management project?

Introduction

Negotiation is a process of bargaining on an issue to resolve the issue in such a way that gives benefits and advantages to the interested person or negotiator. There are several types of negations styles and strategies that are common in use. To understand the importance of negotiation and its process interview was conducted. In the interview, I asked the open ended questions to the experts of negotiation to explain each answer in the detail. According to the interview question, it was analyzed that what type of negotiators both experts are. Question about the challenges was also asked to understand how challenges influence the negotiation process. Negotiation experts were selected from two different industries one was from the education field and the second form manufacturing business.

Negotiation Type

The interview was taken to understand the negotiation in the view of expert negotiators. Several questions were asked to understand their point of view towards the negotiation. The selected questions were general and open ended therefore they explained all their answers in deep detail. The questions asked of them were based on their personal experiences in the professional life as what type of conflict they face, how they deal with the conflicting situation, and what leads negotiation towards success.

The interview was conducted with two experts of negotiation from the different business sectors. The first expert Mr. Mohammed is from King Saud University in management. He is performing his duties as a head of the department in the university. According to his claim, more than 20 staff member and other staff are working as his subordinates. While the second expert Mr. Faisal is from the manufacturing business. He is performing his job form last 10 years to the production department of a mobile manufacturing company. As a manager at production sector, he deals with more than 20 employees on daily basis to get the work done according to the standards and requirements. For this, he resolves the conflict and negotiates employees.

According to the interview questions, it is clear that Mr. Faisal as the manufacturing manager involves in the negotiations as resolving the conflicts in the employees about the work. The manager led the production sectors. Sometimes conflict raises when he wants something else and workers to produce a different product outcome. He also engages in the conflicts with the managers when they make new policies that bring changes in the production sector and influence the work of production sector.

Being a manager he negotiates with the suppliers on the delivery of poor quality raw material. Mr. Faisal is not working in a very large size organization, therefore, he also deals with the other operations as controlling or monitoring the cost incurred at the production sector. Therefore he negotiates with the management, suppliers and all other related people to take control cover the cost.

. Production manager negotiate with them to make sure the quality and production requirements. He negotiates with the employees on the issues of conflicts as caused by management to avoid the labor form strikes or other steps that go against the company. While he also negotiates with the employees or peers in the conflict among the employees.

During the interview, manager of the production department explained that he select the negotiation style or type according to the situation sometimes he tries to control the situation through the use of compromising style of negotiation, especially when resources are limited and the deadline is just near. While most of the time he uses the collaborating style of negotiation. Because according to his perception issues has the significant impact on the overall results and outcomes of the business

Same questions were asked to the expert form the university administration. According to the interview questions he was also used to negotiate on with the teachers if anyone causes to produce the issue related to policies. As he is the chairperson of the department, therefore, he is obliged to take decisions about the incentives and salaries also.

Whenever a policy comes staff comes to him to discuss the matter. He negotiates with them and top-level management to resolve the matter. He also negotiates with the top-level management about the introduction of new course and programs in the department to facilitate the students and teachers. He explained that he views the issue in multitude way rather than focusing on only one aspect of the issue. Faisal said he integrate the matter and focus on each part to get the idea about the actual situation. He used to share the information with both parties (both individual and one party against Faisal himself).

Mr. Mohammed being a representative and chairperson of the department deals with the parents of the students also and negotiates with them on the issues about students learning or classroom problems. He negotiates with the other non-teaching and teaching staff about their conflicts with peers or university management.

Who do they negotiate with?

The experts negotiate with their subordinates most of the time. While on the other hand they also negotiate with the people who come in the business relationship with them. Mr. Faisal negotiate with these mentioned below persons.

1. Employees working under their control at the production line

2. Top level Management of the organization

3. Suppliers

4. Mechanics and technical staff

5. Peer group

Faisal deals with the conflict parties in different styles. He explained the mostly prefer to use the competing because he thinks acceptance of the right point of view or thoughts his more important than anything else. In the light of all these information towards the experts, we can say that integrated negotiation type is more commonly accepted and adopted by the experts in the workplaces. They pay more pay attention to the collaboration when the values and outcomes are more important for them.

On the other side Mr. Mohammed negotiate with the following list:

1. Teaching staff

2. Administration staff (clerical staff, library management, and accountants.)

3. Students

4. University top level management

5. Other lower level employees (security team, and sweepers)

6. Parents of the students

Challenges faced in negotiation

Negotiation seems an easy process but when it concerns with the outcomes of the negotiation, efficiency, and effectiveness of the negotiation it becomes a difficult job. Both experts are leading employees and success of the department directly depends upon their decisions in such situation responsibility increase for them. It is their liability to take the effective and fair decisions and negotiate in accordance with these decisions to bring desired outcomes.

During the negotiation process, they face many challenges that impact the efficiency of the negotiation process in a negative way if not managed properly. Challenges can be raised because of the conscious and unconscious behavior or actions of the parties or individual with whom they are negotiating. In the interview question related to the challenges was asked of them. Both gave the detailed answer with clear reasoning.

Challenges vary for both experts because of the change in the working area or business sector. The audience with whom they negotiate is also different for both experts in accordance with the personality, educational background, and professional manners. Issues or the conflict also decide the type of challenges for the experts.

The Mr. Faisal manager at the manufacturing company faced challenges related to the negotiation process. According to him most commonly he faced the challenge of lack of time. There is not enough time available to understand the whole situation and take the effective decision. In the production sector, a little bit delay can result in loss or increase in the cost. Such situation generates the challenge for him. In accordance with Mr. Mohammed, there is the challenge related to the preparing for negotiation. He said that sometimes he negotiate without planning. For instance, he said conflict on the production place raises suddenly with in employees in such situation have to deal with these issues immediately to bring back employees on their jobs to reduce the chances of loss.

Some challenges faced by Mr. Mohammed are same and overlaps because of same issues as conflict raised in employees because of the new policy for incentives by the top level management of the business organizations. In such situation, the challenge can be lack of patience in the employees because do not want to bear the loss in any situation. While on the other hand some challenges are just linked with the core activities of the educational department at the university.

According to the Mr. Mohammed, the most frequent challenge he faced in the negotiation process is being too rigid. He is used to having competing for negotiation style as mentioned earlier. His negotiation style enforces him to stay focused on what is right rather than what other wants. Such situation is challenging because other want to have the decision in the favor of them. Mr. Faisal described other challenges also that influence the negotiation process. A few of them are mentioned below in list:

· Change at last minute

· The impatient behavior of employees

· Lack of confidence at the initial stage (common in without experienced new managers)

· Lack of flexibility

· Limited information

· Limited time

Negotiation Success

The question was asked about what leads to negotiation success in their fields. Both replied towards the question in relatively same. When the question was asked to Mr. Faisal he said that it depends upon what you consider success. If success is acceptance of your opinion or desired decision then you have to stay focused on the arguments and putting emphasis on the possible positive outcomes of the negotiation.

While on the other hand if success is to access the right decision after the negotiation then the manager or any person who is negotiating have to focus on the integration of the issue. The person has to identify the issue in the light of information collected from all involved or responsible people. Then after the identification of the issue, he has to develop the possible alternatives to resolve the matter. Then he will select one best alternative to the decision and negotiate with this decision. Mr. Mohammed elaborated that success in the negotiation can be access by focusing on the BATNA. He said that whenever he faces big issues that demand negotiation he try to plan and understand the whole situation before meeting or negotiation. For this purpose, he is used to making a list of issues that need to address for negotiation. He selects the issues and develops his BATNA to negotiate.

He explained that for a successful negotiation one must listen to the arguments of another party carefully during the negotiation. If a person negotiates without understanding the point of view of another party then it will be a useless effort. For successful negotiation on a big issue, one should be familiar with the negation style of the other party. Compromise is not a bad option if it does not result in the loss.

Question: 1

Negotiation is a process to resolve the conflict in the organizations; therefore, it has significant value in the workplace. Keeping in mind the importance of the negotiation in the workplace a question was asked to the experts that how important they consider BATNA for negotiation in conflict management? The question was asked and responses of the managers were recorded about the importance of BATNA in conflict management. Mr. Faisal replied that BATNA is one of the most important points in the whole process of negotiation for conflict management. He said that we cannot plan for effective negotiation until and unless we are efficient in the development and presentation of the BATNA. According to the Mr. Faisal BATNA basically, provide clear guidance to the negotiator and describes his decision or reason for interest in the negotiation.

When the question was asked to Mr. Mohammed who in fact also teach at the university department he elaborated the answer in such a way that increased my knowledge towards the BATNA importance and role in the negotiation in conflict management. He said that BATNA changes with the change in the negotiation. According to him, BATNA is dynamic, not static. It gets changes with the change in the negotiation form the other party. The BATNA gets changes but just little by little not a big change immediately because it brings and enforces the opposite party to accept what you want.

According to him without the development of the BATNA if cannot resolve the conflict no matter how worse the situation goes. We have to develop BATNA according to our analysis. He told that being a chairperson of the department he ever tried to develop BATNA in written form or in mind before starting the negotiation to explain in a clear manner what he wants.

Question: 2

Another question related to conflict management was asked to both experts about the role of negotiation. The question asked of them was does negotiation can better resolve the conflict problem as compared to the mediation? In answer to this question, Mr. Mohammed described the difference between the mediation and negotiation. He said that both seem same but there is the difference between the mediation and negotiation. Negotiation is a process of bargaining that involves two parties that are in fact interested in the issue. While on the other hand mediation is not a like negotiation by the interested parties. It stands for the situation when a third party takes involvement as the experienced and trained party to deal with the matter.

In accordance with this, both techniques have the different working cycle. In some situations, negotiation can be a better way because interested parties can better project their interest in the issues and can better resolve the conflict by themselves. For instance, negotiation can be a better option if employees want to get the increase in his salary. In such type of conflicts with the management, employees can better describe and deal with the manager. Mr. Faisal described that mediators can better resolve the matter if negotiators are not familiar how to efficiently negotiate the matter of conflict. They can take assistance from the experts and mediators. While mediation is also good because it can deal serious concerns and sensitive matters in conflicts that are not possible to deal with normal people who are not trained or experts in mediations or negotiation.

Conclusion

Negotiation is a difficult job as it requires quick decision making skills. Limited time available to take the decision in the production sector was one of the most influencing and challenging factors for the production manager negotiation expert. According to the expert's interview, both experts are integrative negotiators. Competing negotiation styles encourage the negotiators to select the right decision and stay focused. While collaborating style of negotiation is considered as the best negotiation style. According to the experts, BATNA is dynamic that get changes with the time. The success of the negotiation depends upon the development of effective BATNA and listening carefully the point of view of another party. Development of the alternative list of solutions supports the managers to have an effective negotiation.