Greetings:

I am wondering if anyone out there uses Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton along with the Thomas Kilmann instrument. I have a new manager who is passionate about requiring participants to read the book before attending the TKI training.

I would appreciate any thoughts, recommendations, or advice on this topic.

Thank you,
Plilly

Used Getting to Yes many times and Kilmann too
both are very worth while. One caution how much time to prepare and also what level of responsibility and intellectual horsepower is the client. There is also a workbook for Getting to Yes

Nero

I've used both extensively and they are both excellent resources for introducing key concepts. Getting to Yes gives no particular insights about the TKI, it covers new ground, hence as a requirement before a workshop I'm not convinced. But certainly it is quick and worthy read, and provides strategic guidance for the Collaborating style of conflict.

One objection I have to both of these is that they are culturally tonedeaf. In a world where we increasingly interact with people whose cultural backgrounds very much shapes their personal sense of how to respond to conflict, this gap causes me to consider both resources as a bit out of date.

For conflict style inventories I prefer the Style Matters inventory (RiverhouseEpress.com) which like the TKI uses the Mouton Blake grid as its organizing structure but adds a layer of cultural awareness.

For an intro like Getting to Yes, it's still a relevant classic, but I try to add soome discussion about its limitations, both culturally as well as in its simplistic focus on interests. (behind interests are needs, a concept that is important to grasp, cf. John Burton's writings.)

I have used Getting To Yes, TKI, and Karrass. Getting to Yes is, by far the best choice, IF you are interested in a WIN-WIN negotiations outcome. Karrass works very well in commodity settings, where maintaining the relationship is secondary to getting the desired price. As a result, Chester Karrass' motto: "You GET what you negotiate"...TKI falls somewhere in the middle, with no recognizable dominant strength or benefit.

mmm..interesting, thanks