Andy Wasynczuk joined the faculty of Harvard Business School in the spring of 2005. He has taught a wide range of negotiation courses in the required and elective MBA curriculum. He currently teaches the popular elective course on Negotiation as well as Managing, Organizing and Motivating for Value. The latter explores the manager's role in influencing and motivating individuals and teams at an interpersonal level as well as the design and management of the formal systems used to motivate employees (e.g. incentive compensation, promotion, recognition). He is also actively involved in the GMP executive education program.
Wasynczuk came to HBS after sixteen years with the New England Patriots and related enterprises. He originally joined the Kraft family in 1989 as Chief Operating Officer of Foxboro Stadium and helped navigate a progression of moves which led to a championship organization both on and off the field. As Chief Operating Officer for the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, Wasynczuk managed the daily business operations of every department in both organizations. In addition to his operating responsibilities, he oversaw the development of various player compensation analysis tools, which continue to be instrumental to the team’s ongoing leadership in salary cap management. Wasynczuk’s negotiating expertise was evident not only in his player negotiations, but also in many off-field negotiations. He led the negotiations and campaigns necessary to secure the local, state and federal approvals that were required to build Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. He was involved in the negotiations for the Stadium construction contract and oversaw its ultimate implementation. He was at the center of the naming rights negotiations for the Stadium. During Wasynczuk’s last five years with the team, the organization built and opened world class Gillette Stadium and brought three Superbowl Championships to New England.
Prior to joining the Kraft organization, Wasynczuk was a consultant at Bain & Company in Boston. He received his MBA from HBS in 1983. He also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Wasynczuk serves on several charitable boards, including Case Western Reserve University and St. Sebastian's School. Andy and his wife, Rebecca, have four children and live in Westwood, MA.
This case revolves around Verisk Analytics' initiatives to drive innovation throughout the firm's many business verticals. Verisk, originally named ISO, started life as an insurance rating agency in the early 1970s, acting as an intermediary between insurance companies and state governments. Over time, the firm transformed from being a non-profit to a for-profit entity, while expanding its lines of business to realms other than insurance. By both exploring the history of the insurance industry and Verisk's unique position within it, the case provides readers with an understanding of the firm's growth strategy and why innovation is so crucial for its success. The case leaves readers to ponder Verisk's innovation and growth strategy, challenging them to assess its strengths and weaknesses.
Pravost Consulting Services considers a division manager's response to the stringent demands of his boss who lambasts him for the division's weak performance. Six months earlier Jakub Kowalski, CEO of Pravost, promoted Viktor Novak to head up the faltering Pravost Consulting Services (PCS). For the most recent two quarters, however, PCS proved to be unfertile ground for Novak who failed to reach Kowalski's (or his own) goals for the division. Kowalski who has a reputation for being a very demanding CEO, often reciting quotes by historical military leaders, drew a sharp line in the sand for Novak: either shape up or else. With heavy rates of attrition in PCS, Novak considers what to do and whether to focus on a long-term solution in which he believes or a short-term fix to placate his boss.
When Hewlett-Packard Enterprise notified the Rhode Island's Governor's Office that it wouldn't be able to deliver a "fully-functioning" technology upgrade for the Department of Motor Vehicles, both parties had reached a breaking point. While HPE argued that it would need more money to complete the system, the Governor's cabinet was convinced that HPE was violating its contractual obligations. The case covers Rhode Island's perspective of the strategic maneuvering each side made in preparation for anticipated adjudication.
Wasynczuk, Andrew, Katherine Baldiga Coffman, and Karim Sameh. "Road Rage at the DMV." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 919-017, February 2018. (Revised February 2018.)
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Jim Golden wants to radically change how catastrophic trucking accident lawsuit claims are handled by his trucking company. He wants to “do the right thing” for both the claimant and his company. Golden is a former litigator with 16 years of experience defending corporations in wrongful death lawsuits. After becoming disenchanted with the traditional “deny, delay, defend” method of litigation, which is aggressive, adversarial, costly, and drags the process out for as long as possible, Golden decides to re-think how he practices law.
Golden wants to introduce a “negotiation counsel” approach to claims where his company is at fault. Initially, he is unsure of specific tactics, but envisions non-adversarial, communicative, and problem-solving interaction. He believes that if all parties involved in a claim engaged in a joint problem solving manner (rather than as a win/lose contest), practical, just, and emotionally satisfying agreements can be reached much more quickly. Teaching Note for HBS No. 909-017.
This note reviews some of the relevant research and offers advice for managing and dealing with emotions in the negotiation context. In particular, negotiators should strive to understand their own emotions and feelings, and be aware of the emotions the other party may be expressing. By learning to recognize and manage emotions, one is likely to improve many facets of the negotiation and obtain better outcomes for oneself and others.
A.J. Washington explores the early phase of a contract negotiation between a professional football team and its star quarterback. This case illustrates the challenges associated with negotiation for human capital. Specifically, it explores the tension between negotiating a favorable deal with an employee, and the ability to enlist and motivate the greatest possible contribution from that employee to the organization. There are a number of pastures to explore in debriefing the case, with potential emphasis being placed on those most correlated to the course being taught. A.J. Washington serves particularly well as an introductory case in a Negotiation course surfacing themes of interest assessment, agency and contingent contracts. The case can also be used to explore topics in courses on compensation design or managing human capital.
Wasynczuk, Andrew, and Karen Huang. "A.J. Washington: Retaining an NFL Star." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 914-018, November 2013.
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General Manager Luke Kolville, of the Los Angeles Spartans, struggles with the best approach to negotiate a long-term contract for his star quarterback. The agent for Washington is relatively new to the industry and has his sights set particularly high. Kolville needs to weigh a number of effects this negotiation will have on the player, his teammates, and the long-term prospects of the team.
Jim Golden wants to radically change how catastrophic trucking accident lawsuit claims are handled by his trucking company. He wants to “do the right thing” for both the claimant and his company. Golden is a former litigator with 16 years of experience defending corporations in wrongful death lawsuits. After becoming disenchanted with the traditional “deny, delay, defend” method of litigation, which is aggressive, adversarial, costly, and drags the process out for as long as possible, Golden decides to re-think how he practices law.
Golden wants to introduce a “negotiation counsel” approach to claims where his company is at fault. Initially, he is unsure of specific tactics, but envisions non-adversarial, communicative, and problem-solving interaction. He believes that if all parties involved in a claim engaged in a joint problem solving manner (rather than as a win/lose contest), practical, just, and emotionally satisfying agreements can be reached much more quickly.
Wasynczuk, Andrew, Katherine Dowd, and Sara del Nido. "Golden Rule." Harvard Business School Case 909-017, April 2009. (Revised October 2010.)
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iBasis examines the development of a long-term relationship between equipment manufacturer Cisco and start-up iBasis, a voice-over-internet wholesaler. Questions arise for iBasis founders as to how best to build a beneficial relationship with the much larger partner. How aggressive should they be in their pursuit of specialized equipment designs from Cisco? How should they protect their own intellectual property? After several years of market success, and several relationship defining mechanisms (from informal to a memorandum of understanding to specific equipment contracts), the partnership is tested with the dot-com bubble bursting. Not only is the relationship at risk, but iBasis' very survival is in question.
Wasynczuk, Andrew, Katherine Dowd, and Nicole Kravec. "iBasis, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 908-014, January 2008. (Revised January 2010.)
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Brian J. Hall, Andrew Wasynczuk, Jonathan Paul Lim, Sara del Nido and Katherine Dowd
This note briefly describes compensation and incentive issues in one of the major US professional sports leagues, the National Football League (NFL). It first provides some background information on the labor market for players and the salary cap, and then describes incentive issues facing players and their agents.
Hall, Brian J., Andrew Wasynczuk, Jonathan Paul Lim, Sara del Nido, and Katherine Dowd. "Incentives in the NFL (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Background Note 909-029, December 2008.
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