Skilled V Average Negotiators

Planning

The Huthwaite Research Group conducted a study in the United Kingdom on the behaviour of successful negotiators. The researchers interviewed and observed 49 successful negotiators in a total of 102 negotiations. The 49 comprised 17 Union representatives, 12 Management representatives, 11 Contract negotiators and 9 others.

The negotiators were not considered successful unless they were rated as effective by both sides, had a track record of significant success and had a low incidence of implementation failure. Successful negotiators planning behaviour differed from that of their less skilled colleagues.

Summary of Planning Behaviour Differences	Skilled Negotiators	Average Negotiators
Overall time spent planning	No significant difference	No significant difference
Number of options and outcomes considered per issue	5.1	2.6
Percentage of comments about areas of anticipated common ground	8%	11%
Percentage of comments about long-term considerations of issues	8.5%	4%
Planned order	Issues	Sequences
Average use of sequences during planning per session	2.1	4.9
Setting limits	Range	Fixed-point

Planning time.
Both skilled and average negotiators used about the same amount of time for planning: however, the time was used differently.

Exploration of options.
Skilled negotiators considered twice as wide a range of options and outcomes. This is essentially a creative process. The greater the range of options, the greater the likelihood of finding a mutually beneficial option.
Common ground.
All negotiators focus more on areas of conflict than of agreement, but skilled negotiators spent over three times as much time talking about areas of commonality.
Long term versus short term.
All negotiators spend most of their time on immediate issues. However, skilled negotiators spent more than twice as much time on long-term issues.

Setting limits.
Average negotiators set single point objectives, like not paying a penny more than £90,000. Skilled negotiators set a range e.g. £85,000 - £95,000. This gives more flexibility and also allows for exploration of the interests underlying the position.

Sequence versus issue planning.
Average negotiators use sequence planning e.g. point A must be agreed before being able to move on to negotiate on point B and so on.
Skilled negotiators in contrast use issue planning. Each issue is negotiated on its merits unlinked to other issues and time sequencing is therefore less important. This does not mean that issues cannot be linked only that there is no pre-determined order.

SOURCE: Neil Rackham, "The Behaviour of Successful Negotiators, 1982.