Managing Difficult Negotiations

1
Managing Difficult Negotiations

• Two Main Topics
• 1. Dealing With Entrenchment and Intractability
• 2. Addressing Collaborative Shortfalls

2
Conflict Management Some Adverse Dynamics

• Poisoned atmosphere
• Closed or constrained communications
• Blurring issues
• Personalized conflict
• Magnified differences, eclipsed commonalities
• Retreat and entrenchment in positions threats,
  lies, and counterattacks
• Special problems with teams

3
Strategies for Dealing With Entrenchment and
Intractability

• Five basic strategies
• Reducing tension and de-escalating conflict
• Improving communication
• Controlling the issues
• Establishing commonalities
• Making favored options more attractive
• Details on each follow

4
Conflict Management Reducing Tension and
De-escalating Conflict

• Allow venting, tension release e.g., humor?
• Acknowledge their feelings. Use active
  listening
• Separation for reflection and cooling-off
• Synchronized de-escalation -- Graduated and
  Reciprocal Initiatives in Tension Reduction (GRIT)

5
Conflict Management Improving Communication
Accuracy

• Problem blindness of involvement -- less
  listening obscures commonality
• Role reversal From simply imagining to formal
  role-playing, devils advocate
• Imaging Share perceptions to reduce mistaken
  perceptions

6
Conflict Management Controlling The Issues
(Anti-Snowballing?)

• Reduce number of parties
• Control number of substantive issues (but keep in
  mind difficulties of single issues)
• Use concrete terms instead of principles
• Restrict precedents
• Fractionate (salami tactics re issues, or in
  terms of time horizon)
• Depersonalize Be tough on problems, not people

7
Conflict Management Establishing Commonalities

• Superordinate goals stem from interdependency --
  review them
• Common enemies
• Agreement on rules and procedures
• Explore more integrative frameworks
• Dimensionalize the problem
• Increase number of dimensions
• Construct an ideal case
• Search for semantic resolutions

8
Conflict Management Make Your Favored Options
More Attractive

• Fishers demand dynamics (Table 9.1). More
  emphasis on the offers value for their
  interests. Give them a yesable proposal
• Ask for a different decision -- get specifics on
  which elements are okay or not okay
• Sweeten the offer via stress on positive and
  incentives for acceptance (rather than intensify
  the threat)
• Use legitimacy or objective criteria to evaluate
  solutions. Discuss the facts, data, logic that
  support a solution

9
Addressing Collaborative ShortfallsCoping With
Difficult Behavior Dirty Tricks (Again)

• Above all, choose among options strategically
• Respond in kind but danger of escalation
• Ignore them
• Call them on it. Exposure may suffice!
• Offer to change to more productive methods
  negotiate the tactics

10
Addressing Collaborative Shortfalls Coping With
Difficult Behavior When They Have More Power

• Protect yourself. Keep your real interests in
  mind and remember that there are alternatives to
  agreement on their terms
• Improve your BATNA
• Formulate a trip wire alert system
• Correct the imbalance
• Take power (not often feasible)
• Accept power if offered (why would they share
  it?)
• Use a third party (e.g., mediator) to manage and
  balance power

11
Addressing Collaborative Shortfalls Coping With
Difficult Behavior The Special Case of Ultimatums

• Exploding (or fused) offers are common in some
  contexts (Act now!)
• Be skeptical. Scrutinize it Is there some
  reason why it has to be now?
• Some options
• Make a counteroffer
• Attempt to enlist offerer in problem-solving
  approach (address both sides interests)
• Defuse it by embracing it -- Accept it
  contingent upon your condition(s)
• Sometimes you dont have options

12
Addressing Collaborative Shortfalls Coping With
Difficult Behavior Difficult People or Styles

• Is it really difficult behavior, and why?
• Coping Recognize, understand, and cope
• Six steps for coping
• Assess situation realistically
• Stop wishing theyd be different
• Put some distance between you and difficulty
• Formulate a coping plan
• Implement the plan assertively
• Monitor for effectiveness, modify as needed

13
Addressing Collaborative Shortfalls Managing
Emotions (Adler et al.)

• Yours
• ID situations that provoke anger
• Decide on display/not
• Use techniques to reduce your anger
• Express anger in a nonaccusatory manner
• Avoid the negotiators bias (Im fair, youre
  not)
• Try to promote trust

• Theirs
• Acknowledge emotions
• Assess significance (is it an act, contrived?)
• Address their anger apologize if apt?
• Respond strategically (take a break, use silence,
  concede a bit)
• Help them save face if loss of face is an issue
  
• Call a mediator?

14
Managing Difficult Negotiations Summary

• Various factors and avenues lead to
  difficulty/breakdowns in negotiations
• The parties can take steps to try and get over
  conflicts and restart or redirect negotiations
• If the parties own efforts fail, third-party
  intervention (e.g., mediation) may be useful.
  More later? (p. viii See www.mhhe.com/business/m
  anagement/lewicki)