Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior - Soltanieh ...

528 M. S USAN T AYLOR AND A SHLEY FIELBIG
Jay instead asked the network to write out a list of what was acceptable for Helen to do
and not do. Shortly afterward in the middle of a meeting, the executives and Jay watched
as Helen’s form morphed from cool, controlled, and rational into a lotus form accompanied
with screaming and rocking. Warren Littlefield, the President of NBC, then told
Leno that she was totally out of control and had to go. Still, Jay was reluctant to cut the
17 - year bond between them. Leno refused to assure Littlefield that he would show up for
work if Helen were fired. Finally, Jay learned that Helen had started the rumor that NBC
would replace Carson with Leno. This was a rumor he had personally denied starting,
even when speaking to Johnny Carson himself. His support for Helen began to crumble.
He signaled Littlefi eld that he would do the show, with or without Kushnick.
On Monday morning when Helen arrived for work, the network handed her a letter
of dismissal. Still, Jay refused to support the action, issuing press releases that he supported
Ms. Kushnick. He hoped to duck the conflict until after that day ’s show was taped,
but Helen confronted him in his dressing room. She was raging and screaming so loud
that she could be heard throughout the set. When these tactics failed to work, she came at
Leno with emotion, arguing that he had to quit the Tonight Show for Sarah, her daughter ’ s
sake. At this point, even Jay had had enough. He broke a glass cover on his desk to stop
the tirade, refused to quit, and went on to display a dazzling performance on that night ’s
show. Helen stormed off the studio lot shortly after the filming began, leaving Jay ’s direction
in the hands of others. As soon as she left, NBC barred her from the set, posting little
photos of her at all the studio gates.
Helen Kushnick ’s behavior provides a perfect illustration of the way in which irrational
negotiators use threats and intimidation to obtain their own way and ignore even courteous
entreaties from the other party to maintain a long and valued relationship. Clearly
unable to see the impact of her behavior on the interests the network held supreme, Helen
simply grew more and more confident that she could do whatever she pleased. She
believed because she held power over Jay Leno, the network star, she could do whatever
she wanted regardless of no matter how negatively it impacted her long - term interests
or those of the network. Time and time again, she chose to satisfy short - term emotional
needs, rather than preserve the long - term interests and relationship at stake. As shown
here, neither collaborative win – win nor contending win – lose approaches tend to work
with irrational negotiators. Instead, a party caught up in this kind of exchange is generally
better off to find a strong BATNA (meaning the “ Best Alternative to a Negotiated
Agreement, ” see Negotiation Principles), or satisfying alternative, and exit the relationship
without agreement.
Sequel: Jay Leno ’s own upcoming departure from NBC
Fast - forward 16 years after Jay Leno ’s succession to Johnny Carson in 1992. We find an
incredibly successful comedian whose own upcoming succession by Conan O ’ Brien in
2009 appears right on target. Jay exemplifies the same workaholic he has been throughout
his reign. However, he apparently learned a great deal from his own gut - wrenching
ascension to the primer NBC Tonight talk show host at the expense of David Letterman,
who subsequently went to CBS where his current contract expires in 2010. In 2001,
however, when Jay ’ s late night coworker, Conan O ’ Brien, expressed his desire to work at