Principled Negotiation
 Scholars from the Harvard Negotiation
Project have suggested ways of dealing with
negotiation from a cooperative and interestbased perspective. They call this approach
“principled negotiation” because it rests on
four assumptions or principles.
Separate the People From the
Problem
 As you identify the problem, make sure you
can distinguish between the issues to be
solved and the people involved. Try to:
– understand their perceptions
– monitor their emotions
– communicate effectively
Focus on Interests NOT
Positions
 A position is a tangible outcome that
someone argues for. An interest is the
reason why that outcome is desired and an
underlying concern about the problem.
• there are usually multiple interests for any issue
• you don’t have to have common interests to find a
solution that meets them all
• the more you understand your interests and the other
party’s interests, the better able you are to find a
solution or solutions that will produce mutual and
lasting satisfaction.
Invent Options for Mutual
Gain - Brainstorm
 This is a process of creating as many
solutions as possible BEFORE you evaluate
them to decide which are the best options.
 Otherwise, good ideas never have a chance
to be suggested and discussed because
people are too busy arguing over the first
ideas introduced.
Find Good Criteria
 Choosing a good solution or solutions
(remember you can have more than one),
depends on making sure that the criteria for
solutions are considered legitimate by the
parties. The criteria come from
– interests already identified by the parties,
especially common interests shared by all
parties
– external rules or policies that must be followed
Personal Barriers to Effective
Negotiation
 In the best situations, people still have
difficulty when dealing with conflict. We
are human. But there are three things that
are very destructive to a collaborative
negotiation process. It is important for us to
consider the extent to which these factors -defensiveness, hidden agendas, and
negative influence tactics -- may derail our
process.
Defensiveness
 The kinds of behaviors that can cause
defensiveness are:
– criticizing someone
– acting indifferent toward someone
– being contemptuous of someone or acting
superior to them
– ignoring them
– condescending to them
Defensive Reactions:
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counter-attack
stonewalling, or avoiding discussion
becoming passive aggressive
becoming less open with information
listening less to the other
assuming the worst about everyone involved
Hidden Agendas
 Hidden agendas are desires for outcomes or
actions that you want to keep from the
group. Your actions are motivated by these
agendas, but you don’t want others to know
that. Hidden agendas are often caused by a
concern about one’s image or one’s role or
power in the group.
Negative Influence Tactics
– talking over someone else
– dominating the conversation or holding the
floor
– semantic boxing (arguing over terms rather than
the issue)
– being overly ambiguous
– withdrawing from the conversation
– being very pessimistic
– threatening others
Pre-Negotiation Preparation
 Describe the Problem
– you define?
– they define?
– assumptions?
 Identify Interests
– your interests?
– their interests?
– assumptions?
Negotiation
 clarify the problem
 explore interests
 brainstorm
 establish criteria
 select options
Clarify the Problem
– your description
– their description
– if your descriptions are not the same?
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commonalities?
if not, importance to the parties?
logical reason to address one issue first?
Construct an agenda for dealing with multiple issues.
Explore Interests
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Present Interests
State interests clearly
Clarify interests
Summarize Interests
Draw Attention to Common Interests
Invent Options for Mutual Gain
(Brainstorm)
– Present the idea of brainstorming (generate
ideas without evaluation)
– Generate Ideas
– Clarify Ideas
– Summarize Options Generated
– Get Agreement on the List of Options
Establish Criteria
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Explicitly State Criteria
Clarify Criteria
Prioritize Criteria (individually and jointly)
Select Preferred Negotiated Solution
Evaluate each Option with Criteria
Identify Preferred or Workable Options