Ethical considerations
Ethics are usually a rather crucial part of business negotiations. They are defined by morally right and wrong deeds, relying on equity, fairness and sincerity (The Business Professor, 2022; PON, 2022). Ethical reasoning is a strategy one uses to recognize, review and develop ethical decisions (Wesleyan University, n. d.). Said ethical decisions can be revealing, hiding or misrepresenting information that would influence the outcomes in a team’s favor. Although it is commonly believed that negotiators are seldom direct, the majority of them want to tell the truth.
During negotiations, however, there can be cases of unethical behavior. For example, two of them are misrepresentation and nickel and diming (The Business Professor, 2022). The former happens in cases of one party making a false statement to the other, making the latter suffer dire consequences as a result. It may be implied verbally or occur in the process of plans for the future. This unethical tactic is divided into two categories: active and passive. Active misrepresentation occurs when a negotiator intentionally misleads or lies to their opponent. Passive occurs when party A does not state their actual preferences to party B and makes B make the wrong conclusion. In rare cases, however, misrepresentation may be an innocent case (Red Bear Negotiation, 2022). However, it is only applicable when there is no negative intent behind it and if side A manages to prove it sincerely believed its statement for multiple valid reasons. The other unethical tactic in negotiation is called nickel and diming, which is when a team asks for extra favors or resources after the end of the negotiation. It may occur in cases of said side putting too much focus on the price as well.
Negotiation team
There are negotiations that just one person can handle, however, they are quite rare. In most cases, it is important to assemble a negotiation team and work properly as its counterpart (PON, n. d.). This set of individuals may have a primary negotiator, a coach, a team leader, a scribe and a situation board representative. A primary negotiator directly interacts with one’s counterpart and is tactically empathetic (Gaunt, 2021). They should collect data and make problem-solving resolutions and agreements easier. A coach assesses the event, controls the environment and helps the negotiator achieve the necessary outcome. Team leaders are crucial in the overall negotiation attempt as they review it, providing status, recommendations and assessments if required. The scribe records every conversation and their data should consist of brief, accurate and clear notes. Finally, the situation board representative writes information on a board or a chart so that other team members can see it and use it as a helpful reference in the process of the negotiation.
This group of people is necessary for the following kinds of negotiations: creative, with multiple parts, ones with a suitable amount of time for a team approach. They provide useful negotiation strategies that may not be achieved effectively by a solo negotiator. Generally, these sets of people are commonly known for being more successful than the latter (Shonk, 2022). Negotiation teams assess and control each other’s behavior, have a strong competition sense and challenge each other’s views. Monitoring helps to accentuate social norms and expectations of behavior, which play a significant role in negotiations. However, such groups can be guilty of supporting the same opinion and invalidating a perspective that can invalidate it. The process can be damaged by destructive individuals and disagreements within a team. Fortunately, this can be prevented by focusing on crucial decisions instead of voting.
References
Gaunt, D. (2021). Understanding negotiation roles and responsibilities. The Negotiation Edge.
PON – Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. (n.d.).Ethics in negotiation archives.
RED BEAR Negotiation Company. (n.d.). Top 10 sales negotiation mistakes and how to avoid them. World-Class Negotiation Training | RED BEAR Negotiation Company.
Shonk, K. (2022). Negotiation team strategy. PON – Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
The Business Professor. (2022). Unethical tactics in negotiation – Explained. The Business Professor, LLC.
The Business Professor. (2022). What are ethics in negotiations? The Business Professor, LLC.
Wesleyan University. (n.d.). Ethical Reasoning, Ethics.