MANUAL TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION

As Fisher and Ury (1991 p. 26) point out, arguing over positions does not produce intelligent agreements, since when parties negotiate over positions they tend to lock themselves into them, forgetting that these objectives are merely an embodiment of needs and desires that could possibly be met in other ways. It is therefore necessary to negotiate according to one's own and the other party's interests (needs and desires) and not according to positions, which can often lead to seemingly insatiable differences and thus separate people from problems. Let's assume, in the example above, that the marketing director does not get approval for his plan. To us, it may look like one of the best-laid plans he has ever made and we believe it would be a decisive boost to the company and to his own career.

In principle, we would not understand the position of the management, as they had accepted all his projects up to now, and their opposition seems excessive.

If we negotiate based on positions, there are only two ways: either the plan is realised or it is not. However, if we negotiate based on interests, i.e. trying to find out what their hidden needs and desires are, we might find that the board of directors find it difficult to take on such a plan because of the investment and image reinforcement it requires and the fear they have of damaging the company's public image if it does not work.

Many alternatives are now open to you to solve the problem in a mutually beneficial way. We will have to adapt the plan.

9.4. Fundamentals of negotiation processes

We often observe how negotiations that could have been closed with advantageous agreements on both sides end in disagreement. What happens, what factors cause the conflicting parties to be unable to resolve their situation?

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