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Ombudsperson for MIT; Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management
Working with MIT Sloan since: 1985
Before I came to MIT Sloan, my work at MIT, since 1973, had been as a practitioner — an organizational ombudsman (that is, a neutral, independent, confidential and informal conflict manager). Negotiation theory gave me the tools to understand my work better and to become the first or one of the first people in the US to teach negotiation theory in the context of intra-organizational conflict management. In addition, at MIT, everyone thinks in terms of systems, and that supported me to apply a systems approach to negotiation and conflict management. (One of the concepts I'm working on now is why it's so hard for people to act or come forward when they see unacceptable behavior in the workplace and I suggest using an ICMS — an integrated conflict management systems approach — as part of a solution.)
Another advantage of being at MIT Sloan is OpenCourseWare (OCW). It is certainly a boon for the world, but it is also a gift to professors at MIT, because it allows you to become so widely connected. Within a day or two of putting my course material up on OCW, I was in contact with people around the world whom I had not known, whose work is very interesting.
I learn from the interaction in class from people of different cultures and countries, and the fact that MIT students are so responsive and so innovative. Negotiation is usually taught through role-plays. (In my class, most cases are disguised and generalized versions of real situations I've encountered in my ombuds practice.) Because MIT Sloan students are so inventive and come from such varied backgrounds, I learn a lot myself (and the role-plays are often hilarious).
MIT Sloan students go on to do fascinating things, too: Secretary-General of the UN, chef, homemaker, innovation center director, senior project manager at Comcast, novelist, inventor, MIT manager, director of a poverty agency, ombudsman, Postmaster General. If you want to run something or invent something unusual, come to MIT Sloan.
© 2009 MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT