Changing the World through Negotiations

Course Director: Andrew Schenkel

This is a CIVICA Honours Seminar, planned to take place June 14-17, 2027.

Join an international group of students from top CIVICA universities across Europe — all coming to Stockholm for one purpose: To master the art of negotiation as a force for change.

Changing the world starts with the ability to bring people together, finding common ground, agreeing and taking action towards a common goal. Whether leading a movement, driving policy change, or transforming an organization, real impact comes from the ability to navigate differences and build lasting solutions — impact. At the heart of this process is negotiation — a skill that allows leaders to turn ideas into reality by identifying and aligning interests, resolving conflicts in a participative manner such that stakeholder voices are heard.

Business schools are leaders in both teaching and conducting research on negotiation because this skill was linked early to organizational performance. Therefore, research and teaching in this domain was formalized within management education at an early stage. Negotiations in a political context take place in distinct institutional and power settings, yet it relies on a conceptual vocabulary that originated in managerial practice. Thus, political scientists can draw effectively on insights developed in business-school negotiation research.

Negotiation is more than just a tool for formal agreements; it is an essential leadership skill used in everyday decisions for business leaders and within a political context. It plays a crucial role in achieving environmental and democratic goals, shaping the way organizations and societies evolve. Skilled negotiators help create the means for meaningful change in a participative manner. Like any skill, negotiation improves with practice, and even experienced leaders benefit from training such as this course.

This intensive workshop building on negotiation concepts from the sphere of business, offers a hands-on approach to mastering negotiation as a tool for change. Over four days, you will engage in negotiation exercises and various guest speakers designed to reflect real-world challenges. You will collaborate with peers with different backgrounds from other CIVICA higher educational institutes, exchanging insights and learning different negotiation strategies.

Beyond technical skills, this course will help you develop confidence, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex negotiations with a high ethical standard. Whether you are looking to drive change in business, government, or civil society, this program will equip you with tools to negotiate effectively, build lasting agreements, and create meaningful impact.

Format & Structure

The course will use a mix of lectures, exercises, negotiation exercises and case studies as its main teaching methods. The core philosophy is that negotiation is best learned through practice, making this an intensive and highly interactive experience. An important part of the course is the ability to understand other participants’ perspectives. To this end, there will be a visit to Stockholm’s leading modern art museum, Moderna Museet, at no additional cost and conduct a group assignment called Negotiations Through Art (NTA).

The course will be held over four days in June 2027 at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). It will be guided by the principles of FREE — fact-based thinking, responsible, empathetic and entrepreneurial to create a dynamic, engaging and responsible learning environment.

All sessions will take place at SSE’s main building on Sveavägen 65, and full attendance is required for all program components.

Course Director: Andrew Schenkel

Assistant Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in the Department for Management and Organizations. PhD from the Stockholm School of Economics and an MBA from Imperial College, London as well as BA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Research interests center on:

1. How to improve negotiation competence of Ukrainian Civil Servants in light of EU Accession.
2. The role of information and value creation in private equity companies: A governance approach.
3. Sustainable Education in Eastern Africa: Introducing the case method and AI assisted case writing.

Schenkel teaches on the graduate and executive levels in Sweden and abroad on subjects such as: leadership, negotiations, change, organizational behavior and the soft side of M&A. He is currently involved in projects in Ukraine (Kyiv) and Southern Africa.

Course Administrator: Patsy.Akerberg@hhs.se

1. An understanding of broader negotiation theory
2. Improved negotiation skills
3. Understanding of stakeholders and stakeholder mapping

General entry requirements

Below is the planned literature for the seminar. All except the last reference are Harvard web articles, and links will be made available when students are enrolled in the seminar. In the meantime, students can check with their home institutions using the Harvard catalog:

1. Every Leader is an Artist (Related to Moderna and debrief)
2. The Fearless Organization
3. Managing Your Career
4. Negotiation Analysis: An Introduction
5. The Trust Crisis
6. Malhotra, D., & Bazerman, M. H. (2008). Psychological influence in negotiation: An introduction long overdue. Journal of Management, 34(3), 509-531.

The grading for this CIVICA Honors Semianar is pass/fail. A course certificate is available to those who would like to receive for successful completion of this seminar. Passing the class means that you need to fully attend all of the sessions. No absences or early/late arrivals.

Please note that there will be at least one evening activity.

Find the course schedule in TimeEdit

Have you been granted educational support because of a documented disability? If so, please contact the course director as soon as possible so that adequate accommodations can be made.

Contact specialneeds@hhs.se if you have questions about being granted educational support or need a copy of your educational support certificate.

For more information, visit the Specific Educational Needs page on the Student Hub (login required).