Imagine you are the chief of staff for the chairman of the board of supervisors responsible for the stadium district of your county. The professional sports team that uses the stadium believes that the 20-year-old stadium is in need of upgrades to stay competitive with other teams around the league. They are demanding that the county pays $200 million for said upgrades or they will leave the county and build a new stadium elsewhere.

The county originally paid for the construction of the stadium with a sales tax initiative that was somewhat unpopular with many voters. There are strong opinions and valid arguments from voters, the business community, and various other stakeholders and forces as to whether the team should stay in the stadium or not.

As the chief of staff, you are responsible, with your staff, to assist the chairman in determining the best path forward to deal with this situation. Do the following:

Part I

1. Determine the type ofpersonal poweryou possess in this situation. Describe the type ofpersonal poweryou may have in regards to the chairman, your staff, and the other parties who may have an interest in this issue.
2. Determine the type ofpositional poweryou possess in this situation. Describe the type ofpositional poweryou may have in regards to the chairman, your staff, and the other parties who may have an interest in this issue.
3. Given the type of power you possess, determine whether you have the influence required to move this issue in the right direction. Explain what type of influence you may have and if you will need to create more influence through other alliances, etc.

Part II

Imagine that the chairman and your team have decided that it would be fair for the county to split the costs for renovations with the team and pay half of the costs.

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the negotiation position the county is in to get the team to pay half of the costs by doing the following:

1. Determine if the negotiation is just between the county and the team or if other stakeholders should be involved. Explain why.
2. Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the county's negotiation position. Explain why each is a strength or a weakness.
3. Explain how you can employ systems thinking to strengthen your position, manage various forces such as public opinion and political pressure, and obtain the result that maximizes the public good.