Decision · team members from multiple teams, mixed seniority · 20 min

Micro-Treaty Negotiation

Micro-Treaty Negotiation is a high-impact synthesis method where teams transition from analyzing problems to forging binding operational agreements. Unlike massive process overhauls that often fail upon implementation, micro-treaties focus on small, highly specific behavioral changes that can be enacted immediately. The method utilizes a structured Start-Stop-Continue framework to ensure that agreements are balanced and realistic. By framing the outcome as a 'treaty', the method elevates the psychological weight of the commitments, fostering a sense of diplomatic responsibility between the teams. This is the critical final step in the collaborative repair process, ensuring that the insights generated during the workshop translate into sustained behavioral change in the workplace.

What participants gain

  • Negotiate mutually beneficial working agreements across team boundaries
  • Formulate clear, actionable, and measurable behavioral commitments
  • Practice consensus-building techniques in a mixed-seniority environment
  • Establish a shared accountability mechanism for future collaboration

Materials needed

  • Start-Stop-Continue canvases (A3 size)
  • Thick Sharpie markers
  • A large central poster board for the final treaty
  • Signing pens
  • Consensus voting cards (Fist-to-five)

How to run Micro-Treaty Negotiation, step by step

  1. Introduce the concept of Micro-Treaties as small, binding behavioral agreements between teams rather than massive process overhauls (2 min).
  2. Distribute the Start-Stop-Continue canvases to the same mixed-team groups from the previous exercise (1 min).
  3. Instruct groups to review their critical root causes and brainstorm one specific behavior to Stop doing immediately (4 min).
  4. Direct groups to define one new collaborative practice to Start doing to address the friction (4 min).
  5. Ask groups to identify one existing positive practice they want to Continue and strengthen (3 min).
  6. Require each group to draft their Start, Stop, and Continue items as clear, measurable commitments (3 min).
  7. Bring the groups back together and have them present their proposed Micro-Treaties to the entire room (5 min).
  8. Facilitate a fist-to-five voting process to ensure full consensus and commitment from all participants on each treaty (3 min).
  9. Document the approved treaties on a large central poster that will be taken back to the office (2 min).
  10. Close the activity by having each participant physically sign the central poster as a gesture of commitment (3 min).

Facilitator tips

  • Reject any proposed treaty that includes the word 'try' - commitments must be absolute.
  • Ensure that the 'Stop' behaviors are specific actions, not general attitudes.
  • If a treaty fails the consensus vote, immediately facilitate a 2-minute rapid revision to find the compromise.
  • Make the physical signing ceremony feel slightly formal to increase the psychological weight of the commitment.
  • Remind senior leaders that their signature binds them to model the behavior for their teams.

Common challenges

  • Agreements are too vague (e.g., 'communicate better') - Force the group to define the exact channel, frequency, and format.
  • Participants agree verbally but lack conviction - Use the fist-to-five vote to expose hidden reservations.
  • A group cannot agree on a 'Stop' behavior - Suggest they stop a specific recurring meeting that adds no value.
  • Time runs out during negotiations - Pre-warn groups at the 2-minute mark to finalize their drafts immediately.

Running it virtually

Use a shared digital document for the final treaty and have participants type their names as signatures. Follow up by sending a PDF of the signed treaty to all attendees.

Expected results

A signed, highly specific set of behavioral agreements (Start, Stop, Continue) that all participants have explicitly committed to upholding in their daily work.

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