Editorial
negotiation
Negotiation skills –
shooting for the win/win situation
As anyone who watches the TV news or has ever read a history book will know, bad news
generally makes for a better story; therefore, throughout history, tales of failed
negotiations outnumber stories of success. in business, negotiation skills are, albeit often
on a micro level, constantly tested.
ut, as Ross Geraghty finds out, the mathematical models and tried and tested It’s an ongoing process of influencing people with
B
key to short- and long-term methods. Instead it is something that individuals regard to contracts, or salaries, essentially of getting
success, in the biggest to the will all possess to a certain extent and which can, people to talk to you.”
smallest negotiations, is an with learning and practise, be developed. And the Trixie Rawlinson, a partner at Impact Factory,
acceptance by both parties that message from recruiters is becoming clearer that a soft skills communication company based in
each need to emerge from the these skills should be developed. In the 2007 QS London, agrees. For her, the essential point in the
negotiation as a winner. Go into a negotiation TopMBA Recruiter Survey, surveying 500 of the art of any negotiation is informing yourself
wanting your opponent to come out happy? That world’s major international MBA recruiters completely about, “the position from where you
isn’t always easy. (including Goldman Sachs, Boeing and Motorola), start. You have to define what you can’t give away
Bad negotiation skills lead to one or both communication and negotiation skills regularly and what you can.”
parties being at least disgruntled, causing a ranked higher in importance than the traditional Rawlinson continues that business negotiations
simmering resentment which, in time, can flare skillsets such as finance and marketing. “We tend rarely come down to cost; there are other aspects the
up into arguments, accusations, and, taking it to to focus less on academic or technical skills,” says businessperson can introduce in order to maintain
the extreme, into violence and even war. Look at Phillip Cho of Lehman Brothers Singapore, “and well thought-out costings and retain a healthy profit.
the Boston Tea Party; the Cuban Missile Crisis; place emphasis more on communication, “If you’re selling golf balls, know in advance how
the Miner’s Strike in the UK; the alleged Pakistani interpersonal skills and leadership traits.” many a customer needs to buy before you can offer
ball-tampering affair in cricket; Munich in 1938. For Jeff Weiss, Director of Vantage Partners, a a discount. Often, negotiation is conducted less on
All examples of where negotiation failed with consultancy in Boston, negotiation is, in its simplest the peripherals to cost such as timing or delivery. If
results ranging from accusations of racism, to war, terms, “An act of persuasion to meet one’s objectives. you could deliver the golf balls tomorrow, for
to the threat of nuclear holocaust.
In the business world, decisions with such
vast repercussions are, thankfully, rare. However, Jeff Weiss on “What makes a good negotiator?”
MBA graduates, ambitious professionals by
definition, are going to have to make negotiation
•
Someone who can prepare, who understands their own objectives, concerns, and
a constant part of their lives until they reach that
perspective and their counterpart’s
coveted chair of the board position. From salaries
to sales contracts, strategy to team building,
•
Someone who is creative and can come up with a range of possible solutions
negotiation skills are a daily event for business
•
Well researched so that important data and figures are at the fingertips
leaders and the advice is to get the basics right as
•
Having a clear idea of what one wants
early as possible. •
Digging under a counterpart’s stated demands to get at the true driving issues
•
An ability to question one’s own assumptions about the other person’s objectives
Soft skills
•
An ability to systematically change tactics during the negotiation to ‘dance a different
Negotiation is generally considered a ‘soft’ skill,
dance’ if things aren’t working, or to change the tactics to play your counterpart’s game
meaning that it isn’t a rigourous academic course
•
Ability to manage the relationship with your counterpart
as, say, marketing or finance with their strict
32 TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com
MBA_FALL_08_pp_002-065.indd 32 11/8/08 18:15:46
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