Negotiating at an Uneven Table: Developing Moral Courage in Resolving Our Conflicts
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Overview
In the second edition of her landmark book Negotiating at an Uneven Table, Phyllis Beck Kritek explores the process of resolving conflicts in situations where unacknowledged inequity influences disputes and their outcomes. Substantially revised and expanded, this new edition will help open minds and balance the negotiation process. Throughout the book, Kritek challenges traditional approaches to dealing with inequities at the negotiation table and offers alternatives for reframing the process.Praise for the First Edition
"Conflict resolution book of the year . . . . Run, do not walk, to obtain a copy of this book."
— Official newsletter of the ADR Section of the Association of American Law Schools
"Innovative, challenging, and ultimately transformative book . . . makes a unique contribution to the field of conflict resolution and will be a ready reference in the mediation library."
— Northern California Mediation Association Newsletter
Phyllis Beck Kritek conducts conflict resolution, leadership, and gender and communication workshops and training programs. She is the Florence Hair Distinguished Professor of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Nursing.
Discusses committing to personal authenticity/supporting truth telling/initiating innovative practices/etc.
Synopsis
Kritek, a nursing professor who conducts conflict resolution, leadership, and gender and communication workshops and training programs, explores the process of resolving conflicts in situations where unacknowledged inequity influences disputes and their outcomes. She challenges traditional approaches to dealing with inequities at the negotiation table and offers alternatives for reframing the process. Kritek teaches nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Nursing. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Library Journal
Kritek (chair, mental health nursing and management, Univ. of Texas Sch. of Nursing, Galveston) received a National Leadership Fellowship from the Kellogg Foundation in 1986 to study conflict resolution. That study gave birth to this "record of lessons from [her] life experiences at uneven tables," i.e., negotiations where one side has power over another. Including examples from her own experiences as the nondominant negotiator, Kritek intends to encourage dialog about "dominant power." Rather than offering practical methods for achieving equality, she suggests ten "ways of being" (e.g., "be a truth teller," "be innovative") to provide a philosophical context for nondominant negotiators to use when approaching uneven tables. Unfortunately, Kritek's penchant for rambling philosophical reflections leads to writing that is verbose, repetitive, and prone to digression and forces the reader to look hard for substance. Not recommended.-Carol R. Nelson, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, Ind.