week 4 critical thinking

In Distributive Bargaining, the goals of the parties are initially at odds – or at least appear that way to some or all of the parties.  The belief is that there is a limited, controlled amount of key resources to be distributed and both parties may want to be the winner.  Both may want to win on the same dimension, with their goals being mutually exclusive which leads to conflict.

In Integrative Negotiations, the goals of the parties are not mutually exclusive.  If one side achieves its goals, the other is not necessarily precluded from achieving its goals.  One party’s gain is not necessarily at the other party’s expense.  The fundamental structure of an integrative negotiation situation is such that it allows both sides to achieve their objectives. 

Moves are actions negotiators take to position themselves (and others) in the negotiation process.  Turns are the responses.   In making moves, negotiators strive to present themselves as competent and legitimate and to assert their influence over the process.  As part of the normal by-play of negotiations, people attempt to maximize their leverage in the process.  They do this by using moves to project an image of themselves and what they want in the best possible light.  As one negotiator moves to position himself to advantage, the effect can be to challenge the position the other negotiator is claiming. These moves can unsettle or undermine that other party.  

Joe, The Vice President of Sales has promoted Marilyn to be the Director of High Technology Sales.  To get this sales district going, the Vice President has asked Marilyn to negotiate with Len, the National Accounts Director. They agree that Len will turn over $5 million in viable accounts, but Marilyn disagrees with the accounts he has chosen.  When Marilyn tries to negotiate with him, he uses moves that put her on the defensive.

Scenario A

Marilyn: I expected you to produce the viable accounts as we agreed.  What happened?

Len: It’s nothing personal, but I don’t think your team is ready to handle those accounts.  (challenge competence)

Marilyn: Yes, we are.

Len: I spoke with Joe and he agrees with me  it’s for the best (make a threat)

Marilyn: For the best?  I have a team waiting to do work on these accounts.  What am I supposed to do with them? {angry expression}

Len: Yeah, cut me some slack.  I am getting a lot of pressure from my people too.  They don’t want their commissions cut. (appeal for sympathy)

Marilyn: What can I do? {shrugs shoulder}

Len: Just take the small accounts I have given you, and try to build them up. If you want to move ahead in this company, you need to be a risk taker. (challenge competence)

Marilyn: No way am I taking these dead accounts.

Len: Don’t get so upset. (criticize your style)

Marilyn: I am not upset. {but she is}

Content B

Moves can be responded to with countermoves which are comebacks in kind.  For example, when somebody says, don’t get so upset, a countermove would be, I am not upset.  Although such a countermove is quite common, it is clear that it tends to reinforce the move; it signals that the person accepts the other’s positioning of them.  They stay in the original, defensive position.  One of the reasons that countermoves are so common is because negotiators don’t recognize that a move is being used as a tactic and so they respond emotionally and defensively.

If the negotiator recognizes that a move has been made, he can be more deliberate.  He can respond with a turn.  He could say—“upset?”  This turns the move back to the other person and puts the onus on them to support the comment.  If nothing else, it buys a negotiator time.  Or he could shift the conversation and give an account of why the issue is important to him—“Let’s not get stuck on me; we have a problem that we need to deal with”.

Turns reframe the situation.  They signal the mover that the challenge is being met, that the positioning is not accepted.  Having a repertoire of turns enables a negotiator to change the situation, to resist being put in a defensive posture.  We will now look at the same scenario and focus on moves and turns

Scenario B

Marilyn: I expected you to produce the viable accounts as we agreed.  What happened?

Len: It’s nothing personal, but I don’t think your team is ready to handle those accounts.

Marilyn: Come on, you’re stalling.  You trained my people; they came from your group, Len. I’m a little confused here. What you mean? (Question)

Len: I spoke with Joe and he agrees with me

Marilyn: That’s interesting; it’s not what he told me.  Maybe we should get him in here, but we can probably work this out.  (Correct)

Sounds like your group is giving you trouble because they don’t want to lose the business (Name)

Len: Yeah, cut me some slack.  I am getting a lot of pressure from my people. They don’t want their commissions cut.

Marilyn: Nobody does.  But while we work on developing these accounts, you can help your team get more from their current, established accounts. (Divert)

Len: Just take the small accounts I have given you, and try to build them up..  If you want to move ahead in this company, you need to be a risk taker.

Marilyn:  I’m perfectly willing to take a risk as long as it’s based on the viable accounts that we talked about. But that’s not what I’m getting. (Correct)

Len: Don’t get so upset.

Marilyn:  It’s an important issue that I care about and know Joe cares about. (Correct). 

Let’s not get stuck on this; we need to work out a transfer schedule that works for you and for me. (Divert).

There are several important points to make about these turns.  First moves and turns happen in negotiation all the time.  In a negotiation over rates, a “mover” will try to make the case that their rates are justified based on something that has to do with another party’s inferior performance.  For example, in a negotiation between a health care provider and a company, the provider will try to show that the company has high usage rates and that’s why the rate increase is justified.  Correcting that move requires using data to show that the usage rates are quite different.  These moves and turns take place over time.  Indeed, the interruption is the break needed to allow for the adjustments. 

Making turns in the moment is more difficult and that is the second point.  People will say that they think of responses after they leave the negotiation.  Of course, this is true to some degree.  But if one prepares and knows the person, it is possible to predict the types of moves that will be made and enter a negotiation discussion with turns in mind. 

Use the 10 rows of content below to create a 2-part activity. 

1. A) Match the term to the definition

2. B) Correctly Identify each term as a “Move” or a “Turn”

OR

As a combined activity, given a list of terms, the student would have to identify if it is a ‘Move’ or a ‘Turn’ (via radio buttons) and then match the correct definition to the term

It may be easier to display the definitions, have them choose Move or Turn, and then drag a term to a small drop area beside each definition.

Questioning

T

Suggests something puzzling about a move – throws it back to the mover – implying you’re unsure what prompted it.