Formal versus Informal work negotiations
Formal negotiations follow a somewhat predictable path. They often occur at budget times, contract renewals, client complaints, or one party wanting a better deal. Sometimes, changed external factors or a party saying NO for unknown reasons cause conflict.
Negotiations in these conflict situations have a consistent underlying structure. This structure is always present and requires skills such as preparing, arguing, proposing, packaging, picking and giving signals, bargaining, closing, and so on.
What about the more personal and informal workplace situations we negotiate for ourselves? It requires similar skills, yet people may bargain hard on behalf of their organization but are often uncertain about what is negotiable and what’s not regarding their careers.
The advice in Satish Mehta’s book, “The World Is A BAZAAR – LIFE IS A NEGOTIATION: Skills to inject success, creativity, and fun into your life, relationships, and work” – helps negotiators gain the information, skills, and confidence they need to improve their success and satisfaction at work and personal life.
Suppose your project requires the support of someone in another organization in your company. That person may be happy with the status quo and not need to negotiate. It will be up to you to propose. Getting yourself into an excellent negotiating position by coming prepared with creative proposals to resolve the issues you raise is crucial.
Seek information from your networks
Seek out people who can help you set the goals and strategies described in the “The World Is a Bazaar-Life is negotiation: skills to inject success, creativity, and fun into your life, relationships, and work.” You will know what you can achieve and how. Your contacts are the best sources of information for negotiation advice.
Why would anyone negotiate with you?
They will not unless you have something they want or you could do something they don’t want you to do. To motivate that someone to negotiate, share information regarding incentives or sanctions you can use. At the outset of the negotiation, making your value visible is critical. This is where preparation is essential.
An executive consultant wanted to negotiate an expanded role. After reminding his client, the COO, of the company, his performance, and his impact over the previous year, the COO seemed more open to the idea.
It’s essential to generate creative proposals and consider the “good reasons” the other party might have for saying NO to them.
If a colleague remains reluctant to negotiate, you need to find ways to increase your leverage by raising the costs of the status quo. That might mean making each party’s BATNA, or best alternative to a negotiated agreement (support on a project), more pronounced. With a strong BATNA, you may have more power in a negotiation than someone higher than you in the organization.
Take the case of consultants in a marketing company. They had been taking on crisis management work for the clients. The senior management team may be okay with the status quo. Still, consultants wanted to negotiate a promotion and restructuring to make the crisis-management work part of their portfolio. Following the advice of their respective mentor, several consultants turned down the subsequent crisis requests, citing legitimate reasons. The clients approached the Chief Client Officer and told him they needed the consultants’ extra support. The CCO negotiated better terms with the client and a more favorable work environment for the consultants –Win, Win.
Respond with a well-thought-out proposal
When asked to take on a new role at work or do someone a favor, we often view such requests as yes-or-no propositions. Instead, Satish Mehta offers the time-tested job negotiation advice of taking an adjournment and then responding with a well-thought-out counter-proposal. “If you do these things (conditions), I will consider taking on the assignment.” Always state the conditions first and build on what they want.
Greg was asked by his boss to crisis manage another company’s client in Chicago. Saying yes would mean relinquishing leadership of a project close to yielding results. Greg was also concerned about recognition and credit for the current project and specific responsibilities and his long-term role after the “crisis phase” was complete.
Rather than saying yes immediately, Greg said he needed time to think before responding. His boss, surprised, immediately asked him what it would take to say yes. Greg could convert a situation his boss had not considered negotiable into a negotiation.
