Page 126 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Notes While on vacation, Marvin saw a carpet in a store window and went in to inquire about the
price. He was willing to splurge a bit - up to $350. The owner, who knew the carpet cost
him $150, did not answer, trying instead to distract Marvin. Marvin commented that the
carpet was not actually as nice as he first thought, so the owner showed him several other
carpets; after looking at the others, Marvin asked for the price of the red carpet again.
When the owner said $700, Marvin said the price was too high and offered $200. The owner
refused and Marvin headed for the door, so the owner came down to $650 and Marvin
again turned toward the door. In the end, they settled on $300. The owner was pleased to
earn a 100 percent profit, and Marvin got the carpet for the price he wanted.
Accommodating: If an issue is very important to your opponents and the outcome has no
particular negative consequences for you or your interests, accommodation can be a goodwill
gesture to maintain a cooperative relationship and build up social credits for future issues that
are more important to you. Overuse of accommodation can damage your credibility.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

1. True ................................. means identifying the underlying concerns and interests of both
parties.
2. Effective .............................. helps you to resolve situations where what you want conflicts
with what someone else wants.
3. The ....................................... of competitive negotiation is to win without regard for the
impact on the other party.
4. The negotiation itself is a careful ............................................. of your position and the other
person’s position.

Did u know? Successful negotiators have a positive vision of their success. They fully
understand their subject matter and have a firm grasp of the negotiation process. In addition,
they can also read people very well. Accomplished negotiators know not only their
own personal negotiation style, but also their counterpart’s preferred negotiation style –
sand they use this knowledge to build a stronger relationship that will help achieve their
goals.
Avoidance: Procrastination is a common strategy, as is saying “yes” and just not following
through. Although avoiding conflict is not a long-term solution, it is sometimes appropriate: if,
for example, the potential damage of confronting the conflict outweighs any possible benefits;
if you have no chance of satisfying your interests; if you and the other(s) involved need space
and/or time; if your differences are trivial; if there are too many conflicts which you need to sort
through and then focus; if you or the other(s) are unwilling or unable to resolve your conflicts;
you don’t care about the relationship; or you are powerless to effect change.

Elizabeth was a senior project engineer in a high-velocity impact research facility, and
over the previous year, had implemented several design improvements to the projectile
launcher, enabling it to shoot faster. A new manager was hired who questioned the
modifications to the original component design and insisted that all modifications be
undone, so that it would be identical to one used at another facility. Despite Elizabeth’s
argument and evidence that the modifications improved the launcher’s performance, the
manager insisted, and the situation escalated into hostility. Knowing that she did not have

Contd....

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