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not a house. In the chapters that follow, we shall therefore look at indi-
vidual aspects of negotiation techniques in greater detail. Depending on
the subject and your previous experience, they will serve to complement
or deepen your understanding. In our experience these additional ele-
ments are well worth studying, even if you have very little time avail-
able. These chapters go well beyond the usual basic advice on conduct-
ing negotiations, and application of the principles outlined will be of
great practical value in almost any situation you are likely to find your-
self in. The first of these chapters takes us deeper into the question of the
time element.
Everything in its time!
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread! We need to be careful here, for
everybody needs time to get used to an unfamiliar situation. New infor-
mation must be digested before we can adjust our own position or bring
a different reaction into play. But in the business of negotiations, move-
ment is the prime element. We are only going to negotiate if we expect
that at the end of the day the two sides will come closer to one another.
All negotiation therefore needs time for rethinking and planning  much
more time than would be necessary if it were merely a matter of infor-
mation exchange. The time required further increases with the technical
complexity of the information and its likely impact on the other side. It
149
Figure 7-1 The four basic phases of negotiation
IV Conclusion or breakdown
" Tie up package for decision
" Signature of contract (or)
" Breakdown of negotiations
III Edging closer
" Establish wishes and needs
" Seek constructive solutions
" Negotiate details
II Present your positions
" Opening bids
" Exchange arguments and
positions
" Gather information
I Warming up
" Welcoming atmosphere
" First overview of issues
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Phases and rounds
Phases and rounds
is more difficult to get your mind around a revolution than a minor shift.
Thus the more demanding the issue at hand, and the further your own
position deviates from that of your opponent, the longer the negotiation is
going to take. If we ignore this and try to rush the matter through, the
shock of adaptation will perhaps be too great. The other side may well pre-
fer not to conclude a deal, rather than find itself entrenched in an uncon-
trollable and scary situation. We can t allow anything like that to happen.
Thus the care we put into planning our negotiations should not only
include questions of strategy and tactics, but also cut up the process of con-
flict resolution into a number of separate steps. The sections that follow will
present the four natural phases of negotiation, as indicated in figure 7-1.
This model presents of course a highly stylized picture, which in practice
will often look very different. But dividing up the process into four parts
like this is a very useful basis for most negotiations. It is important to
note that the tasks allotted to each phase should not be considered to
have been dealt with until the whole negotiation is concluded. Each
phase simply brings new tasks and focal points to the fore.
I Warming up
We start with the warming up phase. The negotiators of both sides must
take a little time to get to know one another and familiarize themselves
with the location and the substance of the situation. The atmosphere
needs to be friendly, to break any ice that may still be present. This may
well be a matter of business, but we are at the start of a personal relation-
ship between two people. The more professional a negotiator is, the more
(not the less) he will warm to the other  within certain limits, of course.
The amount of time allotted to this phase and the trouble put into it will
of course depend on the object of the negotiation, and will also vary con-
siderably according to the cultural context in which it takes place. In the
Arab world or in Asia, this phase may account for the great majority of
the time available. Personal relationships mean everything here; if the
partner is right, the business will more or less take care of itself. It is
important to cultivate a conducive atmosphere and a personal contact
that will hold throughout the negotiation, most especially in the difficult
moments of confrontation. And it is a good idea to maintain direct contact
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Phases and rounds
even after the deal has been struck. You never know under what circum-
stances you are going to meet up again, or what the future holds for your
relations. Very often such sustained contact  from the card sent at
Christmas time and the occasional meal together to participation at fami-
ly occasions  will not make any real difference in material terms, but on
occasion it may work wonders. The whole effort then becomes worth-
while, to say nothing of the valuable personal experience gained.
But the warming up phase has another function in addition to creat-
ing a conducive atmosphere. All the matters for discussion that are to be
broached or discussed in greater detail later should now be brought out
onto the table, with the exception of any surprises we might be planning,
of course. This tour d horizon gives both sides an overview of the subjects
under debate and facilitates the search for possible solutions later in the
day. Both sides will be better able to appreciate what the negotiations sig-
nify for them, recognize any possibly contentious points, and adapt their
strategy to the new picture. There is also the opportunity to measure up
the other: how much real authority does he have? Is he authorized to
sign a contract, or should we in fact be dealing with somebody else? At
this point it is not yet too late to pull the emergency cord and request a
counterpart who possesses the requisite competence needed to deal with
the issues at the same level of competence as yourself, that is with an
equivalent mandate and authority.
II Present your positions
All the objects to be negotiated are now on the table. Their outlines may not
be very sharp, but both sides have had an opportunity to take note of them.
Now it is a matter of establishing and presenting our own position. What
do we want? With our opening bids we are laying the foundations for a
possible solution. Discussions take on a more technical slant, and we enter
into the phase of distribution. The two sides exchange arguments to sup-
port their own position, and there may be some hint of first concessions
(although it is too early for them to be made). This sort of exchange needs
to be very tentative, so as to avoid tying yourself down prematurely.
Neither party wants to find itself trapped into a detailed discussion of spe- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]