Q & A Table of Contents
Is Swapping Negotiation?
From: Geoff Sydney, Australia
Question: I am a University student studying Business Management in Sydney, Australia and we have recently completed a negotiation exercise in class which was part of our assessment for completing a subject called 'Management Skills."
Our negotiation seemed (to me), to be a process of 'swapping.' Each of us had a list of demands we wanted from the other party, and we ended up trading these issues with each other to achieve the agreement. Is there more to it than this? I mean should each issue have been dealt with individually, and not just accepted if the other party was to accept something else in exchange?
I have a report due on how my negotiation went, if there is any other advice or quotes you might think would help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Response: To a very large extent, negotiation is a form of swapping. One can say that negotiation is a process by which people trade valuables in a civilized manner.
When people negotiate, they are using the process to find ways to serve their interests. For example, while you may tell your boss you want a 10% raise, that position may reflect any of a number of interests: give you more income so you can pay for a nicer car or apartment, serve your ego by giving you a tangible measure of how much your boss values your services, or give your boss a reason to pay closer attention to you and your productivity.
In negotiations based on interests, parties use what diplomats call bargaining chips. While some of those bargaining chips are designed to help serve your interests, other bargaining chips may be what it takes for another party to feel as if his/her interests are being served. Paying attention to how important bargaining chips are for you or for other parties and comprehending how each bargaining chip may reflect a means to serve one or more interests is a fundamental task of a good negotiator.
Is negotiation swapping? Yes -- and more. If bargaining chips are exchanged during the negotiation process, and if that exchange process helps serve parties' important interests, then the negotiation process is accomplishing its job.
I hope this helps you understand the negotiation process a little better.
Steve
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