Storytelling tool  Brittany Robinson    Challenge and selection    The tool I’m going to be using to solve or understand better the problem I will present next is  storytelling, this to be able to achieve that all participants in the problem can give their opinions  and understand the problem by very simple stories and ways that can help to open the mind  and be able to be more creative to find a solution. This approach can be used with a negotiation  team in human resources area when negotiating with the labor union. Storytelling was chosen  because it gives humans, which, at the end of the story are the main actors in the problems to  solve, the ability to develop a deeper empathy, in this case needed to understand both, the  labor union’s petitions and requests and the negotiating team’s needs and responsibilities  during the process. The negotiation process begins with the labor union sending their petitions  fold and the negotiating team, reading them and analyzing what can be modified, what can’t  and what can be debatable with the union. The advantage of using the storytelling tool is that it  serves not just as an analysis tool, because in this situation analysis is needed but can’t be the  main focus, the negotiating team needs to prepare their minds for having a close observation of  the situation to be able to solve the negotiation in the shortest time and best terms possible.    Application    The storytelling tool starts being used during all times of the process of the negotiation: before  the petitions fold is sent to the negotiating team, the members begin to prepare by trying to  tell different stories understanding the reality in which they are negotiating, and, at the same  time, analyzing previous experiences they had when negotiating by establishing predictions,  rules and analysis that seem to work previously and could work in the present situation.       As the goal of the negotiation process is to succeed fast and find the better good for both parts,  ideas and steps during the process need to be taken slowly and one by one, you cannot  conclude the negotiation by having fights and difficult communication with the unions. By using  storytelling, the corporate culture of the organization is presented by the negotiating team for  both parts to understand the objectives of their meetings and have a way to see and  understand in very simple yet effective ways how the organization operates and how decisions  should be taken understanding this, not all organizations are the same, so creativity and a well  understanding of how the organization works is essential to the resolution of the problem.    When the petition from the labor union is sent to the negotiating team the next step is for the  negotiating team to use storytelling in all sorts of ways. First of all something that needs to be  understood is that this is an unstable environment where the steps towards the solution of the  problem aren’t written in any books, there are recommendations but every negotiation is  different where uncertainty can’t be limited or fear because it is going to be present in every  decision both parts will take and the role of storytelling here is to understand the labor union  not only as a number of workers trying to defend their labor rights but as objective employees

whose needs have to be understood and try to provide the best job environment the  organization is able to.    The negotiating team understands by storytelling that they need to have a growth mindset that  helps them develop empathy, empathy is a main actor in this process as it is needed for both  parts to understand what their “opponent” is doing, empathy helps the negotiating process to  be more effective and respectful of other’s point of view.     For the use of the storytelling tool, what will happen is that the negotiating team will divide into  groups and each of them will come up with stories that help obtain emotional connection and  understand the purpose of everything the labor union fights for. Next, the teams will  understand that what they’re doing is not only solving a problem, or doing a negotiation, but  the main focus and larger purpose is creating a cause, in this case trying to find the ways of  creating a better work environment, a better balance between life and work, and the wellbeing  of employees. By doing this stories, the negotiating team needs to first know well their union,  here the importance of empathy, understanding other’s needs and ways of acting. Also, to be  able to use the storytelling tool efficiently there must be moments to reflect what they’re  doing, understanding why the negotiation is going on, what is it that employees need, what is it  that the organization needs, what is the better good for both parts. Finally, by using storytelling  during the negotiation process everything gets concluded properly, nothing gets left behind or  forgotten and every aspect both parts are negotiating gets debated and finally a decision is  made.    Insight and approach    The storytelling tool was a good way of understanding the context and develop the necessary  empathy for the negotiating team to understand and comprehend the necessities of the labor  union, but, something I learned is that both the labor union and the negotiating team need to  understand the outside cause and bigger objective of what they’re doing, it can’t be just an  emotional process, other aspects get involved from outside of the two parts from the approach  I made, news, social pression, people that don’t want the negotiation to go well, politics, and  external situations that can have a negative effect on the negotiation process, so these need to  be analyzed and taken care of as well, maybe storytelling can’t always be the main focus, it can  be used as a way of preparing the negotiating team but can’t be the only approach made.    A final reflection I can make from conducting this experiment is that it can be helpful mainly on  the preparation process and the beginning of the negotiation process as it helps to understand  the needs of the employees and gives a clearer understanding of the reasons people ask what  they do, emphasizing in having empathy between leaders and employees.


Storytelling tool Brittany Robinson Challenge and selection The tool I ’m going to be using to solve or understand better the problem I will present next is storytelling , this to be able to achieve that all participants in the problem can give their opinions and understand the problem by very simple stories and ways that can help to open the mind and be able to be more creative to find a solution . This approach can be used with a negotiation team in human resources area when negotiating with the labor union . Storytelling was chosen because it gives humans , which , at the end of the story are the main actors in the problems to solve , the ability to develop a deeper empathy , in this case needed to understand both , the labor union ’s petitions and requests and the negotiating team ’s needs and responsibilities during the process . The negotiation process begins with the labor union sending their petitions fold and the negotiating team , reading them and analyzing what can be modified , what ca n’t and what can be debatable with the union . The advantage of using the storytelling tool is that it serves not just as an analysis tool , because in this situation analysis is needed but ca n’t be the main focus , the negotiating team needs to prepare their minds for having a close observation of the situation to be able to solve the negotiation in the shortest time and best terms possible . Application The storytelling tool starts being used during all times of the process of the negotiation : before the petitions fold is sent to the negotiating team , the members begin to prepare by trying to tell different stories understanding the reality in which they are negotiating , and , at the same time , analyzing previous experiences they had when negotiating by establishing predictions , rules and analysis that seem to work previously and could work in the present situation . As the goal of the negotiation process is to succeed fast and find the better good for both parts , ideas and steps during the process need to be taken slowly and one by one , you can not conclude the negotiation by having fights and difficult communication with the unions . By using storytelling , the corporate culture of the organization is presented by the negotiating team for both parts to understand the objectives of their meetings and have a way to see and understand in very simple yet effective ways how the organization operates and how decisions should be taken understanding this , not all organizations are the same , so creativity and a well understanding of how the organization works is essential to the resolution of the problem . When the petition from the labor union is sent to the negotiating team the next step is for the negotiating team to use storytelling in all sorts of ways . First of all something that needs to be understood is that this is an unstable environment where the steps towards the solution of the problem are n’t written in any books , there are recommendations but every negotiation is different where uncertainty ca n’t be limited or fear because it is going to be present in every decision both parts will take and the role of storytelling here is to understand the labor union not only as a number of workers trying to defend their labor rights but as objective employees whose needs have to be understood and try to provide the best job environment the organization is able to . The negotiating team understands by storytelling that they need to have a growth mindset that helps them develop empathy , empathy is a main actor in this process as it is needed for both parts to understand what their “ opponent ” is doing , empathy helps the negotiating process to be more effective and respectful of other ’s point of view . For the use of the storytelling tool , what will happen is that the negotiating team will divide into groups and each of them will come up with stories that help obtain emotional connection and understand the purpose of everything the labor union fights for . Next , the teams will understand that what they ’re doing is not only solving a problem , or doing a negotiation , but the main focus and larger purpose is creating a cause , in this case trying to find the ways of creating a better work environment , a better balance between life and work , and the wellbeing of employees . By doing this stories , the negotiating team needs to first know well their union , here the importance of empathy , understanding other ’s needs and ways of acting . Also , to be able to use the storytelling tool efficiently there must be moments to reflect what they ’re doing , understanding why the negotiation is going on , what is it that employees need , what is it that the organization needs , what is the better good for both parts . Finally , by using storytelling during the negotiation process everything gets concluded properly , nothing gets left behind or forgotten and every aspect both parts are negotiating gets debated and finally a decision is made . Insight and approach The storytelling tool was a good way of understanding the context and develop the necessary empathy for the negotiating team to understand and comprehend the necessities of the labor union , but , something I learned is that both the labor union and the negotiating team need to understand the outside cause and bigger objective of what they ’re doing , it ca n’t be just an emotional process , other aspects get involved from outside of the two parts from the approach I made , news , social pression , people that do n’t want the negotiation to go well , politics , and external situations that can have a negative effect on the negotiation process , so these need to be analyzed and taken care of as well , maybe storytelling ca n’t always be the main focus , it can be used as a way of preparing the negotiating team but ca n’t be the only approach made . A final reflection I can make from conducting this experiment is that it can be helpful mainly on the preparation process and the beginning of the negotiation process as it helps to understand the needs of the employees and gives a clearer understanding of the reasons people ask what they do , emphasizing in having empathy between leaders and employees .