Negotiating Planning
There's a lot of meat to put on these bones but this set of suggestions for pre-negotiation preparation is a good start. It's applicability to IP negotiations next.
PRE-NEGOTIATION TIPS – MEMORY JOGGERS 2 (summary)
- document each party’s goals, attitudes, limitations and the known or likely opening stance of each side…
- develop a negotiation strategy by
- Listing possible solutions for your negotiating partner
- Listing likely repercussions for both parties
- defining possible areas of agreement
- brainstorming underlying mutual needs or common ground.
- Preparing a list of fair procedures including how we deal with each other’ i.e. values, ethics, use of experts, standards in the industry, etc.
- determining the impact of limitations, i.e., what your bargaining partner may realistically be able to accept
- setting or becoming aware of and sharing deadlines
- assessing the ability of the negotiating team to make decisions
- assessing probable internal political impediments and possible fallout for both side
- seeing the negotiation from your negotiating partner's perspective i.e.
- what is their real problem
- how do they view our position and attitude.
- Listing alternative actions that may provide some basis for continuation of the negotiation
- suggest strict deadlines and "homework" for both sides
- suggest a partial agreement
- have an ‘if all else fails option’ (sometimes referred to as a lifeboat)
- Planning ways to neutralise existing biases such as customera are greedy, unionists are troublemakers, management is anti-worker, etc. that could hinder eithr side's willingness to listen and problem-solve.
- Scheduling a pre-negotiation role-play (split team into "our side" and "their side" to sharpen understanding of weaknesses in your arguments or approach.
Thanks to OrgLearn for this "Management Thought for the Week."
