Business Communication Assignment 4

Types of Negotiators and How To Dealing With Conflict

The Five Types of Negotiator

1.      Competitors

Competitors are assertive and uncooperative. There is a strong desire to satisfy the individual’s needs vs. a weak desire to satisfy the needs of others. Competitors negotiate to win. They know when they’re right and won’t hesitate to let others know that their decision is best. It is best to use a competitive negotiating strategy when making a quick decision for an emergency, defending an unpopular opinion and protecting oneself from others who seek to take advantage of nonassertive/noncompetitive behavior.

2.      Accommodators

Accommodators are unassertive and cooperative. They are the opposites of competitors. During a negotiation, an individual will often sacrifice the fulfillment of his or her own needs in order to satisfy the needs of another person or a group. Accommodators can and will use negotiations to build stronger relationships. They will negotiate to solve another person’s or group’s conflict instead of their own.

3.      Avoiders

Avoiders are unassertive and uncooperative. The need to satisfy themselves, and others, is very low. They do not like the negotiation process at all, and tend to avoid it if they can. They will sidestep negotiations and/or postpone them until a better time, and will withdrawal from any negotiations that seem threatening or aggressive.

4.      Collaborators

Collaborators are assertive and cooperative. They are the opposite of avoiders. Collaborators will negotiate to find a solution that satisfies their concerns. Collaboration between two or more parties can involve exploring a disagreement to gain a new perspective.

5.      Compromisers

Compromisers are moderate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness. Negotiations are done in order to satisfy all involved parties as much as possible. When negotiating, compromisers aren’t as aggressive as competitors, but are more assertive than accommodators. They will address an issue instead of avoiding it, but they will not negotiate in depth as much as a collaborator will.

The Negotiators Should Have Negotiation Preparation Strategies.

While many individuals feel as if successful negotiations are simply the product of natural skill, the key behind reaching an optimal agreement is preparation - know the issue, know yourself, and know your party. Preparation includes knowing your needs and limits, understanding what the other party wants and anticipating their limits, asking the right questions, and being creative in your proposed solutions. Good preparation allows you to strategize and to think on your feet in the negotiation room.

1. First, consider both your interests and the other party's interests. Interests are not positions. Interests are merely the reasons behind a position. Your interests in reaching an agreement may be readily apparent to you.

2. Second, brainstorm options for the agreement. Not every agreement involves just a black-and-white agreement on a monetary amount.

3. Third, consider how you can add legitimacy to these options. What objective criteria or standards create a sense of fairness in the transaction? This dissolves a sense of arbitrariness from negotiations.

4. Fourth, think about the alternatives for both parties. What alternatives do you have if you do not reach agreement? What alternatives might the other party have?

5. Fifth, focus on keeping lines of communication open. Ask about the other side's alternatives. Ask about their interests. Before going into the negotiation room, write out a list of questions that you need to ask.

6. Sixth, assess your relationship with the other party. Where is it now? Where would you like it to be? Why is it like that? How can you improve it? Transparency, active listening, and empathy are great ways to improve negotiations and subsequently, relationships

7. Finally, consider the commitments at stake. What level of authority do you have - can you execute a final agreement at the negotiating table or do you need to have your Board vote on a proposal? What steps do you (or they) need to take in order to get a final agreement?

• Additionally, negotiators can use certain communication techniques to build a stronger relationship and develop more meaningful negotiation solution.

·    * Active listening – Listening is more than just hearing what the other side is saying. Active listening involves paying close attention to what is being said verbally and nonverbally. It involves periodically seeking further clarification from the person

·    * Speak for a purpose – Too much information can be as harmful as too little. Before stating an important point, determine exactly what you wish you communicate to the other party. Determine the exact purpose that this shared information will serve

• A negotiators should have a good interpersonal skills.

 Interpersonal skill are essential for effective negotiations, both in formal situations and in less formal or one-to-one negotiations. These skills include:

• Effective verbal communication.
• Listening.
• Reducing.
• Rapport Building.
• Problem Solving.
• Decision Making.
• Assertiveness.
• Dealing with Difficult Situations.

  

How To Dealing With Conflict

What is conflict ?

Conflict refers to some form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group. Conflict can arise between members of the same group, known as intragroup conflict, or it can occur between members of two or more groups, and involve violence, interpersonal discord, and psychological tension, known as intergroup conflict. Conflict in groups often follows a specific course. Routine group interaction is first disrupted by an initial conflict, often caused by differences of opinion, disagreements between members, or scarcity of resources. 

• Clarifying Confusion About Conflict.

Conflict occurs with two or more people who, despite their first attempts at agreement, do not yet have agreement on a course of action, usually because their values, perspectives and opinions are contradictory in nature. Conflict can occur:

1. Within yourself when you are not living according to your values.
2. When your values and perspectives are threatened.
3. When there is discomfort from fear of the unknown or from lack of fulfillment.

Conflict is inevitable and often necessary when forming high-performing teams because they evolve through “form, storm, norm and perform” periods. Getting the most out of diversity often means addressing contradictory values, perspectives and opinions. Conflict is often needed. It:

• Helps to raise and address problems.
• Energizes work to be focused on the most important priorities.
• Helps people “be real” and motivates them to fully participate.
• Helps people learn how to recognize and benefit from their differences.

  

• Conflicts Influenced by :

1.      Poor communications.

• Employees experience continual surprises, for example, they are not informed of major decisions that affect their workplaces and lives.
• Employees do not understand the reasons for the decisions – they are not involved in the decision-making.
• As a result, they trust the “rumor mill” more than their management.

2.      The alignment or the amount of resources is insufficient. There is:

• Disagreement about “who does what.”
• Stress from working with inadequate resources.

3.      “Personal chemistry,” including conflicting values or actions, for example:

• Strong interpersonal natures among workers do not seem to match.
• We do not like others because they seem too much like ourselves (we often do not like in others what we do not like in ourselves).

4.      Leadership problems.

• Avoiding conflict, “passing the buck” with little follow-through on decisions.
• Employees see the same continued issues in the workplace.
• Supervisors do not understand the jobs of their subordinates.

• Ways To Deal With Conflict

There is no one best way to deal with conflict. It depends on the current situation. Here are the major ways that people use to deal with conflict :

1.   You can avoid it.

Pretend it is not there or ignore it. Use this approach only when it simply is not worth the effort to argue. Be aware that this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time.

2.   You can accommodate it.

You can give in to others, sometimes to the extent that you compromise yourself. Use this approach very sparingly and infrequently, for example, in situations when you know that you will have another more useful approach in the very near future. Usually this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time, and causes conflicts within yourself.

3.   You can compete with the others.

You can work to get your way, rather than clarifying and addressing the issue. Competitors love accommodators. Use this approach when you have a very strong conviction about your position.

4.    Compromising.

You can engage in mutual give-and-take. This approach is used when the goal is to get past the issue and move on together.

5.    Collaborating.

You can focus on working together. Use this approach when the goal is to meet as many current needs as possible by using mutual resources. This approach sometimes raises new mutual needs. Collaboration can also be used when the goal is to cultivate ownership and commitment.