Q & A Table of Contents
Limiting The Negotiation To A Single Type Of Process
From: Rana, Amman, Jordan
Question: Should the negotiation process limit itself to take place only around the negotiation table? My question is about obstacles in negotiation, how to take in mind the past, the future and the present in the decision-making process.
Response: No negotiation takes place in a vacuum. People engaged in negotiation 'at the table' are probably also interacting in other parts of their lives, whether personal or professional. Moreover, each negotiation may carry burdens of history such as family disagreements, previous business dealings, or other elements of short- or long-term memory.
The critical thing to understand is that, in negotiation, the past has no future. People who are negotiating cannot change the past -- even though they may argue about how the past should be interpreted. The most valuable use of negotiation is to find ways to make the future better -- because of, or in spite of history.
Thus, negotiation 'at the table' includes many elements that may not be in documents or on the agenda of the meeting. Preparation for negotiation involves developing a sensible set of objectives on the part of each party. If you are negotiating in the market, you need to understand the choreography that is normal in the marketplace. In many negotiations, the parties need to please themselves -- and also achieve the support or approval of such constituencies as their boss, members of their team at work, their ultimate customers, family members, or community groups. Thus negotiators need to be thinking about their own interests, those of other negotiating parties, and the interests of the people who are depending on them.
Good luck,
Steve
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