Page 219 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Unit 10: Integrative Bargaining

followed by the second step, and the second by the third, and so forth. However, in reality, Notes
negotiators experienced in integrative bargaining may not utilize a linear model, but instead
may choose to follow a process that best meets their interests in a given situation. Unlike the
distributive process, the parties generally do not begin by tossing out a number—their opening
offer on an issue. The first step is for the parties to begin by exchanging information and seeking
to identify all of the issues to be negotiated, listing them, and explaining their position on the
issues. The negotiators seek to learn about the other party’s concerns and interests, which helps
them identify potential areas of common ground. Generally they do not make a proposal at this
step, as it would be premature and could shorten the discovery phase of the process. The key
here is to learn about the other party’s issues and determine their interests and objectives.
Rather than respond to any issue, a negotiator should focus on listening and interpreting what
is presented. Key techniques in this first step include the following:
 Use active listening (see Box 10.1). Active listening is perhaps the single most useful
integrative bargaining skill because it indicates that you are genuinely interested in
understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, and needing. Listen closely to
the other party’s explanation without interrupting, disputing a fact or belief, or objecting
to a statement—even if it may be critical of your position on an issue.

 Ask open-ended questions about the level of need, interest, or concern of the other party on
each issue discussed. Ask why an issue is important, to help better understand the position
presented. Ask “why not” to consider another approach to resolving an issue.
 Express empathy for the other party’s feelings, using reflective statements such as “I can see
why it is important that you have delivery by that date,” while being careful to not agree
with their position.
 Probe for the other side’s willingness to trade-off an issue for another issue—a key to
integrative bargaining. Ask questions such as: “Would you be willing to give up X if we
were able to guarantee Y?”
 Assert your own needs. Explain your interests and positions.

 Refrain from making personal attacks or criticizing the other party’s positions.

Use humor when possible

The second step in the categorization method generally begins with the parties developing a
common list of all issues of possible interest that were discussed by either side in the first step.
The participants do not assume that they have opposing goals on all issues. Instead, together
they review the issues and classify them as one of three types:
1. Compatible Issues: Those with identical or very similar goals, and thus where agreement
can be reached quickly and the issue settled;
2. Exchange Issues: Those of generally equal value that can be traded one for the other, and
thus with one party achieving its goal on one issue and the other party achieving its goal
on another issue; or
3. The remaining distributive issues, often few in number, but important—such as price or
salary. However, if the distributive (win-lose) process had been utilized to settle all issues,
it is likely that the process would have been far more adversarial, compared to integrative
negotiations in which many of the issues can usually be settled by the compatible or
exchange methods, which are far more friendly processes that are also likely to achieve an
agreement of greater total gain for both sides. Why? Because less value is “left on the
table”—a common goal of integrative negotiators. The third step involves reaching final
agreement on the compatible issues, and therefore removing them from further

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