Method of Harvard Principled Negotiation

Harvard Principled Negotiation was developed as a part of the Harvard Program on Negotiation by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury and Bruce Patton and it was first explained in the book Getting to Yes: Negotiation Agreement Without Giving In.[1] The purpose of this type of negotiation is to help to reach agreement without jeopardizing the business relations.[2] Fisher, Ury and Patton refer to this kind of agreement as a wise agreement.[3] Wise agreement is agreement that meets the interests of both parties to the extent possible, is long lasting, and also considers the interests of the larger society. The basis of this negotiation principle is to separate the relationship issues from the problem issues, to focus on interests not on positions, while trying to be creative in developing solutions.

Method

Separate people from the problem

Usually when negotiating, people tend to get personally involved with the issues in question and preoccupied with their own positions. They consider attacks on those positions as personal attacks. The principle of separating people from the problem helps to reach a solution while minimizing damage to relationships.[4] There are three types of the people problems:

Focus on interests not on positions

Rather than focusing on positions parties should focus on interests. As Fisher and Ury point out in the book: "Your position is something you have decided upon. Your interests are what caused you to so decide."[5] By focusing on interests it is more likely that parties will find a solution. It is important to identify each party's interests and to be aware that the most powerful interests are basic human needs such as security, economic well being, etc. After identifying interests, the parties should discuss them. It is important to speak clearly about one's own interests and to listen and acknowledge the interests of the other party. Discussion should not be exclusively focused on past events, and both parties should be flexible and open to new ideas while keeping their own interests in focus.[6]

Invent the options for mutual gain

The authors identify four obstacles to inventing the options for mutual gain:[7]

The authors also propose four ways to overcome these obstacles:

The process of inventing should be in an informal atmosphere where the both parties sit together and brainstorm about possible solutions. Wild and creative ideas should be encouraged. After the list of possible options is made, parties should use a process of evaluation to find the most promising options. It is helpful to look for shared interests and also to create options which are appealing to other side and which they find easy to agree with.

Insist on using objective criteria

Making decisions by using objective criteria may help reach a solution while preserving a good relationship, especially when the interests are directly opposed. As a first step it is important to develop objective criteria which are the best for the situation in question. Parties can choose their criteria from among different scientific findings, professional standards, legal precedents, etc. It is important that the criteria are legitimate and practical. Three points should be kept in mind when using the objective criteria:[8]

Successful real-life negotiations

See also

References

  1. "About the Harvard Negotiation Project". Program on Negotiation Harvard Law School. April 19, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  2. Gladel, Florence (July 1, 2012). "The Harvard Principled Negotiation". The World of Collaborative Practice. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  3. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, p. 4
  4. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, pp. 19–41
  5. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, pp. 42
  6. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, pp. 42–57
  7. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, pp. 58–81
  8. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (2012). Getting to Yes: negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Third Edition. London: Random House, pp. 82–95
  9. "Roger D. Fisher, Expert at Getting to Yes, dies at 90". New York Times. August 27, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2014.

External links

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.