhee did not always adhere to objective criteria in her evaluations, and it appears that she likely relied on personal input from others. Thus, she needed a betterless personalapproach…