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Strategiidenegociere

NegotiationStrategies

byRaicaUngurusanCristinaSamaila

Source:Annals.EconomicsScienceSeries.Timioara(Anale.SeriatiineEconomice.Timioara),issue:XIV/2008,pages:233236,onwww.ceeol.com.

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NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES

STRATEGII DE NEGOCIERE

Raica UNGURUSAN, Cristina SAMAILA TIBISCUS UNIVERSITY OF TIMIOARA, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS

Abstract: The negotiators learn very quick as if they want the success is due to offers a little to obtained what they need. The truth quality is the ability to stable what namely to offer, when to offer, why to offer, how much to offer and what to wait in conversely. To be an experienced negotiator, a person must due to knows to manipulate a thing that he can dispensed with what he offered and what he receive to satisfy his needs. Key words: Conflict, decision, approach, cooperation,situation.

Moment by moment, hour by hour, each of us have our own personal interest or

point of view. Every one persuades or is persuaded. Every baby has something to exchange whit someone else and they must reach an understanding. Still, before reaching to an agreement, people inevitably go through a state of discord more or less conflictual. This can happen whether they exchange emotions, feelings, ideas, opinions, money or products.

The art of relating to your business partner, avoiding conflicts, can take the name of negotiation. If you master the art of negotiation, you will have an extra chance to avoid your partner NO. It means that you know how to orient, influence and manipulate his behavior to make him say YES.

In everyday life, at home, at work, in the street, particulary in diplomacy and in the contemporary business world, negotiation and the negotiator have acquired an incredible importance, hard to assess.

In business, if you master the art of negotiation you will have an extra chance to earn more and to keep a good relation whit your business partner. When you negotiate well, you can orient, influence and manipulate your partner to make him cooperate. The secret lays in attracting him towards a game such as Lets win together.

No matter where and between whom it is carried, negotiation uses rhetoric, logic and elements of argumentation theory. Notions like: offer, demand, position, claim, objection, compromise, concession argument, transaction, argumentation, test can often appear in the negotiation process. At the same time, the non-verbal communication elements like: facial expression, mimic, gesticulation, posture, clothes, the general aspect can have undeniable importance. The culture of the partners and the negotiation power of negotiating parts are other indispensable elements. Elements of tactic an strategy, traps and rhetoric tricks, as well as knowledge in the field of perception psychology can play a decisive part in acquiring great advantages in exchange.

Negotiation is a talent, an inmate gift but also an ability obtained through experience an learning. The negotiator profession is one of the best in business, diplomacy and politics.

On the whole, negotiation appears like a condense and interactive form of interpersonal communication in which two or more parts in discard aim at arriving to an understanding which solves a common problem or purpose. The understanding of parts can take the form of a simple verbal accord, a protocol or an application later, rapidly drawn up, as well as a convention or a contract, drawn up according to universal

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proceeding and usances but it can also mean a truce, a pact or an international treaty drawn up according to specific proceedings.

In relation to the field of interest where the negotiation is carried, we can distinguish several negotiation forms. The most popular is the business negotiation or commercial negotiation materialized in a contract or commercial papers such as sale and purchase, partnership, rent, concession, franchising.

In war or in the kitchen, in business or in the street, in a divorce or in a terrorist conflict, namely in all forms of human interaction, there is certain need of strategy and tactics. Although there arent any recipes or doctrines that guarantee the successful achievement in an infinity of conflictual situations, strategic thinking and tactic actions often multiply the chances of success.

Strategy is a course of action that can be proven valid in certain circumstances but completely inapplicable in many other situations. It is subordinated to the global and final objectives.

A strategy line aims at long-term effect and can be materialized in premeditate tactic actions or spontaneous, impulsive reactions having short-term effects.

Tactic is subordinated to immediate, partial and intermediate objectives. A strategy line consists in a more or less coherent series of tactical action an spontaneous reactions. Along the strategy line, tactics action follow one another like . in a chain. The negotiation strategy only works in doubled by the art of orientation and control the interaction of the conflictual interests using the cold logic of rational arguments and the psychological energy emotions and feelings.

Any form of negotiation involves a conflict of volition, feelings and interests. Al times, each of the parts can take the initiative and control, but they cant dominate them all simultaneously. Each of the parts is influenced by the perception of their own position and accordingly, of the opponents. The part that has a clearer vision of this volition conflict has more chances to control the interaction and obtain victory. Ideally your negotiation partner should understand the fact that you are right and he is wrong before investing too much time and effort to convince him.

If so, it means that you have chosen the best strategy. The fundamental principle of strategy is to master volition interaction at the negotiation table, not allowing an open conflict.

The conflict can be prevented from the beginning. The phases of progressive aggravation can be indicated by: discomfort, incidents, misunderstandings, tension and crisis.

Discomfort is a kind of embarrassment, an emotion or an unpleasant feeling that produces face grimaces and makes the voice tremble.

Incidents are minor, but troubling issues, happened without ones express will, that bring sadness and irritation.

Misunderstandings are doubtful situation, ambiguities happening when partners misinterpret one another, drawing tendentious conclusions, as they become suspicious and resentful.

Tension is the state of irritation, worry and permanent alert when faced with the supposed bad intentions of the partner.

Crisis is an open conflict, argument, violence or the ending of the relation between negotiation parts.

The adopted negotiation strategies depend upon the market context, the negotiators personality and ethics, as well as the relations between parts.

Direst strategies When we master a certain situation and we are certain of the results of our actions,

we approach the subject directly and we aim the target.

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Direct strategies are used when the balance of forces in clearly favorable to us, and the power of negotiation easily imposes the will of the strongest after a short and decisive battle.

According to the military theory, in this kind of strategies victory must be achieved by:

Using a considerable amount of force against the main forces of the opponent. Fighting a simple decisive battle.

Direst strategies are easily used when one is strong and face a relatively weak opponent.

Indirect strategies When the balance of force and the circumstances are not favorable, we choose

solutions aimed at making or opponent weaker, side blows mostly using psychological means to limit the opponents freedom of action. Indirect or lateral strategy is used when the opponent is stronger. Using it means hitting the opponent in his weak spots.

In negotiation, lateral maneuvers mean manipulation and are only possible in exchange of a great waste of psychological persuasion and suggestion means that limit the opponents freedom of action.

In military terms, some of the main rules of lateral maneuvers are the following: Achieving a surprise effect by constantly taking unpredictable actions. Using strong resource to give decisive hits in the opponents weak spots, Devising and spreading the opponents forces by lateral and sideway maneuvers. Constantly supervising the opponents maneuvers.

In order to be able to choose the most appropriate tactics and techniques it is important to clarify the co operational and conflictual nature of negotiations. Strategies based on force, suitable in the context of an open conflict, are more simple than the co operational one.

Conflictual or competitive strategies are the ones aiming at obtaining certain advantages without making any concessions in exchange. They are harsh and tense and, in most cases, they are based on a disproportion of negotiation power between parts. Business relations established by means of such strategies may turn out to be profitable, but not on the long run. They are highly influenced by changes in the market context.

When it comes to conflictual strategies, it is essential to perceive in due time the nature and type of the volition conflict. They can be:

a) Conflict of beliefs and preferences b) Conflict of interests c) Instrumental conflict

The conflict of beliefs and preference is generated by cultural and perception differences. It can be political, religious, ideological etc.

It is a conflict between the fundamental values of the partners, not a rational one. It is deep, very intense and hard to reconcile. It is useless to try make an Arabian fundamentalist a Christian as it is serve garlic for breakfast to someone who hates it. Usually such conflicts develop, last a long time and lead to the exhaustion of the opponents. Opposing positions can be unpredictable.

Conflicts of interests are ones generated on material an financial support, related to sources of raw material, outlets, division of profits, competition etc. the behavior of negotiating parts remains rational and their position can be easily expressed in military terms.

Instrumental conflicts are the ones that take place when opponents adhere to one and the same final objective, but they dont agree on the ways, methods and means used in order to achieve it. Conflicts take a procedural nature.

Competitive strategies generate tactics of negative and aggressive influence such as warning, direct threats and repercussions.

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Co-operational strategies They are the ones in search on a balance between advantages an concessions, that

avoid open conflicts, refusing the use of aggressive means that create pressure. You are facing a partner, not an opponent.

At least at the beginning of discussions, these strategies aim at indentifying common points and interests in order to make several opportunities possible and arrive to an agreement with the partner. To beat the opponents resistance, you must not answer when provoked; you must not attack when being attacked. Moreover, you must take his side, agree with him as often as possible, listen attentively, show respect, apologies etc. If you want to be listened to, you must be the first to listen. If you want to be understood, must understand your partner first. If you speck calmly, it is very possible that you will be spoken to in the same manner. If you are friendly, it will be easier to reach friendship.

Co-operational strategies are based on tactics of positive influence such as promises, recommendations, concessions and rewards.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

TOMA GEORGESCU Negocierea afacerilor, Editura PORTO-FRANCO, Galati 1992 DUMITRU MAZILU Tratat privind teoria si practica negocierilor, Editura LUMINALEX, Bucuresti 2002 GHEORGHE PISTOL Negocierea teorie si practica, Institutul national de cercetari comerciale Virgil Madgearu, Colectia Biblioteca comertului romanesc, Bucuresti 1994