1By: Ms. Adina Malik (ALK)

•Agents, Constituencies, Audiences•Coalitions•Multiple Parties and Teams

By: Ms. Adina Malik (ALK)

Principal, Agent and Constituent; & Bystanders in Negotiation

Audiences and Third Parties; their characteristics and how they influence negotiation

When to use an Agent vs. When to negotiate for yourself What is Coalition What is Multiparty negotiation?-Their characteristics and

the nature of such negotiation

2

A party can act as a Principal –representing his or her own interests.

3

An Agent is a negotiator who not necessarily presents their own issues and interests, but represent the views of others who may or may not be at the table.

A Constituent is one or more parties who have designated someone else (the agent) to represent their positions and interests in a negotiation. Constituents usually do not participate in the negotiation, although they may be present.

E.g.: An attorney (an agent) and a client (a constituent) E.g.: A salesperson (an agent) and his boss or manager (a

constituent)

4

Bystanders are those who may have some stake in negotiation and who care about the substantive issues or the process by which a resolution is reached, but are not formally represented at the table. They frequently follow the negotiation, express public or private views to the negotiators, and in some way are affected by what happens.

5

An Audience is any individual or group of people who are not directly involved in or affected by a negotiation, but who have a chance to observe and react to the ongoing events and who may at times offer input, advice, or criticism to the negotiators.

Third parties can be described as bystanders who may be drawn in the negotiation specifically for the purpose of helping to resolve it.

6

Audiences vary according to whether they are physically present at or absent from the negotiation.

Audiences who are outcome-dependent derive their payoffs as a direct result of the negotiator’s behavior and effectiveness. A non-dependent audience will not be affected by the result.

Audiences affect negotiation by the degree of their involvement in the process.

Indirect involvement via communication of idea, not directly influencing the course of an ongoing negotiation.

7

Audiences make negotiators “try harder”

Negotiators seek a positive reaction from an audience

Pressures from audiences can push negotiators into “irrational” behavior

Audiences hold the negotiator accountable

8

When the agent has distinct or unique knowledge or skills in the issues

When the agent has better negotiation skills When the agent has special friends, relationships or

connections When you are very emotionally involved in an issue or

problem When you want the flexibility to use negotiation tactics that

require several parties When your natural conflict management style is to

compromise, accommodate or avoid When higher stakes to gain if you do well; while higher costs

to incur if you do poorly

9

When you want to develop or reestablish a strong personal relationship with the other negotiator

When you need to repair a damaged relationship When you want to learn a lot about them before you craft

an agreement When your negotiation skills are better than those of any

available agent When hiring an agent may be too costly When the “image” of being represented by an agent may

make the other side suspicious When the agent is too emotionally involved, defensive and

caught up in game playing

10

A coalition is an alliance among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause.

E.g. Achieving a common corporate goal, lowering insurance rates, regulating an industry action, or strategic planning

11

12

Multiple parties are negotiating with one another and attempting to achieve a collective or group consensus.

Multiple individuals are present on each “side” of the negotiation The parties to a negotiation are teams against teams

13

.

14

Differences between two-party and multiparty negotiations: Number of parties Informational and computational complexity Social complexity Procedural complexity Strategic complexity

15

The pre-negotiation stage Characterized by many

informal contacts among the parties

The formal negotiation stage Structures a group discussion

to achieve an effective and endorsed result

The agreement phase Parties select among the

alternatives on the table

16

Establish participants Form coalitions Define group member

roles Understand the costs

and consequences of no agreement

Learn the issues and construct an agenda

17

Appoint an appropriate chair Use and restructure the agenda Ensure diversity of information and perspectives Ensure consideration of all available information Manage conflict effectively Review and manage the decision rules Strive for a first agreement Manage problem team members

18

Ensure consideration of all available information The Delphi technique

An initial questionnaire, sent to all parties, asking for input

Brainstorming Define a problem and generate as many solutions as

possible without criticizing any of them Nominal group technique

Brainstormed list of solutions ranked, rated, or evaluated

19

Select the best solution Develop an action plan Implement the action plan Evaluate outcomes and the process