Negotiation Strategy

In the past quarter century, a great deal of effort and scholarship has been devoted to developing negotiation theory and practice to move beyond competitive negotiation and toward real problem solving. With problem solving, or interest-based bargaining, parties look at their underlying interests rather than merely asserting positions and demands. Together they search for solutions to meet those underlying interests while making concessions consistent with their own needs and concerns.

To do this, negotiators must recognize that needs and interests frequently differ, and reflect different values, concerns, and motives. These differences allow the negotiation to become an inquiry to find differing needs and the solutions that will satisfy them. While problem-solving negotiation often deals with money, as most negotiations do, it can become one element of a solution that has many other aspects. Negotiation is a side-by-side dialogue where parties can trade on their differences, rather than a battle over a limited resource.

It's usually a mistake to approach negotiation as a casual encounter without much forethought. Such sessions are likely to become reactive and meandering meetings rather than being proactive with specific goals in mind. Lack of planning often appears at the negotiating table as too much reliance on demands and ineffective attempts to persuade the opponent. Good planning, based on the five strategies below,