Mutual Gains Bargaining
Partnering
Cross-Cultural Issues
Strategic Planning
Union-Management Relationships
Meeting Facilitation
Election Services

Mutual Gains Bargaining

Recognizing that contemporary relationships require a collaborative rather than an adversarial approach to negotiations, NCDS trains organizations in Mutual Gains Bargaining (MGB), an innovative form of interest-based negotiation. The Mutual Gains Approach is a structured, step-by-step problem-solving process that centers on identifying the underlying interests of the parties and then creatively developing solutions, which address those interests.

NCDS provides joint negotiation training to parties prior to their negotiations, and a combination of facilitation and mediation assistance during negotiations to keep the process on track. NCDS uses a six-step process listed in the blue panel below.

The Mutual Gains Approach can be used for formal negotiations, resolution of specific disputes, and task force or problem-solving projects. MGB is being widely used in union-management relationships, intra and inter-organizational relationships, and even in domestic and international commercial matters. MGB assists companies doing business internationally by helping them to protect long-term relationships with a more collaborative form of negotiation and thereby improving global competitiveness. Parties’ benefit by reduced tension, improved agreements, and better relationships.

The Six Step Process

Partnering

As a core part of our overall services to the unionized construction industry, NCDS provides a complete set of Partnering Services. Our commitment to partnering reflects our underlying belief that partnering has become an essential business strategy for high performance organizations in the next century.

NCDS sees partnering as the optimal way of addressing the interests of owners, contractors, building trades unions, and all parties to a construction project. NCDS believes that partnering represents the state-of-the-art model in the industry that balances the need for high productivity, quality, and safety with a strong emphasis on building effective working relationships.

Partnering achieves this balance by up-front team building, identification of common goals and objectives, pro-active communication and expedited dispute resolution.

NCDS serves as the Neutral Facilitator to ensure successful project completion.

The Partnering Process :

	Pre-Project Planning and Design
	Pre-Project Training
	Designing an Effective Partnering Process
	Conducting Partnering Workshops
	Facilitating Partnering Meetings
	Managing Project Communications
	Designing and Delivering Dispute Resolution Services
	Project Evaluation

Cross-Cultural Issues

NCDS works with private and public sector organizations to help them do business and negotiate with other cultures. NCDS has trained the US Army Special Forces in negotiation and peacemaking skills for use in the Middle East. NCDS has also trained Western and Japanese firms in how to negotiate and do business with each other. Similar programs are available for European and Latin American cultures.

While organizations traditionally train their negotiation teams separately, a growing number of companies are deciding to have negotiation training with their counterparts just prior to negotiations to provide a common negotiation process and build trust.

Training in the Negotiation Process

	Consultation on: preparing for negotiations, focusing on the internal needs of companies prior to negotiations, helping companies strategically think through their objectives and interests, and organizing the negotiation team
	Managing the negotiations as a third party neutral mediator
	Working with both sides to bridge communication during a contract period, to resolve specific disputes, or to improve the working relationship

Cultural Bridge-Building

	Briefings for executives and senior management
	Understanding Japanese and American culture
	Understanding Japanese business practices
	Conflict resolution to help Japanese and American companies improve their mutual understanding
	Preparing for and conducting negotiations

Strategic Planning

Rapid change has become a constant for many industries. Coping with change, adjusting to new market conditions, global alliances and new strategies from competitors requires planning, and an enhanced awareness of how to manage the impact of change.

NCDS provides the following services to public and private organizations to assist them in coping with change:

Union-Management Relationships

One of NCDS's top priorities is to work together with unions and companies to help improve labor-management relationships. Rapid change in many industries has created a compelling need for unions and employers to be jointly focused on meeting the competitive challenge.

Helping to guide the parties through the necessary changes in traditional adversarial practices continues to be a key role for NCDS. NCDS involvement concentrates on building effective relationships to strengthen corporate competitiveness increase job security and market share.

NCDS assists in defining and articulating goals, while working with both parties to realize these goals by providing a range of joint processes, including:

Joint Processes to Realize Your Goals

	Organizational assessment
	Mutual Gains Approach to Negotiation and Problem-Solving
	Cooperation through Labor-Management Committees
	Change Management
	Joint Strategic Planning
	Violence in the Workplace Prevention
	Improved Grievance Resolution
	Team Building
	Joint Skill Building Training

Meeting Facilitation

With the increasing demands on everyone's time, organizations require effective meeting management. Organizations are recognizing the value of using professional facilitators to help prepare, conduct, and follow through on important meetings.

For organizations that are interested in developing their own in house facilitation capacity, NCDS also offers training in Conducting Effective Meetings, along with train-the-trainer workshops in Meeting Facilitation.

NCDS Skilled Facilitators Provide: Develop Your In-House Capability: