Page 220 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Notes negotiation. This step often passes quickly, since the parties are essentially in agreement
as to substance and usually only need to record the specifics of the issues. However, this
step can be critical in establishing a positive climate for the entire negotiation process. By
first identifying at least some issues and reaching mutual agreement the parties involved
begin the process with a sense of openness, collaborative, and accomplishment.
Box 10.1: Practice Active Listening

A critical negotiation skill that can be utilized in many situations—such as conducting job
interviews, resolving grievances, and performing annual job evaluations—is called active
listening, and involves far more than just keeping silent while the other party is talking.
It is focusing on what the other person is saying from that person’s point of view,
understanding both the content and emotion. Active listening is a skill that must be
developed for successful integrative negotiations because it enables you to recognize
issues that can be successfully resolved. It also signals to the other side that you care about
their concerns and are open to new options. Active listening requires you to confirm that
you understood what the other party said before you respond, often by restating or
paraphrasing the message. This verification process is what distinguishes active listening
and makes it an effective skill. The active listener does not pass judgment—neither critical
nor favorable—on what the other person is saying. Why? Because the primary goal of
active listening is comprehension, not agreement or disagreement. You can practice active
listening by following these tips:

Tip # 1: Maintain eye contact with the other person.
Tip # 2: Think only about what the person is saying. Resist the urge to begin formulating
your reply or your position on the issue.

Tip # 3: Take notes that summarize their thoughts and can be used later as you reflect on
their concerns. This attention to detail also shows your sincere interest in what
they are saying.
Tip # 4: Pay close attention to their body language, including any significant aspects in
your notes.

Tip # 5: Ask reflective questions to let the person know you are listening and that you
understand their position. Repeat in your own words what you’ve heard to ensure
that you have understood it and to let the other party know you understood it
correctly. Ask probing questions about any aspect that is not entirely clear to
you.
Source: Adapted from Harvard Business Essentials: Negotiation (Boston: Harvard Business School Press,
2003), 59. Used by permission.
The fourth step involves the trade-off of issues—the heart of the integrative process. Both parties
review the list of issues identified in the first step and categorized in the second step, noting the
compatible issues that were removed in the third step—which leaves the remaining unresolved
issues to be resolved through the exchange of one issue for another. In an open brainstorming
process, either party can suggest exchanges of issues of approximately equal value. In the process,
one party receives its position on an issue, then in return gives the other party its position on
another issue.
In some cases, two or more issues might be exchanged for a single issue if the approximate
values are equal. If all remaining issues can be exchanged, the negotiation process is over, but in
most situations one or more unresolved issues are left on the table. The fifth step, then, is the
resolution of the last issue or issues, which often is accomplished through distributive bargaining.
However, because the prior steps resolved most of the issues, neither party is likely to walk

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