Here is a scene from the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: an interesting example of negotiation.

PLOT
Randle McMurphy, arrested for petty crimes, is taken to a psychiatric clinic because he tries to pretend to be mad to escape prison. Here, he comes into contact with the other patients, of whom he soon becomes the favourite: making fun of psychoanalysis sessions and continually being in opposition to the head nurse, Miss Ratched.

In the scene at this link, you will see one of the many ‘negotiations’ between McMurphy and Ratched: McMurphy wants to get permission to watch a baseball game; Ratched however does not want to not excite the patients excessively.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, M. Forman, USA, 1975, Fantasy Films (00:42:05 - 00:47:12)

As you watch the scene, try to reflect:

  • How do the two protagonists take the negotiation forwards?
  • What tools and arguments do they use to pursue their goals?
  • Was the negotiation successful in your opinion?

ANALYSIS OF THE SCENE 

Interests that clash are presented in the scene: there is agreement on the final vote (the majority will decide) but the final decision is not accepted by the protagonist (Nicholson) because it believes that the vote has not taken place with the ‘right’/correct rules.

This is an example of how a negotiation conducted in an apparently rational manner, with precise criteria, however does not necessarily result in a satisfactory solution. In our case, the criteria for the vote have were not clearly stated before. For this reason, McMurphy somehow feels cheated in the negotiation and does not want to accept the result.