Death of the role-play

• Main Authors: ALEXANDER, Nadja, LeBaron, Michelle
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2009
• Subjects: Negotiation; training; role-play; Dispute Resolution and Arbitration; Higher Education; Legal Education
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/1872; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/3824/viewcontent/DeathRole_Play_2009_bkchp_pv.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Setting someone up to fail does indeed sound unfair. In fact it could be described as an ambush – outlaw facilitators lying in wait for unsuspecting students. Not only is this unsettling in a training environment, we can ask whether this lack of transparency runs counter to the behavior expected of negotiators and mediators. Far from being a figment of our fertile imaginations, this short vignette is drawn from a real life learning situation at which both authors were present. Participants were asked at the beginning of the postgraduate workshop about their learning preferences. While most replied enthusiastically about learning in an interactive and experiential manner, one student voiced considerable fear about the use of role-plays. Her concerns were based on her past experiences in conflict resolution workshops.