UNIT 9

Skills and Attributes of a Negotiator

1. Communication in negotiation
Verbal communication means communication by
means of words (whether in writing, or face to face –
oral communication).
Non-verbal communication includes such cues as the
following:
Facial expression
Eye contact (too little looks
shifty; too much is staring)
Gestures (eg using the hands
and head to indicate
encouragement)
Posture (slouching suggests lack of attention
or interest)
Proximity (how near you stand or sit to
others)
Personal appearance (including grooming
and dress)
Noises and silences
 2. Behavioural technologies
The behavioural style adopted by a
negotiator can have an important effect
on eventual outcomes.
There has been extensive research into
the styles of behaviour adopted by
successful negotiators.
Behaviours of superior negotiators identified by
Rackham
A. During pre-negotiation planning
Considered more outcome options for the issues being
discussed
Spent more time looking for areas of common ground
Thought more about the long-term consequences of
different issues
Prepared their goals around ranges rather than fixed points
Did not form their plans into strict sequential order
B. During face-to-face bargaining
Made fewer immediate counterproposals
Were less likely to describe their offers in glowingly positive
terms Avoided defend-attack cycles
Used behavioural labelling, except when disagreeing
Asked more questions, especially to test understanding
Summarised compactly the progress made in the negotiation
Did not dilute their arguments by including weak reasons
when they were trying to persuade the other party
C. During face-to-face bargaining
Made fewer immediate counterproposals
Were less likely to describe their offers in glowingly positive
terms Avoided defend-attack cycles
Used behavioural labelling, except when disagreeing
Asked more questions, especially to test understanding
Summarised compactly the progress made in the negotiation
Did not dilute their arguments by including weak reasons
when they were trying to persuade the other party
D. During post-negotiation review

Reserved time to review

what they learned from
the negotiation
Conflict is a natural part of the
negotiation process.
Buyer and supplier come to the
table with different objectives,
and unless care is exercised these
differences can break out into
conflict.
Conflict can have beneficial
effects.
But where conflict is preventing
a satisfactory outcome to
negotiations it is important to
manage it constructively.
KW Thomas identified five approaches to resolving
conflict.
1. Avoiding: withdraw from the conflict (perhaps because
the issue is genuinely trivial);
2. Forcing: impose your solution when it is vital to gain a
particular point;
3. Accommodating: concede without a fight, to preserve
harmony:
4. Compromising: each party trades some concessions;
5. Collaborating: find an outcome that meets the needs
of both parties.
 3Attributes of a good negotiator
So what are the personal attributes that make a successful negotiator?
Researchers have identified such attributes as:
Skill in preparation and planning,
Technical knowledge of the issue to be negotiated,
Clarity of thought under pressure,
Verbal expression,
Listening skills and numerous others.
Unfortunately, the main conclusion to be drawn from such research is the lack of
agreement on key characteristics.
One topic in this general area has received
especial attention in the literature: this is
the difference between men and women
as negotiators.
It is suggested that women take a more
rounded approach to negotiation and are
more likely to favour integrative solutions.
A key issue in negotiation is the extent of interpersonal
trust between the parties.
Individuals differ in the amount of trust that they extend
to others.
‘High trusters’ are disposed to expect others to be
trustworthy and feel obliged to behave in the same way
themselves.
‘Low trusters’ believe that the other party is likely to
cheat, and may themselves be less ethical in their
behaviour as a result.
There is a self-fulfilling aspect to this.
If you approach your supplier with an
attitude and style that communicates trust
you are more likely to excite similar
behaviour in the supplier.
If instead you communicate suspicion and
distrust, the result may be a less
cooperative relationship.
Emotional intelligence is an ability to perceive, assess and manage
one’s own emotions and those of others (eg the other party in a
negotiation).
Researchers emphasise the role of emotion in negotiations.

A negotiator is a human being, not an automaton, and is affected more

or less by non-rational, emotional considerations.

A skilled negotiator must be able to exploit this in others, while being

aware that he himself may be acted upon by non-rational factors.

Negotiators should also develop their capabilities in cognitive ability

and perspective-taking ability.
Cognitive ability is defined as ‘a very
general mental capability that, among
other things, involves the ability to
reason, plan, solve problems, think
abstractly, comprehend complex
ideas, learn quickly and learn from
experience’.
Perspective-taking ability is defined
as ‘a negotiator’s capacity to
understand the other party’s point of
view during a negotiation and
thereby to predict the other party’s
strategy and tactics’. It seems highly
likely that such capacities would
benefit a negotiator.
There is an extensive literature on the dynamics
of working in teams, not just in negotiation, but
generally in the approach to organisation of
work tasks.
Teamworking is said to:
improve performance,
facilitate coordination and communication, and
motivate individuals.
Meredith Belbin suggests that an effective
team is made up of people who, between
them, fill nine roles.
He notes that ‘strength of contribution in
any one of the roles is commonly associated
with particular weaknesses. These are
called allowable weaknesses. Executives are
seldom strong in all nine team roles’.
 The Nine Belbin Team Roles

1. Resource Investigator
Uses their inquisitive nature to find ideas to bring back to the
team. 
• Strengths: Outgoing, enthusiastic. Explores opportunities and
develops contacts.
• Allowable weaknesses: Might be over-optimistic, and can lose
interest once the initial enthusiasm has passed.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They might forget to follow up
on a lead.
2. Teamworker
Helps the team to gel, using their versatility to identify
the work required and complete it on behalf of the
team.
• Strengths: Co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic.
Listens and averts friction.
• Allowable weaknesses: Can be indecisive in crunch
situations and tends to avoid confrontation.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They might be hesitant
to make unpopular decisions.
3. Co-ordinator
Needed to focus on the team's objectives, draw out
team members and delegate work appropriately.
• Strengths: Mature, confident, identifies talent.
Clarifies goals.
• Allowable weaknesses: Can be seen as
manipulative and might offload their own share of
the work.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They might over-
delegate, leaving themselves little work to do.
4. Plant
Tends to be highly creative and good at solving
problems in unconventional ways.
• Strengths: Creative, imaginative, free-thinking,
generates ideas and solves difficult problems.
• Allowable weaknesses: Might ignore incidentals,
and may be too preoccupied to communicate
effectively.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They could be
absent-minded or forgetful.
5. Monitor Evaluator
Provides a logical eye, making impartial judgements
where required and weighs up the team's options in a
dispassionate way.
• Strengths: Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all
options and judges accurately.
• Allowable weaknesses: Sometimes lacks the drive and
ability to inspire others and can be overly critical.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They could be slow to
come to decisions.
6. Specialist
Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the
team.
• Strengths: Single-minded, self-starting and
dedicated. They provide specialist knowledge and
skills.
• Allowable weaknesses: Tends to contribute on a
narrow front and can dwell on the technicalities.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They overload you
with information.
7. Shaper
Provides the necessary drive to ensure that the team
keeps moving and does not lose focus or momentum.
• Strengths: Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure.
Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles.
• Allowable weaknesses: Can be prone to provocation,
and may sometimes offend people's feelings.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They could risk
becoming aggressive and bad-humoured in their
attempts to get things done.
8. Implementer
Needed to plan a workable strategy and carry it out as
efficiently as possible.
• Strengths: Practical, reliable, efficient. Turns ideas into
actions and organises work that needs to be done.
• Allowable weaknesses: Can be a bit inflexible and slow
to respond to new possibilities.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They might be slow to
relinquish their plans in favour of positive changes.
9. Completer Finisher
Most effectively used at the end of tasks to polish and
scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest
standards of quality control.
• Strengths: Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches
out errors. Polishes and perfects.
• Allowable weaknesses: Can be inclined to worry
unduly, and reluctant to delegate.
• Don't be surprised to find that: They could be accused
of taking their perfectionism to extremes.
Meredith Belbin nine roles
There are many different
techniques of team building
(creating cohesive groups), but
team cohesion is often based
on fostering the following
elements:
•Team identity: the sense of being a team
•Team solidarity: loyalty to the group
•Commitment to shared goals: cooperation in
the interests of team objectives
•Competition, crisis or emergency: members
of a group will act in unison if the group’s
existence or patterns of behaviour are
threatened from outside.
Moving on to the specific context of team
negotiations, research indicates that
integrative agreements are more likely to
be achieved by teams than by individuals.
This applies even when only one of the
parties is represented by a team.
Good relations between team members
foster success in negotiations.
Research indicates that groups
of friends do well when
negotiating with groups of
strangers, because they are
more cohesive and more
focused.
4 Effective questioning skills
Skilful questioning is a key technique for negotiators. Various authorities have
attempted to classify the types of question that may be asked. As an example,
Steele, Murphy and Russill (in it’s a Deal) classify questions as follows.

• Open questions – when can you deliver?

• Closed questions – can you deliver by 20 October?
• Probing questions – what tests do you use to ensure consistent quality?
• Multiple questions – how can you ensure fixed prices, quality and delivery?
• Leading questions – these prices are fixed for a year, aren’t they?
• Reflective questions – you seem a little unhappy about our proposal?
• Hypothetical questions – what if we extended the contract to two years?
A prime objective of asking questions is obviously
to fill in the gaps in our information.
But it is worthwhile to consider the incidental
effects of the information seeking process.
One aspect highlighted in the literature is that such
questions may lead us to uncover deception on the
part of the supplier.
Questions are also useful in refocusing an
integrative negotiation and generating win-win
options.
Another incidental effect of questioning is
that by promoting an exchange of
information we may also be building
trust. The literature emphasises the
importance of a full exchange of
information. This is characteristic of
integrative negotiations and may lead to
more profitable outcomes for both sides.