Negotiating

Negotiating

Writing Assignment 1

Answer 1

Upon hearing the word negotiating, the first thing that comes to my mind is that it is a tool for resolving conflicts and settling differences between two or more parties. According to its conventional definition, negotiation is a process in which interested parties resolve disputes, agree to courses of action, seek individual benefits, and agree upon obtaining results that serve their mutual interests (Sorensen & McCreary, 1990). The first idea I have of negotiation is that it almost always involves multilateral action and decision-making seeing how it involves a form of alternative dispute resolution. The second idea is probably the fact that it is the job of the negotiator to ensure that the terms agreed upon eventually are favorable to all the parties involved in the process (Hiltrop & Udall, 1995). The third idea I have of negotiation is that it is an integral part of everyday life and that many real-life and everyday situations require negotiation in one way or another so that learning to negotiate is helpful for everyone.

Answer 2

In my opinion, a good negotiator is one who aims to achieve the results that are most favorable to both parties. Ideally, he would attempt to determine the minimum score that the other party/parties want to accept. Then, they adjust their applications accordingly. Therefore, for a good negotiator, a "successful" negotiation would occur when he can get all or most of the results that his party wants but without driving the other party to permanently stop the negotiations (Hiltrop & Udall, 1995).

Answer 3

In my opinion, a poor negotiator is one who takes sides when engaging the involved parties in the negotiation process. This essentially means that, eventually, the decision of the negotiator will be subjective and biased so that it will be favoring one party more while the other party will be forced to make greater compromises. Another important shortcoming of a poor negotiator is that he will not assess the needs of the involved parties thoroughly and will not make the effort to learn about ground realities before making his decision (Hiltrop & Udall, 1995).

Answer 4

My approach to negotiation is based on the assessment of the needs of the parties engaged in the negotiation process so that a position of compromise can be reached whereby the needs of both the parties are met to the fullest. This is the approach I would follow when working as a negotiator (Sorensen & McCreary, 1990). For example, before sitting down at the negotiating table, I would consider the content aspect, which provides me with a clear analysis of the problems. I would conduct a careful and thorough diagnosis of the situation and form a common approach to the negotiations. I would also establish and identify goals, objectives, positions, and stances for both the parties involved in the process. Moreover, I would also forecast changes in the situation and results and identify possible solutions while designing an enabling environment that fosters the preparation of proposals and arguments (Sorensen & McCreary, ...