I suspect that, like many people, I spent my time post-Christmas binge-watching streaming content, including Squid Game 2 (SG2).
Warning: Spoiler Alert!
I found watching the brutality of the situations the contestants found themselves in, juxtaposed with the childhood games used to reduce the numbers, both disturbing and intriguing.
While watching this latest season, I started thinking about the difference between the two seasons and how the series could mirror real-life negotiations with disruptive people and their organisations. Three things stood out for me.
If a disruptor is all about disrupting - doing the same thing again becomes disruptive!
In Squid Games 2 (SG2) the first game was the same as in SG1– red light, green light. This leads the contestants to believe they can beat the odds as they assume (wrongly) that the remaining games will be the same and that their ‘inside knowledge’ will carry the day. What is the least likely thing people might expect in business dealings with a disruptive person or organisation? Doing the same thing, again. When they later decide to do something different, this creates even more disruption, panic and division within their counterparts. In conclusion – when dealing with disruptors, remain flexible and don’t just make assumptions, test them.
Define a walk-away position and stick to it
By its very nature, disruption can become both absorbing and compelling to the other side (and to people watching box sets!). So much so that the disrupted party can become obsessed with their strategy for combatting the disruption, rather than focussing on the parameters within which they should agree to a deal within a negotiation. In SG2, the visually increasing size of the pot of money seduces many contestants to continually try for just ‘one more game’ despite the gore, mayhem and possible expiration that awaits them in the next round. In business, when disruptors announce they’ve put together a ‘great trade deal’, it reminds me of countless role-plays I have seen over the years where one party exclaims – ‘this is a great deal’ – invariably, the real question is – a great deal for who? (probably not the party receiving it). In conclusion – Don’t allow your strategy to become more important than your objectives, keep a clear focus on areas like your walk-away position.
Assess, Adapt and Advance
When the bodies start to pile up at the start of SG2, very few of those still living make the connection that to win more money, more people need to die. This means that their chances of winning more money are inversely proportional to their chances of survival. Sensible re-evaluation of the importance of key issues such as lifespan, monetary gain and risk becomes obscured by the shock and awe of the events. Disruptors will always use the disclosure of new information in negotiations; this is the lightning rod that allows them to disrupt (e.g. Trump - give me Greenland, Canada or both!). Some of this information may be just rhetoric and relatively unimportant; some may be transformative. It’s key to make the distinction - examine all new information with an open mind and plan accordingly. In conclusion - Review and revise your objectives – especially with new information.
With SG3 coming out in 2025 and global political unrest set to continue this year, there will undoubtedly be more surprises for all of us in both the fictional and non-fictional world. It may be that somebody with connections suggests a Squid Games prequel filmed in North Korea…
Sam Macbeth, 9th January 2025
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