#ChaosIsGood: Extreme Negotiations

This week I read a very interesting in the Harvard Business Review about extreme negotiation skills used by the U.S. Military. I think it's a fascinating article especially because these soldiers often have to deal with people that are very different in terms of cultu

re, tradition, language, etc,. In such an intense environment we recognize the basic, raw human elements that we all share, regardless of race, ethnicity, education, culture, tradition, etc,. Below are the five strategies from the article (Extreme Negotiations - Harvard Business Review):

1. Get the Big Picture:
Avoid:

Assuming you have all the facts
Assuming the other side is biased--but you are not
Assuming the other side's motivations and intentions are obvious-and probably nefarious

Instead:

Be curious
Be humble
Be open-minded

2. Uncover and Collaborate:
Avoid:

Making open-ended offers
Making unilateral offers
Simply agreeing to (or refusing) the other side's demans

Instead

Ask "why is that important to you?"
Propose solutions for critique: "Here's a possibility--what might be wrong with it?"

3. Elicit Genuine Buy-In
Avoid

Threats
Arbitrariness
Close-mindedness

Instead

Appeal to fairness
Appeal to logic and legitimacy
Consider constituent perspectives

4. Build Trust First
Avoid

Trying to "buy" a good relationship
Offering concessions to repair breaches of trust, whether actual or only perceived

Instead

Explore how a break-down in trust may have occurred and how to remedy it.
Make concessions only if they are a legitimate way to compensate for losses owing to you nonperformance or broke commitments.
Treat counterparts with respect, and act in ways that will command theirs.

5. Focus On Process
Avoid

Acting without gouging how your actions will be perceived and what the response will be
Ignoring the consequences of a given action for future as well as current negotiations

Instead