Negotiation is a part of people’s life. Notably, people start negotiating at a very early age when they first ask their parents to let them watch more TV. Admittedly, business world is based on the principles of mutual interest. Politics is also the world of constant negotiation. Organizations have to negotiate to remain competitive. In the first place, it is necessary to define the concept.
Hence, negotiation is a process that takes place between people (or groups of people) “who have mutual interests but some differences that need to be resolved” (Goldwasser 2006, p. 77). Importantly, negotiation is possible when the parties have interests in common.
It is also necessary to note that compromise is often an indispensible part of negotiation, i.e. negotiation often includes “making concessions” (Goldwasser 2006, p. 77). It is possible to consider at least three major reasons why negotiation is important.
Development of proper relationships between people and groups of people is one of the most important reasons why negotiation is important. Thus, a French diplomat of the 18th century noted that “the fate of the greatest states depends almost entirely on the good of bad conduct of their negotiators” (Benoliel 2011, p. 1). In the contemporary globalised world, such a statement is still up-to-date.
Countries have to negotiate on a variety of issues to keep peace and contribute to the development of humanity. The World War II is one of the examples of ineffective negotiation as there is some “speculation” that Nazi’s desire to revenge “for the way their country had been treated” led to the war (Goldwasser 2006, p. 81). Therefore, negotiation helps countries co-exist and cooperate.
Apart from the political arena, negotiation is important for the development of the humanity in a variety of terrains. Thus, Spangle and Isenhart (2003, p. 3) note that negotiation “produces a codetermination of understandings about perceptions, knowledge, interests, and outcomes”. In other words, negotiation helps people collaborate and develop.
Thus, in the modern information-oriented world, people have to interact with each other. Business people and scientists may pursue their own goals, but their mutual interests can lead to numerous advances in technology, medicine, education, etc.
Negotiation helps people focus on their mutual interests and diminish differences to start successful cooperation. Thus, negotiation is the process that leads to continuous development of the society.
Finally, negotiation is very important at the individual level. People have to negotiate about all spheres of their life. Living in the society is associated with ability to compromise. People cannot live in isolation and this is why they need to communicate with others and try to collaborate with other members of the community. Negotiation helps individuals become successful members of the society.
On balance, it is necessary to note that negotiation is the process involving people with shared interests and certain differences to be resolved. Negotiation is an indispensible part of people’s life and it is manifested at different levels. It is possible to name at least three major reasons why negotiation is important.
First, negotiation helps nations collaborate. Besides, negotiation has contributed to the development of humanity. Finally, negotiation is important at the individual level as people who have appropriate negotiation skills can become effective members of the society. These three manifestations of negotiation prove that this process plays an important role in the development of humanity and development of every individual.
Reference List
Benoliel, M 2011, Negotiation excellence: successful deal making, World Scientific, London.
Goldwasser, I 2006, Interactive communication: a guide to effective communication, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW.
Spangle, ML & Isenhart, MW 2003, Negotiation: communication for diverse settings, SAGE, London.