PRE-NEGOTIATION TIPS – MEMORY JOGGERS 2

Once we analyse and decide where each party stands before a negotiation starts we should document each party’s goals, attitudes, limitations and the known or likely opening stance of each side… i.e. the current state of play.

This done, we need to develop a negotiation strategy by: -

Listing possible solutions for the ‘other side’, their repercussions for both parties and define possible areas of agreement plus the underlying mutual needs or common ground.

Preparing a list of fair operating procedures defining ‘how we deal with each other’ i.e. values, ethics, acceptable expertise and from whom, legal practices, standards etc.

Determining the impact of limitations, what ‘THEY’ may realistically be able to accept, deadlines, the power of the negotiating team to make decisions and any political situation. Try define their perspective on the negotiation i.e. what is their real problem and how do they view our position and attitude. List alternative actions that may provide some basis for continuation or a partial agreement or an, ‘if all else fails option’, (sometimes referred to as a lifeboat).

Planning ways to neutralise negatives or bias to the situation or negotiating parties such as, this customer is greedy, unionists are troublemakers or management is anti-worker that will hinder the process or willingness to listen.

Lastly we should practice, perhaps by role-playing both sides to find weaknesses in our arguments or approach.

TELLING RATHER THAN SELLING… CAN END UP IN YELLING!

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PRE-NEGOTIATION TIPS – MEMORY JOGGERS

We all negotiate, all of the time, so best understand how it all works! A good start is to realise that negotiations move in stages and then know what to do at each stage.

Before we negotiate we should as a minimum decide what are: -

Both parties desired outcomes or ‘real’ goals. I say ‘real’ goals as often ‘demands’ can be used to hide true desires. Obviously understanding both parties’ goals is essential if win-win’s are sought. As part of our analysis we should also document the minimum outcome we believe each party is likely to accept and these ‘minimums’ consequences.

Define and write down our opening stance and we should gather all we can on theirs. If we can’t fully understand where both parties are commencing it will be difficult to get started and much time (and goodwill) can be lost.

Our and their limitations on what can be offered or given away. It is no good arguing over the sun if they (or you) only have only the moon the offer. Also time limits can be critical, if you have six weeks to invest and they have a number of months, pressure can be applied or resisted. Clinton pushed harder for a mid east peace settlement the closer he got to the end of his term, the Israelis seem to have limitless time and Arafat, well he is getting on. So best you know your and their deadlines.

Prepare for negative attitudes. We enter negotiations with preconceived ideas about the other ‘side’, as do they, about us. We need to analyse what each parties’ negative attitudes may be, remove ours and prepare for theirs.

ARE WE BEGINNING THE WAY WE MEAN TO CONTINUE… OR IS IT USUALLY… NAH JUST DIVE IN AND HOPE FOR THE BEST…

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POLARITIES OR DO WE NEED TWO HEADS - PART TWO

To continue with the two headed dilemma…!

MANAGEMENT is about: ORDER & CONSISTANCY… protecting the existing structure, systems, traditions and ‘the status quo’ V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: CREATING CHANGE… vision, direction, values and destruction of ‘the way we’ve always done it’

MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT: COMPETING… seeking the winning edge, overcoming those in the way & up the ‘ladder’ V.’s LEADERSHIP, WHICH IS ABOUT: COLLABORATING… showing love and respect for individuals and seeking win-win solutions

MANAGEMENT is about: DOING THINGS RIGHT… organising, setting the rules and seeing rules are followed, the inspector V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: DOING THE RIGHT THINGS by… developing trust and taking risks to ensure we meet our full potential

MANAGEMENT is about: INPUTS… amount, type & quality of resources, effective plant, staff & raw materials V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: OUTPUTS… the level and volume of satisfied customers we can create, the market

MANAGEMENT is about: MANAGING THINGS… operations focused, technical expertise & people as production inputs V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: LEADING PEOPLE… our charisma, socialised power, human relations, communication skills, inspiration & motivation

With the conflicting nature of these requirements how do we prepare managers/leaders to deal with these apparently opposing roles? If we send our managers off for leadership training we best be prepared to adjust our culture, abandon our hierarchy and flatten our organisational structure… or disaster approaches.

CONTROL FREAKS… PREPARE TO FAIL!

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WANT SUCCESS… BEST GRAB THE POWER…

WHAT IS IT?

Power can be defined as the ability of a person or group to influence the thoughts or behaviour of another person or group, so that he/she or they do something they would not otherwise do, assuming that the recipients of the power have some personal discretion over what they do’.

WHAT’S CRITICAL – MAINTAINING DEPENDENCY

The receiver’s relationship or dependency on the holder of power is only effective when the holder posses something that the receiver wants. The more dependant the receiver is the greater the power of the holder. Critical to dependency are; the importance of what is controlled, the scarcity of the resource and the potential for substitutes or alternatives. (i.e. jobs, chance of promotion, salary increase budget, staff resources, purchasing budgets and funds for R & D).

POINT - POWER CAN BE PERCEIVED AS PERSONALISED OR SOCIALISED.

Personalised power infers that only the POWER USER will benefit and if used a negative impact on the receivers will occur. Socialised use of power is when the receiver perceives both the power user AND THE RECEIVER will benefit and is more likely to gain acceptance and a positive outcome. IMPORTANT POINT - the recipient of power will always be the one who decides if the power user is using socialised or personalised power.

A POWERFUL LOT TO THINK ABOUT!

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FIVE TYPES OF POWER TO BE IN CONTROL AT WORK

POWER TYPE 1 - Legitimate, Authority, Position, Access to Formal Communication (THE BOSS IN ALL OF HIS OR HER VARIOUS POSITIONS OR FORMS)

POWER TYPE 2 - Expert, Knowledge, Technical Superiority, Communication Skill, Task or Job (THE M.I.S. MANAGER & THE HEAD OF ENGINEERING)

POWER TYPE 3 - Coercive, Fear, Take Away, Negative Control of Resources or Information (PURCHASING STAFF, FINANCIAL CONTROL & THE HR DIRECTOR)

POWER TYPE 4 - Referent, Personal Attractiveness, Relationship, Groups, Charisma, Sex (THE BOSS’S SECRETARY, THE TOP SALESPERSON, THE LOVELY YOUNG THING FROM PR AND THE OFFICE STUD)

POWER TYPE 5 - Reward, Positive Control of Resources or Information, Money, Benefits (THE BOSS, THE SUPERVISOR, PROJECT MANAGERS & MOST OF THE ABOVE)

To be truly ‘powerful’ all five groups should be used, reliance on one group will ultimately lead to loss of power i.e. authority can be withdrawn, knowledge becomes outdated, fear creates subversion, we all get old (and ugly) and our ability to reward can be hampered by the vagaries of the business climate and company edicts.

A LOT TO THINK ABOUT (AND DO) TO BE TRULY POWERFUL

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POLARITIES IN ORGANISATIONAL LIFE (DO WE NEED TWO HEADS)

Traditional management concerned itself with supervision; checking, delegating, controlling, inputs and ensuring staff did what they are told. Managers where seen as fitting along a style line between laissez-faire and autocratic, with the ideal supposedly near the middle as a democrat.

Today the issue is more complex and with an empowered workforce our style is less relevant and as managers need to become ‘more things’ to a more demanding workforce. The concept of managers needing to fulfil a leader role is prevalent. Some even argue managers are no longer required and it’s only leaders that will drive the companies of the future. This is fine in theory however corporate culture can take a long time to change and most managers are expected to fulfil the duel role. This creates inner conflict as the ideals of the two disciplines are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

MANAGEMENT is about: CONTROLLING…don’t leave the department, check what they’re up to, define competence requirements and ‘title and position give authority’ V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: FREEDOM…finding ways to encourage new ideas, creativity and initiative by letting ‘followers’ participate in a flexible situation where authority is shared.

MANAGEMENT is about: SURVIVING…dealing with short-term operational needs and processes whilst strictly controlling costs and watching the budget V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: GROWTH… to be achieved through identifying new (and possibly risky) ventures that could be the basis for future income (and perhaps losses)

MANAGEMENT is about: MANAGING… instructing, allocating, delegating, following up, organizing and directing V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: LEADING… inspiring, helping, encouraging teamwork, coaching, supporting and aligning

MANAGEMENT is about: ADMINISTRATING… overseeing activities, processes & individual tasks, control & supervision V.’s LEADERSHIP, which is about: PLANNING…seeking process improvement, implementing change, agreeing goals and empowering followers

DO YOU NEED LEADERS, MANAGERS… OR BOTH, TWO HEADS… ONE BODY?

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MOTIVATION PRINCIPLES AND WHY WE CAN’T MOTIVATE OTHERS

Points to consider:

All human motivation is basically selfish, i.e. people do things for their reasons not ours.

All people are motivated and they will continually move either towards or away from all propositions.

You cannot motivate other people because all motivation comes from within.

People’s motivation is constantly changing in response to their ever-changing personal priorities.

To utilize others motivation, find out what they want and why they want it and then convince them that you are their best chance of getting it.

MONEY IS NOT A MOTIVATOR, HOWEVER LACK OF MONEY IS A BIG DE-MOTIVATOR!

Worth a thought, MR HERZBERG?

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FOUR MORE HABITS FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGERS

HABIT 7: The 20/80 principle, 20% of our staff will produce 80% of our results... we should try to avoid the natural tendency to spend the bulk of our time ‘fixing’ our poor producers. Time is better spent supporting the top producers, who, because of their competence, are often left to their own devices (and can then feel unnoticed and unappreciated).

HABIT 8: View traditional company procedures as ‘a guide for the wise and as rules for fools’ In the current complex and fluid climate being flexible and adaptable, rather than rigidly following 'the system', means we may well benefit if we are prepared to modify ‘the rules’ and take a different course to the norm, (easily said but hard to do).

HABIT 9: When delegating agree (rather than set) deadlines… if we don’t agree a deadline we run the risk of getting a, ‘I haven’t had time yet’. By agreeing a deadline the other party has to be up front about their current workload and will have little or no excuse for not performing the task allotted.

HABIT 10: Check progress... confirm progress on tasks delegated to staff or assigned to colleagues. A good formula is to seek a report at ‘half time’ and in the ‘final quarter’.

HMMM… NOW WHERE DID I LEAVE THAT COMPANY PROCEDURES MANUAL…

Worth a thought, some practice and immediate adoption!

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OH NO… NOT ANOTHER STUPID MEETING

Before we call a meeting we should ask the following questions…

Can we achieve the desired result with a ring around or with just two people face to face? Is this meeting really just ‘disguised working’ or a ‘social event’? How long has it been since anyone asked why we have this meeting, has it become a ritual? Are the decision makers attending or are substitutes sitting in? Do the loudest always win? Is that idiot with the mobile phone going to be there? Has this meeting become a forum for show offs and politicians? Is there an agenda and are minutes distributed? Do we make decisions and did anything happen as a result of the last meeting?

And remember…

If one person is late and keeps six other highly paid executives waiting ten minutes… one hour of productive (and expensive) time is lost.

And also remember…

Most managers think [if not say] that they spend too much time in unproductive time wasting… stupid bloody meetings… pardon my profanity.

ARE ALL THE MEETINGS IN YOUR DIARY… R-E-A-L-L-Y… NECESSARY…?

Worth a thought or a meeting perhaps!

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THREE MORE HABITS FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGERS

HABIT 4: Before answering staff questions, ask them to suggest a solution to the problem... if staff are encouraged to offer their suggestions true mentoring/coaching can begin, plus it’s a good way to find new approaches to solving old problems.

HABIT 5: Allow staff to make and learn from mistakes, (within reason)... by allowing mistakes and then coaching to improve performance, ‘subordinates’ will be more willing to take responsibility. A common tendency to ridicule or ‘hit’ those who make mistakes is a major reason for the failure of many empowerment programs.

HABIT 6: Manage the in-tray using the “three pile” method, 1 ‘must do now’, 2 ‘not urgent but important’ and 3 ‘l will get to it next week’. Then assume there is no: 2 and place contents into 1 or 3... then bin the 3 pile, (or have it filed… if you must). Immediately take at least one positive step on each task in the 1 pile… respond, instruct, seek clarification, or delegate.

HABITS ARE LIKE RABBITS… PUT A COUPLE TOGETHER & THE EFFECTS MULTIPLY

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