Negotiation
The Common's Dilemma
A few months before I graduated I got an email from an Israeli professor who was looking for a research assistant (minutes after I received an email from the same person about wanting to start the ICAA). I met Shirli Kopelman and was exposed to the business perspective of behavioral research through her studies of negotiation and the Common's Dilemma.
Professor Kopelman worked on a study called "Sharc". This was a Common's Dilemma which involved differences in status and power. Shirli added cultural differences to the picture in this fascinating study. All of these negotiations of common resources that were used by four different agents from different cultures, who had different status and power in this case study, were recorded. My task was to help develop a systematic code so all the transcripts could be arranged in a way that would enable them to be evaluated.
After listening to many recorded negotiation sessions, transcribing and proofing them, we came up with a code. I trained undergraduate students to transcribe the transcripts and prepare them for coding and to code them as well.
In addition to working with Shirli on her research I also started working for her as a TA in an MBA negotiation class. This included the preparation of class materials, sitting in lectures, viewing student's complete case studies, reading papers and evaluating them. I learned a lot from this class and it exposed me more to the field of negotiation.
Besides the academic work with Shirli, we also had many talks about career options for social scientists. Professor Kopelman guided me and shared her experiences with me. She introduced me to many of her colleagues and to my current advisor at the Technion, Professor Anat Rafaeli. I am grateful for the opportunity I had working for Shirli and the relationship we formed.