This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Negotiation, Mediation and Leadership Techniques in Organisations

Code: 104789 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Communication in Organisations OB 3

Contact

Name:
Carolina Escudero
Email:
carolina.escudero@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

The content of the course will be sensitive to aspects related to respect for fundamental rights of equality between women and men, human rights and the values of a culture of peace and will seek to promote personal growth and professional commitment to oneself. and the community and, nevertheless, as the Catalan Audiovisual Council suggests, “to show the different social realities, not allowing the creation of contents that can encourage or justify homophobia, biphobia, lesbophobia and transphobia, disseminating the denunciation of discriminatory acts and presenting good practices in relation to equality and non-discrimination ”(Recommendations on the treatment of LGBTI people in the audiovisual media, CAC, 2017).

Note: The course content will be sensitive to issues related to gender perspective and the use of inclusive language.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objectives of this subject of Negotiation, mediation and leadership in communication techniques are mainly to develop in students the critical spirit necessary to face all kinds of incidents and conflicts in organizations as well as to adapt these organizations to the negotiation and mediation of situations in the actual society. In the same way, prepare students to exercise the role of project leadership in all cases.


Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Act within one's own area of knowledge, evaluating sex/gender-based inequalities.
  • Analyse and evaluate the structures of the different types of organisations, of the Media and of the relationship between the two.
  • Display the ability to lead, negotiate and work in a team.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Work in compliance with professional codes of conduct.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Adapt to new situations in a constantly changing work environment due to social, economic political and technological changes.
  2. Assess how stereotypes and gender roles impact professional practice.
  3. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  4. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  5. Generate creative ideas in the workplace.
  6. Identify the fundamentals and techniques of any negotiation.
  7. Negotiate the issues that affect the organisation in both the official languages.
  8. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  9. Respect the characteristics of all persons in negotiation processes and in the exercise of leadership.
  10. Show initiative and leadership skills.
  11. Use knowledge of leadership and negotiation strategies that are useful in any type of organisation.

Content

 1. Leadership and negotiation theories in organizations 

  • Study of the various theories on negotiation, mediation and leadership from the individualistic perspectives of Taylorism to the environmental or contingency, the socio-technical (systemic) school of the social regulation of organizations, cognitivist approaches and the psychology of crowds.
  • The principles of interaction and cooperation: the history of negotiation forms, cultural and social negotiation rituals, psychological and personal mechanisms, emotional factors and rational strategy.
  • Evolution of the character of leadership historically and culturally. The charismatic leader from animism to the use of the mass media. Caesarism in pyramidal systems and the project manager in horizontal systems.
  • The historical construction of a heteropatriarchal leadership and its alternative. Advances in empowerment and the paradigm shift that it poses in the enriching management of humanity's talent.

 2. Negotiation methodology and strategies 

  • Definitions of negotiation and negotiation contexts: family negotiation, economic negotiation, judicial negotiation, social negotiation, political negotiation.
  • Assessment of the interests of the parties and the costs of the negotiation. The structure of the negotiating discourse according to Tvetan Todorov: Convince, seduce, manipulate?
  • Negotiation between equals and asymmetric or hierarchical negotiation. Can it be called negotiation? Towards a collaborative and enriching definition of profit in negotiation: win-win against zero sum.
  • Conflictive or pathological situations. Union conflicts, stress situation, precariousness, productivity decline, absenteeism, investigation of the causes of blockades and sclerotization of decisions within organizations.
  • Zero-sum distributive negotiation. How to obtain benefits in this negotiation: partners oradversaries? How to make a one-time loss turn into another type of profit? How to make reluctance become factors of trust? How to find common principles and common goals?
  • Inclusive negotiation: how to improve the quality and probability of these agreements. How to find compensation or a higher benefit for both parties.
  • How to find a common text that is not an addition of the different positions or a delimitation of intentions but a new superior common position that unites both parties.

 3. Mediation between organizations and within the organization 

  • Conflict as a rupture and as a challenge: conflict as a positive element of change in organizations and civil society.
  • Analysis of conflicts: from the disparity of criteria to antagonism of positions.
  • Different mediation scenarios: between equals or hierarchically different, in private and family life, in social relations (health, school, profession), in politics (from legislative agreement to common government action).
  • Mediation procedures: the need for the prior agreement of the parties in conflict before developing the arbitration, the mechanisms to find common spaces for dialogue, the mediator's strategies in his double conversation with the parties, the decisions he can make and those that must share and agree, the development of shared common documents and the path to the final agreement.
  • Mediation between different societies and cultures. Is intercultural mediation possible and who can do it? Is Asymmetric Mediation Possible?
  • Analysis of identity and group conscience as a factor for resolving the conflict and as an obstruction to its resolution.
  • Study and analysis of the figure of the mediator: the legal, professional, educational and learning situation of the same. How to become amediatorand for what purpose.

 4. Leadership and project management in organizations 

  • The leader's need in project management: a leader for a project, situational leadership.
  • The complexity of a character for project management: taking the initiative and delegating, encouraging and listening, deciding and evaluating: discussion about the strategic actor.
  • The difference between leader and manager: how to promote, incentivize and motivate.
  • The treatment of the organizing group. Is the existence of a group leadership possible?
  • The hierarchy and power relations. The topics addressed are the autonomy of the actors, the different types of organization (matrix, horizontal, pyramidal), the management of power, the distribution of resources, negotiation, etc.
  • The end of the road: Is the project evaluation the leadership evaluation?

 

 


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 12 0.48 10, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11
Practical works 12 0.48 1, 10, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11
Type: Supervised      
tutorials 7.5 0.3 5, 6, 11
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study 44 1.76 5, 6, 7, 9
Preparation of works and practices 44 1.76 1, 5, 9, 11

A detailed schedule outlining the content of each session will be presented on the first day of the course and will be available on the course’s Virtual Campus, where students will find all teaching materials and necessary information for effective course monitoring. Should the teaching modality change for reasons of force majeure according to the competent authorities, the teaching sta􀆯 will inform students of any modifications to the course schedule and teaching methodologies.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance and active participation in class 10% 0.5 0.02 3, 10, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 2
Attendance at conferences and complementary activities 20% 10 0.4 1, 5, 6, 9
Realization of practices 30% 16 0.64 1, 10, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11
Theoretical Test 40% 4 0.16 9

Students can follow continuous assessment or single assessment. If you decide to do a single assessment, you must notify the teacher responsible for the subject in writing via email within the first two weeks of class. Once notified, the student will not be able to change their choice.

The continuous assessment involves taking a theoretical exam (40%) + practical exercises (30%) + attendance and active participation in the classroom (10%) + attendance at supplementary activities (20%). The details of the continuous assessment will be explained at the beginning of the course. Of all these tests, only the exam will be recoverable.
 
The subject's unique assessment system is based on the following percentages:
 
A) 50% Theory test. It must be approved (5 or more) to pass the subject (indispensable condition) (The exam model is different compared to the continuous assessment).
 
B) 30% Test of solving 3 case studies or communication challenges.
 
C) 20% Oral presentation of a work assigned at the beginning of the course on a topic of the subject.
 
The exam will take place in person on the same day as the continuous assessment exam. The three case study resolution tests will also be given to the teacher on the day of the exam. And the oral test will take place on a date to be determined by the teacher. Of all the tests, only the exam will be recoverable.
  
Students will have the right to retake the subject if they have been assessed for the set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the subject's total grade.
 
In the case of a second registration, the student can take a single synthesis test which will consist of a test agreed with the teacher. The grade of the subject will correspond to the gradeof the synthesis test.
 
In the event that the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instituted. In the event that several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.
 
Students will be entitled to the revaluation of the subject. They should present a minimum of activities that equals two-thirds of the total grading. 

In the case of a second enrolment, students can do a single synthesis exam/assignment that will consist of a test agreed with the teacher. The grading of the subject will correspond to the grade of the synthesis exam/assignment. 

In the event that the student performs any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that could be instructed. In the event, that several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0. 

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches. Students must clearly identify any parts generated with these technologies, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how AI has influenced the process and final outcome of the assignment. Failure to disclose the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty to the assignment grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

 


Bibliography

    • Álvarez Gavilanes, Juan Edmundo, Murillo Párraga, Dayana Yasmin (2018). Crisis de reputación empresarial en el entorno digital, Uniandes Episteme, 5, 194-209.
    • Bernoux, Philippe, Amblard, Henry, Herreros, Gilles, Livian, Yves (2005) Les nouvelles approches sociologiques des organisations, Seuil.
    • Buzzan, Tony; Dottino, Tony; Israel, Richard (1999). La inteligencia de líder. Bilbao: Ediciones Deusto.
    • Carver, T.B.; Vondra, A.A. (2001). "La resolución alternativa de conflictos". Harvard Business Review. Negociación y resolución de conflictos (cap. VIII, p g. 231-260). Barcelona: Ediciones Deusto.
    • Costa, Carmen (2014), Comunicación corporative, UOC.
    • Crozier, Michel (2000) A quoi sert la sociologie des organisations ? Paris, Arslan, 2000.
    • Dana, Daniel (2001). "Cómo resolver cualquier conflicto". A: Adi s a los Conflictos (cap. 3, p g. 43-57). Aravaca: Ed. McGraw-Hill.
    • Danzing, Robert J. (1999). El líder que vive en tí. México DF: Editorial Selector.
    • Escudier-Vila, Juan Carlos (2019). “La que has liao,pollito”, Público, 1/8/2019.https://blogs.publico.es/escudier/2019/08/01/la-que-has-liao-pollito/.
    • Fisher, R.; Schneider, A.K.; Borgwardt, E.; Ganson, B. (1997). "Coping with International Conflict". A: Systematic Approach to Influence in International Negotiation. Upper Saddle River (Nova Jersey): Prentice Hall
    • Fisher, R.; Ury, W.; Patton, B. (2002). "10 preguntas que hace la gente sobre cómo obtener el Sí". A: El Arte de Negociar sin Ceder. Obtenga el Sí (cap. V, p g. 167-203). Barcelona: Ediciones Gestión 2000.
    • Gaines-Ross, Leslie (2008). Corporate reputation: 12 steps to safeguarding and recovering reputation. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 
    • Hendon, D.W.; Hendon, R.A.; Herbig, P. (1996). "What: The Art of Negotiations". A: Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations (p g. 131-144). Connecticut / Londres: Quorum Books, Westport.
    • Lalueza, Ferran (2014). Responsabilidad social corporativa: las relaciones públicas profilácticas. In Túñez-López, M. & Costa-Sánchez. Comunicación Corporativa: claves y escenarios (pps. 117-126). Barcelona: UOC.
    • Lee, Blaine (2000). El principio del poder. Cómo influir en los demás con honor. Barcelona: Mondadori.
    • López-Quesada, Miguel (2017). Cómo proteger la reputación en una crisis. IN SIGHTS IE University, 
      https://www.ie.edu/insights/es/articulos/proteger-la-reputacion-una-crisis/
    • Pedler, M.; Burgoyne, J.; Boydell, T. (1994). A manager's guide to self-development. Londres: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
    • Perceval, José María (2020) el Populismo. Cómo las multitudes han sido temidas, manipuladas y seducidas, Cátedra. 
    • Ríos, José Noé (2003). Cómo Negociar a Partir de la Importancia del otro. Caracas Planeta.
    • Romero-Rodríguez, Luis Miguel; Torres-Toukoumidis, Ángel; Pérez-Rodríguez, María Amor (2017). Gestión Comunicacional de Crisis: Entre la agenda corporativa y mediática. Estudio de caso Volkswagen. Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas, v. 7, n. 13, pp. 83-100. Doi: 10.5783/RIRP13-2017-06-83-100.
    • Ruiz-Sánchez, Belén; Esteban-Talaya, Águeda; Gutiérrez-Broncano, Santiago (2014). Reputación bancaria durante la crisis económica. Comparación entre las principales entidades financieras desde la perspectiva del cliente. Universia Business Review, n. 43,pp. 16-35. https://journals.ucjc.edu/ubr/article/view/909/1039
    • Sotillo-Fraile, Santiago (2010). La reputación del CEO: un activo intangible clave para las empresas. Cuadernos de Gestión del Conocimiento Empresarial, n.21. https://www.bridgedworld.com/ftp/La_reputacion_del_CEO_CEDE.pdf
      http://www.directivoscede.com/sites/default/files/document/conocimiento/31-07-2013/08cuaderno0000003800.pdf
    • Sashkin, Marshal (1998). El Líder visionario: cuestionario sobre la conducta del líder. Madrid: Centro de Estudios Ramón Areces.
    • Schmidt, W.H.; Tannembaum, R. (2001). "La gestión de les diferencias". Harvard Business Review. Negociación y resolución de conflictos (cap. 1, p g. 7-37). Barcelona: Ediciones Deusto.
    • Senge, Peter M.; Robert, Charlotte (1999). The fifth discipline. The art & practice of The Learning Organization. Londres: Random House.
    • Senge, Peter M. (dir.); Roberts, Charlotte (2000). The Dance of Change. London, Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
    • Stone, Douglas (dir.); Heen, Sheila (1999). Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most. Nova York: Viking / Penguin.
    • Thompson, John L. (1997). Lead with vision. Manage the Strategic Challenge. Londres: Thompson Business Press.
    • Todorov, Tvetan (2008), El jardín imperfecto: luces y sombras del pensamiento humanista, Paidós.

     

     

     


Software

You do not need any particular knowledge except the usual word processing in word and presentation in power points.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 71 Spanish second semester afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 72 Spanish second semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 7 Spanish second semester afternoon