What Negotiation Style do you have?
By Chris Wright (business2coach@yahoo.es)
Vocabulary in italics can
be found defined below.
Films and media like to show that there is only one negotiation
style that matters, a competitive style, where you win
and the other person loses! But if that was always the case,
how do negotiations break down? What are the reasons
for people breaking agreements?
The Cambridge English dictionary defines a negotiation as,
“To have formal discussions with someone in order to reach an
agreement.” And a long lasting agreement and commitment
comes from cooperation.
Recent research by Professor G. Richard Shell from the prestigious
Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, identified 5 common negotiation styles
and how those styles interacted, but we’ll discuss that later.
First let’s try to understand why it is important to know what
mix of negotiation styles you have.
For most cultures of the world, the negotiation process can
be divided into the following stages: preparation, information
exchange, explicit bargaining, and commitment.
The greatest fear people have about negotiations is the fear
of what they will lose. Other fears include a lack of alternatives,
threats and time. These can all be greatly reduced from increasing
your knowledge of the negotiation process and negotiation strategies.
Let's concentrate on the negotiation process: firstly preparation.
How can you prepare an effective negotiation strategy if you
don’t know how you will react under pressure, in different
situations and conditions?
The answer is that you can’t unless you know your own negotiation
style first.
Neither can you prepare effective responses to what the other
person does in the negotiation without self-awareness.
If reaching an agreement in a negotiation is based on cooperation
and cooperation is based on trust, then to be an effective negotiator
you need to generate trust between yourself and the
other person. Trust comes from being natural and being
yourself, not from trying to be something you’re not, a fake.
Once you’re aware of your negotiation style you know what can
realistically be improved and what can’t. Trying to be competitive
when you hate competition will make you appear fake and you’ll
lose trust. Remember, you’re not that good an actor!
If you’re more aware of your own negotiation style, you become
more aware of the other person’s negotiation style and
also how different negotiation styles interact. Knowing what
outcomes the interactions of different negotiations
styles produces enables you to better choose the most effective
negotiation strategy to reach an agreement with them.
Professor G. Richard Shell’s research identified 2 things.
Firstly, there are 5 negotiation styles and most people have
a mix of these negotiation styles. What mix of negotiation styles
are you?
1. Avoider: Hate conflicts
and avoid them at all costs. Hence making an agreement with
an Avoider very difficult.
2. Compromiser: Their
priority is to maintain a productive relationship. So they will
make a compromise first, giving the other person what
they want in order to reach an agreement and preserve the relationship.
3. Accommodator: They
like to resolve conflict by solving the other person’s
problems. If the other person is also an accommodator then they
return the favour and help solve their problems. If not, the
other person takes and gives nothing in return.
4. Competitor: They
like to win and be in control of the situation. They believe
if they win, you lose.
5. Problem Solver: The
most imaginative thinkers who think about fair “win/win” solutions
and greater solutions that “make the pie bigger.”
Secondly, what outcomes (Good or Bad) these negotiation styles
produced when two people (A and B) interacted together in a
negotiation.
| |
Avoider (B) |
Compromiser (B) |
Accommodator
(B) |
Competitor (B) |
Problem – Solver
(B) |
| Avoider (A) |
Good |
Bad |
Bad |
Bad |
Bad |
| Compromiser
(A) |
Bad |
Good |
Good |
Bad |
Good |
| Accommodator
(A) |
Bad |
Good |
Good |
Bad |
Good |
| Competitor
(A) |
Bad |
Bad |
Bad |
Good |
Good |
| Problem –Solver
(A) |
Bad |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
His research showed that people who have the same negotiation
style quickly understood each other and produced a “Good” outcome.
Contrary to popular opinion the “Competitor” produced
more “Bad” outcomes than “Good” as most people thought they
were difficult. A “Problem-Solver” negotiation style produced
the best outcomes but is also the hardest to implement
due to the complexity of most negotiations.
Finally if you don’t have a problem-solver negotiation style,
don’t worry. Effective negotiating is as much about attitude
as style. We can all learn, practice and adopt the habits of
the most effective negotiators:
A willingness to prepare
High expectations
The patience to listen
A commitment to personal integrity
Activity - Vocabulary Exercise
Match the expressions from the text to their meanings in
this activity: Negotiation
Styles Vocabulary Matching. Or simply read it here:
Expressions from the Text
1. only one negotiation style that matters - the
only important thing
2. breakdown - stop working or functioning
3. commitment - a strong belief in an idea
4. cooperation - to work together with someone
5. explicit bargaining - when people openly discuss
an agreement
6. how you will react - what you will do when
somebody does something
7. self-awareness - you understand and know about
yourself
8. under pressure - when somebody or something
is making you do something quickly
9. generate trust - create an environment where
someone believes you and you believe them
10. being natural - being yourself
11. fake - false, not real
12. to become aware - you know something or begin to
realise something
13. outcomes - results
14. make a compromise - an agreement where people accept
less than they wanted
15. resolve conflict - solve a potential problem between
two people
16. make the pie bigger - to make a total bigger, so
that those who divide it both get more
17. contrary to popular opinion - the opposite idea
in comparison to the majority
18. the hardest to implement - the most difficult to
do
19. a willingness to prepare - the desire to prepare
20. commitment to personal integrity - you live your
life in respect to your personal beliefs or ideas
Expresiones del TextoEl mismo vocabulario de la lista de arriba.
1. only one negociación style that matters - el único estilo de
negociaciones que importa.
2. breakdown - dejar
de funcionar
3. commitment - compromiso
(con una idea)
4. cooperation - cooperación
5. explicit bargaining - negociaciones abiertas (tira y afloja)
6. how you will react - como reaccionarás
7. self-awareness - conocimiento sobre uno mismo
8. under pressure - bajo presión para hacer algo rápidamente
9. generate trust - crear un ambiente de confianza mutua
10. being natural - ser natural
(no falso)
11. fake - (falso, no real)
12. to become
aware - tomar conciencia
13. outcomes - resultados
14. make a compromise
- un acuerdo en el que ambas partes aceptan menos de lo que querían.
15. resolve conflict - resolver conflictos
16. make the
pie bigger – aumentar el botín (literalmente, la
tarta) para que los que se lo repartan toquen a más.
17. contrary to popular opinion - una opinión
que se opone a la de la mayoría
18. the hardest
to implement – la más
difícil de poner en práctica
19. a willingness to prepare - estar dispuesto a prepararse
20. commitment to personal integrity – compromiso
con la integridad personal o los principios personales
|
What Negotiation
Style do you have? - A business English activity
Madrid
resident Christopher Wright presents his views on negotion styles.
Do the activity first here: 
Soy
formador y profesor de inglés de negocios en Madrid
Centro, Madrid Sur y Madrid Sureste. Ofrezco clases en empresas
y particulares por ejecutivos. 
Clases
a domicilio 
Clases
en el domicilio del profesor. 
