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Whether
it's with an employer, family member or business associate,
we all negotiate for things each day, like higher salary,
better service, or the resolution of a dispute. Although
most people would probably define good negotiators as
people who get the best deal for their side, the word
negotiate actually means "to discuss with the goal
of finding terms of agreement." That's because a deal
that is to the advantage of one party and the detriment
of the other sows seeds of disagreement, resentment and
retaliation, which can backfire on the negotiator.
Better negotiators understand the needs of the other party,
and try to meet those needs without losing sight of their
own goals, finding terms of agreement that everyone can
live with.
In the workplace, negotiation is used to arrange business
deals of all sorts - in the engineering world these range
from establishing schedules and budgets in the context
of Project Management to developing and entering into
extensive contracts, such as for large construction projects.
Negotiation is also used to resolve conflict, which can
result whenever there is a difference in needs or perspectives.
Unresolved conflict is detrimental to both individuals
and organizations. Dealing with conflict is time consuming
- various
organizations estimate that managers spend at least 25%
of their time with it. The impact of unresolved conflict
to organizations includes:
 |
Wasted
employee time |
|
Increased
turnover |
|
Mistakes
and poor decisions |
|
Missed
business opportunities |
|
Adversely
affected profits and service |
|
High
stress, which can lead to illness |
|
Low
morale |
At a personal level, inability to resolve conflict can
limit your career growth; result in you not being perceived
as a leader; cause you to become less influential within
your organization, and can damage your credibility.
Personally, it can damage relations, create anxiety
and stress, leave you isolated, and hinder the development
of close relationships.
When dealing with conflicts between employees, many
employee assistance counselors use the method described
by Roger Fisher and William Ury in Getting to Yes:
Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. This method
is based on four principles:
- Always
separate the people from the problem. In good
negotiations, both sides want to maintain the relationship.
If it is strictly a relationship problem, deal with
it as such.
- Focus
on the interests, not positions. Do not get caught
up in the positions people take. Instead, look for
the interests that are behind the positions, in order
to generate alternative solutions.
- Generate
a variety of possibilities before deciding what to
do. Look for ways you will both benefit. Don't
assume there is only one solution.
- Insist
that results be based on some objective standard.
There are many standards that can be applied when
trying to negotiate fairly, such as market value,
professional standards, and efficiency. Using these
will reduce the chance that one side will feel remorse
after the process is completed.
Top
10 Reasons to Acquire Better Negotiation Skills
Improving your negotiation skills has many benefits,
such as improving your communication skills and increasing
your ability to be persuasive. Here are 10 reasons to
develop your ability to negotiate:
- Improve
personal and professional profitability.
- Achieve
desired outcomes and create synergy while fostering
relationships.
- Maximize
financial returns and value in negotiations.
- Avoid
being cheated.
- Neutralize
difficult negotiators and their tactics.
- Enter
into and conduct negotiations with confidence.
- Know
when and how to walk away from a negotiation.
- Improve
personal relationships with colleagues, clients and
loved ones.
- Build
leadership and team-building skills.
- Turn
cultural differences into assets rather than liabilities.
Negotiation
is a fact of everyone's personal and professional lives.
You will need to negotiate in your professional life
all the time. For example, you may negotiate budgets
and schedules with vendors and negotiate conflicts with
co-workers and your boss. If you work as a consultant,
you will regularly negotiate contracts. Learning how
to negotiate effectively will help you maneuver the
political landscape of your job, which can be as important
as performing your technical functions and tasks well.
This module will introduce you to the skills to master
successful negotiation.
Purchase
the complete set of online modules
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