Psychology_of_Negotiations

The psychology of effective negotiation is all a part of negotiation in any activity that influences another person. Negotiation is a process by which the involved parties or group resolve matter of dispute by holding discussions and coming to an agreement which can be mutually agreed by them. It also refers to closing a business deal or bargaining on some product. Negotiation is all a part of our everyday lives, whether it is coming to an agreement with your children or just discussing plans for dinner with your husband, wife, or significant other. There is no real measurement on negotiation, it can range from a small amount of money, product or just an act, to something more substantial such as major amounts of money, or business deals. Effective negotiation is basically a process to get what you want. Throughout this course I have learned many things about myself as a negotiator and what tools I can effectively use in any negotiating situation. Interdependence, one of the key characteristics of a negotiation situation is that the parties need each other in order to achieve their preferred objectives or outcomes (Lewick-Barry-Saunders, Essentials of Negotiation, Fourth Edition, pg. 9). By nature, most people are of the social being, therefore depending on others to get what we need or want. I can relate this to buying a car, the car salesman that assisted me in my purchase had a goal just as I did. He had to meet his quota; his paychecks were determined by his commissions. My goal was to get the car I wanted for the payment price I wanted to stay at. With all this in mind the negotiating of terms had to begin. In my readings on page seven, I learned that there are times when you shouldn’t negotiate at all; if you’re in a situation where you could lose everything; if your counterpart asks for something you cannot support because it’s illegal, unethical, or morally inappropriate; if you have everything to lose and nothing to gain; and one of my favored that could have very well pertained to my purchase of a new vehicle, stop the negotiation when your counterpart shows signs of acting in bad faith, mainly if you can’t trust their negotiating. In the past I have had to walk away from the purchase of a new vehicle because the dealer was promising that my payments would be at a certain amount that I was comfortable with but wasn’t showing me this in writing. They wanted me to actually take the car home before finalizing everything on paper. Yes, one could get excited about having a new vehicle, but I felt very uncomfortable about taking the car home. There was more to our negotiating outcome that was leading to mistrust in this car dealer, and I just decided to walk away without a purchase. The purpose of the negotiations is to claim value—that is, to do whatever is necessary to claim the reward, gain the lion’s share, or gain the largest piece possible (Lewick-Barry-Saunders, Essentials of Negotiation, Fourth Edition, pg. 14). There are many levels of conflict in any negotiating situation. In our reading on page seventeen, it tells us that conflict results from “the interaction of interdependent people who perceived incompatible goals and interference from each other in achieving those goals.” Conflict can be identified in four levels; intrapersonal or intrapsychic conflict; interpersonal conflict; intragroup conflict; and intergroup conflict. I have dealt with many intergroup conflicts. I found this conflict to be one of the most exhausting because there are many people involved. A feuding family over inheritance can lead to months and even years of negotiation without a proper Last Will and Testament in place. My family went through such an ordeal in the passing of one of my grandmothers many years ago. The family negotiated of what items in the home were most important to have for one individual then leading to who deserved to have which acres of land. As stated in our reading, negotiations at this level are also the most complex. I dislike conflict, especially when it is with a family member, but in chapter one is tells how there are benefits of conflict. On page 19, in figure 1.1, it tells us that conflict encourages psychological development—it helps people become more accurate and realistic in their self-appraisals. Through conflict, people take others’ perspectives and become less egocentric. Conflict helps people believe they are powerful and capable of controlling their own lives. In dealing with conflict through my organization, I have found that conflict actually helps with morale. It gives one self confidence about their job and belief in them on what they are fighting for. I can truly attest to that because in a disagreement/conflict over the publication of a certain regulation in my workplace, having a conflict with the other party makes me feel powerful and more aware of my job knowledge. It wasn’t about making just winning, it was more about why I won the disagreement. As part of conflict management, I have often used compromising as a tool. In doing so it has helped me to get what I want but also give the other party something else they need outside of the conflict of discussion.