Artykuły dot. negocjacji

Dirty tricks in negotiations

listopad 28, 2015 - Artykuły dot. negocjacji

Negotiator / Knowledge base  / Dirty tricks

Dirty tricks in negotiations

Just as any other industry, negotiations can be home to unfair players. This article has one aim – to give a broad display of what dirty tricks they use, so that you can spot them. Awareness is the first step toward dealing with them. Dirty tools

• Environment, which creates discomfort. Seating someone with the sun or light in their face, excessive heat or cold, noise – these are all signs to call a break and find a calmer place. Before beginning talks, sides should check if the environment is suitable and free of distractions.
• Alcohol, which dims rational thinking. Often motivated by cultural context or social proof. The facts say that even the smallest dose of alcohol alters the efficiency of the brain. As a defense, one can propose joint celebration after the signing of the agreement.
• Bribery, as a pick for desires. Presenting a shortcut to big money or other benefits can prove to work on people with weak values and a low self-esteem.
• Techniques, which lead to a downfall of a partner. Techniques are tools positioned on the verge of ethical action, and some even unethical. Before using any of them, a negotiator should think of possible consequences – one should never want the result to be other than a win-win.
• Bad intentions, which seed destruction. People driven by bad intentions are unstable in terms of values and emotions, which makes them unpredictable. They have no restrains from playing dirty tricks.

Example To finish this post, I will share a true story which is an example of an extreme dirty trick. A negotiator from Europe flew over to Asia to establish a contract. In respect with the eastern ways, the first two days were spent on seeking delight in tradition, sightseeing, food, music and alcohol. On the third day, the host announced that near the evening hours they will start to talk about business. The European was pleased. In the afternoon there was more food and alcohol. The Asian even persuaded the European to a game of table tennis. He mentioned repeatedly that it is his favorite sport and was clearly happy of being such a great host. Once they finished, the European was sweaty, tired and tipsy. He was informed that the talks on business will commence in 10 minutes. Indeed, 10 minutes later, the Asian returned in a clean, ironed short, looking fresh, focused and sober. The European was disorientated. During the negotiations he did a poor job and came back to Europe with a miserable contract. What was the dirty trick? Did you notice it? The Asian swapped with his twin brother after the game of table tennis. If the whole situation was based within one culture, the trick could probably be uncovered. Unfortunately, for a person who does not spend time daily with representatives of another race, the differences between twins were unnoticeable.