Our monthly blog
Each month, we muse about some aspect of negotiation, gamification or philanthropy and its effect on our work and world. Comments welcome!
If you want to take part in the discussion, you are kindly invited to join our group 'Gamification and Negotiation' on LinkedIn.
FROM BLUE TO RED AND BACK AGAIN Riding the Trump/Kim Negotiation Rollercoaster
Like most of us in the negotiation community, I have followed the daily gyrations of the lead-up to the on-again-off-again summit between Trump and Kim with more than academic interest.
IS A MILLION DOLLARS ENOUGH? Reflections on “Microphilanthropy”
This year Rational Games passed an important milestone in its philanthropic work: adding match-funded contributions from strategic partners, we have now given away a million dollars to projects using games and play to resolve conflict
CRAZY LESSONS Negotiation Lessons from Bhutan
Drukpa Kunley, an itinerant wanderer who lived to be nearly 100, was most famous for shocking behavior: highly sexual bravado, defiance of all tradition and extreme joy and despair.
IS IT GOOD TO LET IT RIP? On anger in negotiations
In many negotiations, there comes a time when emotions flare up, where people start shouting at each other or stomp out of the room. But the feeling is that this sort of anger is misplaced and will do more harm than good. Is that so?
ARE THEY WELCOME HERE? Introducing a Six-Party Negotiation Game about Refugee Policy
This month I would like to introduce our latest negotiation game – a six-party four-hour simulation drawn from the real world of political negotiation around the (European) refugee crisis.
JAMAICAN COCKTAIL Lessons from the German Coalition Talks
Sometimes failed negotiations are the ones that teach us the most. This fall, I had the privilege to personally advise one of the negotiating parties in the talks to form a new German government following the September election.
FIGHTING AND DANCING FOR PEACE The Power of Capoeira
Every few months on this blog we highlight one of our grantees. This month I would like to introduce the fascinating work of Capoeira4Refugees.
WHEN IN ROME… The Challenges of Intercultural Negotiation
Perceptions are always subjective in negotiation, as we all see the world differently. This is all the more true when we are dealing with other cultures. How to handle that?
BUT IS IT REALLY WORKING? The World of Impact Investing
“Impact measurement” has probably been the biggest buzzword in the philanthropy community over the past decade, as this “industry” strove to move away from its sleepy beginnings in the comfortable world of grant-giving and begin to...
UNTANGLING COMPLEXITY A Report from the G20 Negotiations in Hamburg
The dynamics of this process were fascinating to experience. Just as in a symphony, things started slow, at a courtly pace, with periods of inactivity interspersed with surprise developments.