Please review the following scenario below,describing an impasse with a counterpart who is located in another time zone, and where a face-to-face meeting is not possible. So, please assume that (while it's not ideal) you have no choice but to respond via email. Also assume that, instead of a July 1 deadline, your boss has given you an extension, to a September 1 deadline.

Part I: Please compose a short email response exactly as you would respond to the other party and post it for your classmates here. The goal is to practice crafting a response to explore value, even when it seems like the conversation is going nowhere fast.

Part II: In the same post, please includeone additional finalparagraph at the end (labeled "Comments")that briefly shares why you chose the response to the scenario and how it fits in to your broader negotiation and leadership strategy.It's always interesting to know what the author is thinking and feeling when we receive a communication of any sort, so this shouldprovide some insight for you and for your classmates.

SCENARIO:

Last month, your boss asked you to run a cross-functional project to define some standards that need to be rolled out across the company. Your project team consists of 6 other people, located across your operations in the US (Massachusetts and California), the UK (London), and Thailand (Bangkok). You are based in MA and work remotely. As a result, your weekly meetings take place by teleconference. You've worked hard to find times that are (as much as possible) convenient for everyone. The project is challenging, and it has been made clear to you that you will be accountable for the results, and that the new standards should be ready to roll out by July 1. Your boss is demanding but fair and has been a strong supporter, and you want to impress her (and to make your division look strong across the organization, too). This is a great opportunity, but also daunting - the timeline is tight. Four of the 6 other team members on this project share your title, so technically they are peers. It is hard to think about how to drive the team to get things done in this environment, but you took on the challenge. Until today, things were going ok, except for one problem: Frank. Frank has been with the company for 12 years, and transferred to Thailand when he was promoted (he is now your peer). From the first team meeting for this project, Frank dismissed every idea that was raised. Frank would quickly respond with statements like, "That's NOT how WE do things in Thailand," or "I've been around this company long enough to know this won't work." On occasion, he seemed to cut you and others off. At the same time, he has not offered many ideas of his own. Since your meetings take place by telephone, you tried to assume that it might be something in the connection. However, this is consistent with what you know of Frank; you've met him at a couple of corporate meetings and found him to be curt and cold. You know that he could be a real asset - like everyone on the team, he has data you will need to define appropriate standards and his support and input are needed - but his behavior is beyond frustrating and you believe that his negativity is stifling participation from others. And the clock on the project keeps ticking. This morning, you emailed Frank to set up a call to talk; unfortunately, your attempt failed. Frank replied: "I don't see a reason to schedule yet another call, and I don't plan to participate in future calls unless there is a plan to approve. Since I am now 11 hours ahead of headquarters, the times are not convenient, and I don't see the point of all this fruitless brainstorming. Put forward a proposal and we can hash it out over email." It would seem you are at an impasse. But, this can't happen. You need Frank's participation - he has information nobody else has, and he is likely to oppose anything he doesn't generate himself. Defining the standards over email would be a nightmare, and won't get results. Your boss is counting on you, and Frank disengaging from this project would be really bad for the project and for you, too. You have no choice but to respond via email. You take a deep breath, considering how you might resolve this impasse, and begin to type....