Top executives were among participants of the two-day program conducted by Professor Matthew Mulford, expert in negotiation analysis, effective business decision making and leadership

Doha, Qatar - November 8, 2015

HEC Paris, ranked number two worldwide in Executive Education by the Financial Times in 2015 and member of Qatar Foundation, successfully held an Open-Enrolment program on Negotiation Skills and Strategies for 40 participants from the public and private sectors representing healthcare, airlines, infrastructure works, broadcasting, real estate, family businesses and education.

The two-day program, which was held on 4-5 November 2015 at the Tornado Tower in Doha, was conducted by Professor Matthew Mulford, an Affiliate Professor at HEC Paris and an expert in negotiation analysis, effective business decision making and leadership.

Aimed at improving the conceptual understanding of negotiations through the application of a practical framework and improved self-awareness, the program was designed to build on existing negotiation experiences of participants in order to improve their future performance. Each participant was given the opportunity to step back and think about their routine approaches to negotiations as well as practice new approaches.

Among the topics discussed in the program were key principles to employ when preparing for and conducting negotiations; the creation of value and increased deal efficiency through the use of integrative negotiation tactics; and strengths and weaknesses of individual negotiation styles (strategic, psychological and emotional).

There were also discussions on the challenges of intra and inter-organization negotiations; identification and removal of barriers to agreement, establishment of trust, conflict de-escalation and resolution; and identification of and defense from common persuasion and manipulation techniques.

"Sharp negotiation skills and strategies are key elements of every successful business transaction," said Prof. Laoucine Kerbache, Dean & CEO of HEC Paris in Qatar. "In today's highly globalized business and economic environment, business executives are faced with an array of factors that significantly affect the entire negotiation process. It is therefore important for them to be aware and equipped with various strategies and approaches when conducting such negotiations in order to achieve desired results."

Under a workshop format, the program allowed maximum interaction between participants and created an active learning environment. Each presentation of new material was supplemented by negotiation simulations, self-diagnostic tools or group work.

 "One's ability to perform well during negotiations is greatly influenced by a combination of natural ability, experience and formal training," Professor Mulford explained. "Self-awareness and knowledge of negotiation styles can help managers discover how to capitalize on strengths while mitigating weaknesses. This will accordingly alter the quality of future negotiations."

"With most managers receiving little or no training at all in developing such skills, this program certainly filled in the gaps in their ability to recognize and learn various behaviors and approaches during negotiations," he added.

Dr. Mulford has been a senior lecturer in quantitative methods and negotiation analysis at the London School of Economics (LSE) since 1995. He was a founding Dean of the TRIUM Global Executive MBA program - a joint EMBA from the London School of Economics, New York University's Stern Business School and HEC Paris. He currently teaches on the Specialized Master in Strategic Business Unit Management and has led many seminars on the topic of Decision Making in Doha. He has also designed and taught customized executive programs for various institutions around the world and across a variety of industries.

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HEC Paris
A leader in Europe, HEC Paris specializes in management education and research. Founded in 1881, HEC Paris offers a full, unique range of courses to the leaders of tomorrow, including: Masters Degrees, MBA, PhD, Executive MBA and TRIUM Global Executive MBA. In 2010, HEC Paris joined Qatar Foundation and brought world-class Executive Education programs and research activity to Doha and the region. By 2011, HEC Paris launched Qatar's first international EMBA. The HEC Executive MBA (EMBA) is a part-time program that provides executives with a set of fundamental skills to expand their knowledge and leadership capabilities. In addition to the EMBA, HEC Paris provides in Qatar a Specialized Master Degree in Strategic Business Unit Management. The institution also offers non-degree management programs for executives, in the form of open enrolment programs as well as custom-designed programs for individual companies. It has also introduced bespoke executive management programs for Family Owned Businesses (FOB) that are designed to meet the specific and individual needs of each client and are aimed at key decision makers, from Board level to middle management. The programs and research activities of HEC Paris in Qatar build corporate competitiveness within the global economy and are fully aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 to support the transformation of Qatar into an advanced, competitive and knowledge-based economy. Accordingly, HEC Paris has opened a Research Office that has resulted in a number of innovative and original articles being published in renowned academic journals and presented at international conferences. In 2015, HEC Paris was ranked number two worldwide in Executive Education by the influential UK-based Financial Times media group. www.exed.hec.edu/hec-qatar

Qatar Foundation
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organization that serves the people of Qatar by supporting and operating programs in three core mission areas: education, science and research, and community development. The Foundation strives to nurture the future leaders of Qatar. By example and by sharing its experience, the Foundation also contributes to human development nationally, regionally, and internationally. In all of its activities, the Foundation promotes a culture of excellence in Qatar and furthers its role in supporting an innovative and open society that aspires to develop sustainable human capacity, social, and economic prosperity for a knowledge-based economy. http://www.qf.org.qa/

© Press Release 2015