Realise

Ambitions
At Dublin Business School

©Paul Taaffe
 ©Paul Taaffe

Negotiations

I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said
but I am not sure you realise that what you heard is not what I meant.
 Negotiations

“'You can't always get what you want, but, if you try,
sometimes you just might find you get what you need…”
The Rolling stones

 What does this have to do with negotiations?

 What’s the difference?
 Why does it matter?

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 Negotiations Defined
“Negotiation is a discussion between two or more people with a
goal of reaching agreement on issues separating the parties when
neither side has the power or the desire to use its power to get its
own way” Byrnes 1986

“A negotiation is a conference between parties who have different

views on how an issue should be resolved. Both parties accept that
agreement between them is necessary” CIMA, Managerial Paper 5, Integrated
Management.

To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an

agreement

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 Negotiations Defined
The GOAL of the negotiation is for each side to voluntarily do in
the future what has been agreed to do today. It is:

 Working with people to move a project forward.

 To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an

agreement

 Give and take between people to make decisions

 Solving a problem, etc.

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 Conventions of Negotiation
Negotiation has its conventions. They are important because
they can help the parties to reach a conclusion.
 Parties actually wish to reach a settlement and accept that
some compromise may be necessary.
 Civilised behaviour is desirable (hard words & loss of
temper are sometimes used as tactics)
 Discussion may take place off the record.

 Firm offers and concessions should not be withdrawn.

 A final agreement should be implemented without
amendment or further manoeuvring. 6
 Successful Negotiators John Hunt

 They avoid direct confrontation

 They consider a wide range of options

 They hold back counter proposals rather than responding

immediately
 They summarise on behalf of all involved
 They advance single arguments insistently and avoid long
winded, multiple reason arguments

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 10 Guidelines for Negotiations
1. Preparing for Negotiations
2. Recognising different perceptions
3. Avoiding corners
4. Using creativity and imagination
5. Appreciating the power of silence
6. Making trade-offs
7. Helping the other side to agree
8. Taking notes
9. Valuing deadlines; and
10. Anticipating no agreement.

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 Conducting the Negotiation
Opening. The opening position should be stated clearly and realistically.
Bargaining. The bargaining phase is a process of argument and persuasion. There are some
important tactics.
– Do not allow elements of the dispute to be settled piecemeal.

– Any concession should be matched by a concession from the other side.

– To avoid one-sided concessions, make proposals which are conditional on the other side moving
too: 'If you do this I will agree to that'.

Closing. Closing a negotiation is similar to closing a sale; it means attempting to bring the
process to a conclusion. There are several techniques.
– Offer to trade a concession for an agreement to settle.
– When there is a single outstanding issue, offer to split the difference.

– Offer a choice between two courses of action.

– Summarise the arguments, emphasise the concessions that have been made and state a
– final position. However, a bluff runs the risk of being called.
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 Negotiating Strategies - Outcomes
Win-Win Strategy Win-Lose Strategy
 Define the conflict as a mutual  Define the conflict as a win-
problem lose situation
 Pursue joint outcomes  Pursue self outcomes
 Find creative agreements that  Force other group into
satisfy both groups submission
 Use open, honest, and accurate  Use deceitful, inaccurate
communication communication
 Avoid threats  Use threats
 Communicate flexibility  Communicate rigidity

Source: Adapted from David W. Johnson and Frank P. Johnson, Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1975), 182-83.
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Negotiation is only one way of dealing with conflict and
other approaches are:

Smoothing

Compromise

Avoidance

Suppression
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