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5 Types of the Negotiation

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Negotiation is often scare for people because they feel it is win-lose and they fear they will lose. Negotiation can be a positive experience if you approach it with the right mindset. It also doesn't have to be you negotiating alone. Think about all of the players in the discussion and decision that needs to be made. Think about the possible ways to approach the negotiation and pick one of these 5 types:


1. Integrative Negotiation (Merit-Based, Win-Win)

“In many negotiations, there does not have to be a winner or a loser – everyone can win. Instead of assuming that negotiations are win/lose situations, negotiators can look for win/win solutions – and will often find them)”.


Thus, we also call integrative negotiation a merit-based, interest-based, or win-win strategy. Integrative negotiation allows both parties to pursue their own interests and build a long-term cooperative relationship.


According to authors Lewicki, Saunders, and Barry, for negotiation to be integrative, negotiators must:

  • Focus on what they have in common instead of differences

  • Address needs and interests, not positions

  • Commit to including the needs of all parties

  • Exchange information and ideas

  • Devise opportunities in which both parties can benefit

  • Use objective criteria for standards of behavior and success


2. Distributive Negotiation (Win-Lose)

Distributive bargaining is also called win-lose bargaining. During this type of negotiation, there is a frequent conflict between the two sides. As a result, the goal of negotiations is challenging to achieve or almost impossible because the very competitive-hostile atmosphere makes it impossible. Given this outcome of the negotiations, this approach is considered poor and inappropriate for planning long-term cooperation.


3. Multiparty Negotiation

It includes three or more parties in the multiparty negotiation process, and they use diverse negotiating methods to make their arguments. For example, a multiparty discussion occurs when six friends decide on the location of a party and debate the benefits and drawbacks.


4. Team Negotiation

This form of negotiation is carried out between the two parties. Team negotiations, for example, are negotiation methods that the teams of two organizations use intending to merge.


When forming a negotiation team, a corporation searches for employees with good negotiation abilities and highly developed strategic thinking capacity.


5. Positional Negotiation

Positional negotiation is when you state your position from the beginning. Then you must defend that location against an attack. Positional negotiation is one of the most important types of negotiation since it involves both sides having firm positions and holding to them adamantly. They may not consider the other party’s interests or understand where they are coming from. Many find positional bargaining to be relatively ineffective.


"Out of all the five types of negotiation skills, Integrative and Distributive negotiation skills are the most used ones."


Information above is a re-post from Align Thoughts.

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