What is ICON?
ICoN is IÉSEG’s centre of excellence in negotiation research, teaching and knowledge transfer. ICoN adopts a transversal approach to negotiation and relationship establishment, spanning over management, employment relations, marketing (sales and procurement), international relations and law.
Our goal is to create relevant, practice-oriented knowledge by means of precise, systematic and clear research methods and provide applications for students, professionals and organizations.
We aim to contribute to the global and local economy by training negotiation at all levels of the organization: managers, public servants, employee representatives and leaders, to understand each other’s interests and create value in negotiation.
What are ICON’s goals?
Icon aims to build a European-based network of academic institutions, academics, consultants, professionals and organizations from all around the world interested in negotiation.
It aims to promote academic and practitioner exchanges, bridge negotiation research with business reality and develop state-of-the-art pedagogy.
The centre continuously strives towards excellence in negotiation science. To achieve this goal, ICoN facilitates networking and exchange between academics and business professionals to help build connections between research and practice.
In addition, ICON looks to connect talented researchers and to form joint research collaborations with well-established research bodies to deliver world-class specialized negotiation programmes.
ICoN’s Negotiation Philosophy
At ICoN, we define negotiation as an ongoing communication process in which individuals and organizations manage their interdependence in order to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes. From contracts to conflict, negotiation can be used to create, manage and repair all kinds of relationships (work, commercial, etc.).
As such, it is at the heart of all managers’ job and applies to all functions of the organization: management and coordination, sales and purchasing, management of the supply chain, human resources management, etc. It is both a personal skill and a corporate capability, upon which one may take perspectives that range from pragmatic (what is going on at the negotiation table) to strategic (how negotiations impact the organization’s strategy and vice versa).
Developing the necessary skills to create value in organizations and manage conflict effectively in teams as well as making the best out of the diversity becomes essential in the current context of globalization and competition between and within cultures and sectors. Mastering the art and science of negotiation and conflict management participates in enhancing one’s organization and own career.
How is ICON organized?
The centre is currently run by 8 permanent international professors, all of which bring a wealth of expertise in training, consulting and research in diverse areas of negotiation and management science. This team is enlarged by a group of experts and practitioners from other institutions.
ICoN is committed to a leadership role in increasing and developing talent into the negotiation discipline, advancing high-quality practical research and leading new ways to create value in negotiation practices. ICoN members are eager to learn and develop new approaches and acquire skills to bridge research and practice in negotiation.
ICoN structure
ICoN’s activities are organized around three pillars:
• A research agenda focusing on relationships in negotiation (culture, communication, emotions, disputes, industrial relations)
• About 30 courses on negotiation and related topics offered to IÉSEG students
• A one year post-graduate program dedicated to negotiation launched in 2015
• Executive education and In-company training (open and tailor-made programs) and to other schools
• Exchanges with non-academic thinkers and negotiation practitioners
• Research, cases and student consulting projects within organizations