Negotiations
Training
When
to Team Up or Go At It Alone:
Team-Based and
Individual Negotiations
Over time, you
will come to realize that some
negotiations are best handled on an individual and one-on-one
basis while others stand a greater chance of success when a team
approach is utilized. What are some examples of
team-based or individual negotiations you've seen?
Team:
Individual:
Each type of
negotiation approach offers its own distinct advantages
and disadvantages. When you are in a situation when either approach
may be worth considering, it pays to take the time to analyze what
format will be best for you. To help your team's analysis, we've
provided information on both approaches.
Advantages
to Team and Individual Negotiations
As an individual,
the first advantage to negotiating alone is that the style lends
itself more readily to establishing a relationship with the other
party. Given the one-on-one approach involved, the two parties are
more likely to develop a level of trust as they work through discussions
and focusing on finding a positive outcome. As an individual, you
are less likely to struggle
with indecision as you won't have to deal with internal discussions
or strategy
issues during your meetings. Given that you are the sole representative
of your company, the difficulties inherent with managing varying
opinions are not present. Of course, for those companies who are
concerned about expenses, having one individual focus
on a negotiation is much less expensive than utilizing a team-based
approach.
Teams however
are very powerful as they can work together to present a unified
force when dealing
with the other party. Strength lies in numbers and one of the
clear advantages of a team is that team members can draw upon varying
levels of expertise, background and knowledge. The team-based approach
provides internal colleagues the ability to forge stronger bonds
and a level of teamwork that just isn't found on an individual basis.
Furthermore, once a team finds an acceptable
outcome, management will be more likely to accept the decision
of the group.
Disadvantages
to Team and Individual Negotiations
Some negotiators
become so wrapped up in the workings of a negotiation that they
become too
personally involved and lose focus of their ultimate goals.
While teams can draw on various levels of expertise, the individual
negotiator is limited by his or her knowledge and experience. Should
the personal relationship with the other party take a wrong turn,
the individual negotiator is not able to lean on others to repair
any hard feelings or difficulties.
While teams
can provide a unified front, they can also suffer from the difficulties
inherent when multiple people with
varying opinions try to act in concert on behalf of their company.
Differing opinions can create dissent and can lead to internal breakdowns.
Furthermore, the team approach makes it more difficult for each
party to establish a relationship with the other party. Given that
teams may sometimes lead
to perceptions (whether accurate or not) of an us vs. them mentality,
there may be some wariness by the other side to cooperate as they
would on an individual basis
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