Negotiation Skills: Lost at Sea Role-Playing Exercise
This paper reflects on a role-playing negotiation exercise called "Lost at Sea," in which participants ranked survival items for sailors stranded on a life raft. Drawing on conflict theory, expectancy violations theory, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the paper examines how cooperative strategies, trust-building, empathy, and situational awareness contributed to effective group negotiation. It also analyzes how leadership styles—particularly authoritative and situational leadership—shaped intra-team dynamics and decision-making. The paper concludes that valuing relationships, avoiding attribution, and applying social and emotional intelligence are essential to reaching mutually beneficial outcomes in high-stakes negotiations.
- Introduction: Simulation premise and importance of relationships in negotiation
- Dealing with Conflict: Conflict theory, cooperation, and empathy strategies
- Trust, Relationship, and Communication: Trust-building, leadership influence, and collective efficacy
- Intra-Team Dynamics: Leadership styles, decision-making, and team behavior observed
- Conclusion: Cooperative outcomes and lessons from the simulation
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds a practical simulation in multiple theoretical frameworks—conflict theory, expectancy violations theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and leadership influence processes—demonstrating how academic concepts apply to real interpersonal scenarios.
- It maintains a clear through-line: the argument that cooperative, relationship-centered negotiation consistently outperforms competitive or defensive strategies, reinforced with specific examples from the exercise.
- The inclusion of a ranked item appendix gives the paper a concrete, evidence-based anchor, allowing the theoretical discussion to stay tethered to observable outcomes rather than remaining purely abstract.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses synthesis—weaving together citations from Fisher and Ury, Ritzer and Stepnisky, Lunenburg, Maslow, and others—to build a multi-perspective argument rather than relying on a single source. Each theory is introduced, briefly explained, and then applied directly to the simulation context, showing the student's ability to translate academic frameworks into practical analysis.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an introduction that establishes the simulation's premise and the centrality of relationships in negotiation. A conflict-focused section follows, analyzing how cooperative strategies and empathy minimize escalation. The trust-and-communication section examines leadership influence, collective efficacy, and self-actualization. The intra-team dynamics section reflects on what worked and what could have been better prepared. A concise conclusion ties the themes together, returning to the primacy of relationships and situational awareness.
Introduction
Relationships are crucial in any negotiation—in fact, they are the bedrock of negotiation, as there can be no negotiation without first establishing the foundation of a relationship. The relationship need not be identical to friendship, but it must be workable and rooted in respect. In the role-playing exercise "Lost at Sea," the items listed in Appendix A were ranked in order of importance, with 1 being the most important and 15 being the least important to a group of sailors lost in a life raft at sea after their ship had sunk. The fishing kit was ranked most important because it was viewed as a means of obtaining food for the group. The rum was ranked least important because it would only dehydrate and dull the senses.
Among a group of sailors, the captain should have the most voice when making decisions about which items are most important, and just because the ship has sunk does not mean the captain has gone down with it. However, assuming that everyone on the life raft has equal status and rank, the need to negotiate which items are most important must be carefully considered.
References
Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2014). Do role models matter? An investigation of role modeling as an antecedent of perceived ethical leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 122(4), 587–598.
Combs, J. P., Harris, S., & Edmondson, S. (2015). Four essential practices for building trust. Educational Leadership, 72(7), 18–22.
Fisher, R., & Ury, W. (1991). Getting to yes. Penguin.
Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Power and leadership: An influence process. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1–9.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2017). Modern sociological theory. SAGE.
Singh-Sengupta, S. (1997). Leadership: A style or an influence process. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 265–286.
Appendix A: Items Ranked in Order of Importance (1–15)
8 — Sextant
6 — Shaving mirror
5 — Five-gallon can of water
10 — Mosquito netting
2 — One case of basic food rations
11 — Maps of the Pacific Ocean
12 — Seat cushion (Coast Guard–approved flotation device)
4 — Small transistor radio
13 — Two-gallon can of oil/gas mixture
14 — Shark repellent
7 — Twenty feet of opaque plastic
9 — Fifteen feet of nylon rope
3 — Two boxes of chocolate bars
15 — Puerto Rican rum
1 — Fishing kit
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.