Strategic Negotiations

"With our negotiating skills, we protect our critical interests, make agreements that reduce conflict about expectations, encourage collective effort, and establish the foundations for long-lasting partnerships. Negotiation is not a war, nor is it a cause for antipathy. Properly principled, negotiation is a problem solving process in which initially opposing viewpoints can be brought into the fortunate circumstance of mutual gain-creating a bigger pie which then can be shared by all...

It is one thing to influence a group essentially in agreement; it is quite a different thing to influence a group with goals in conflict with those you want to pursue. This sounds formidable, but we do it all the time. We call it negotiation.

WHAT IS NEGOTIATION?

Negotiation is a process whereby two persons or groups strive to reach agreement on issues or courses of action where there is some degree of difference in interest, goals, values or beliefs. The job of the negotiator is to build credibility with the "other side," find some common ground (shared interests), learn the opposing position, and share information that will persuade the "other side" to agree to an outcome..."

The foregoing are takeaways from Strategic Negotiations, a chapter in a larger work on military Strategic Leadership, that is well worth reading for its clear explanation of bargaining models, Batnas, and other negotiation concepts.