NEGOTIATION FOR ORGANIZATION SUCCESS: ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES

AND SKILLS

INTRODUCTION
The term negotiation refers to a strategic discussion intended to resolve an issue in a
way that both parties find acceptable. Negotiations involve give and take, which means one
or both parties will usually need to make some concessions.

Negotiation can take place between buyers and sellers, employers and prospective
employees, two or more governments, and other parties. Here is how negotiation works and
advice for negotiating successfully.

Negotiation is a method for resolving administrative conflicts in a health care organization.

Conflicts between health care nurses and physicians are not restricted in teams and may lead
to suboptimal patient care (Cullati et al., 2019). Negotiation is based on skills that enable
negotiators to succeed in their roles, so they must learn these skills and practices that lead to
solving the various complexities and difficulties that arise in an organization along with
awareness of negotiation techniques and knowledge of different concepts of negotiation.

The management role for nurses arises from basic preparation (skills), knowledge, and
experience of the management practices. Tools of management like negotiation of conflict
are used to organize the managerial tasks logically and to support professional decision
making (Eduardo et al., 2016).
It is significant to administrators in health care settings to recognize different negotiation
styles; therefore, they can interact properly through diverse conditions of conflict in the
organization. Nowadays, in the health care institute, the roles of nursing managers,
especially.

Nurses are negotiators. Whether with patients, families, physicians, supervisors, unlicensed
staff, or with each other, negotiation is part of the ongoing and continuous process inherent
within nursing.

WHAT IS NEGOTIATION
In one college one psychology department professor came to the library to meet the
librarian and asked for the „Cognitive Psychology‟ book. In library already there had 2
copies. But the professor wanted 2 copies more. Librarian said no to that professor but
the professor convinced the librarian.
The answer to the above question in a simple word “Negotiation”. You negotiate so that you
achieve whatever you want without the fear of conflicts or misunderstandings. It is a peaceful
way of accomplishing things without making anyone angry.

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DEFINITION

Negotiation was defined according to Webster’s glossary as to meeting and discussing with
one another to reach an agreements (El-Hanafy, 2018)

 Negotiating is the process of getting the best terms once the other side starts to act on their
interest. - Mark H. McCormack
 Negotiation is a field of knowledge and endeavour that focuses on gaining the favour of
people from whom we want things. - Herb Cohen

Negotiation is a technique of discussing issues among one self and reaching to a

conclusion benefiting all involved in the discussion. It is one of the most effective ways to
avoid conflicts and tensions. When individuals do not agree with each other, they sit together,
discuss issues on an open forum, negotiate with each other and come to an alternative which
satisfies all. In a layman’s language it is also termed as “Bargaining”.
Negotiation helps you to achieve your goal without hurting anyone.
Negotiation is essential in corporate as well as personal lives to ensure peace and
happiness.
Example:
The principle asks Librarian to submit a report within two working days and Librarian knows
that the report is a little critical one and needs more time. Will Librarian say a yes to the
principle just to please them? Librarians yes might make the principle happy then but later
Librarian will land herself in big trouble if Librarian fail to submit it within the desired time
frame. It’s always better to negotiate with the principle rather than accepting something
which Librarian know is difficult. Ask for some more time from Principle or probably don’t
make an exhaustive report. Negotiation is better as it would prevent spoiling your relation
with superiors later.

Negotiator “An individual representing an organization or a position who listens to all the
parties carefully and comes to a conclusion which is willingly acceptable to all is called the
negotiator”.
For e.g. In library Librarian can be called the negotiator because librarian is the only one
person or in that position who listens to all the library staffs carefully and comes to a
conclusion.

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Negotiators implement their negotiation and decision strategies differently depending on
whether the situations they deal with are instrumental or expressive.
Skills of a Negotiator
 Good negotiating skills are an asset in today’s information super rich world where
Librarians are more informed and prepared than ever.
 Good Negotiating skills demands several skill-sets to be executed with precision such
as:
(1) Empathy
(2) Listening
(3) Questioning
(4) Remembering
(5) Attention
(6) Language
(7) Non-verbal cues
Having good Negotiating skills means that you can avoid:
1) Self-sacrificing behaviour
2) Losing control of when to negotiate
3) Making unnecessary concessions
 A Librarian ideally should be impartial and neutral and should not favour any one.
 Librarian needs to understand the situation and the parties well and decide something
which will benefit all.
 It is not always that people will easily accept the librarian’s decision; they may
counter it if they feel their personal interests are not satisfied. In such a situation,
where the librarian is left with no choice, he/she must use his power to impose his/her
ideas on all, after all one can’t please everyone.
 A Librarian has to be a little tactful and smart enough to handle all situations and
reach to a conclusion.
NATURE OF NEGOTIATION

✱ It requires involvement of two parties

✱ Requires flexibility
✱ A process not an event
✱ Needs effective communication
✱ Continuous process (i.e., between buyer & seller, employer & employee for wages,
working hours etc)

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✱ Win- win situation for parties involved

P’s OF NEGOTIATION

FACTORS AFFECTING NEGOTIATION

✱ PLACE: Familiarity with surrounding helps in boosting confidence.

✱ TIME: Time should be adequate for smooth exchange of ideas & securing
agreement before it is too late.
✱ ATTITUDE: Attitude of both parties should be positive, i. e, willingness to make an
agreement or deal.
✱ SUBJECTIVE FACTORS: Like relation of two parties involved, status difference,
information & expertise.

ELEMENTS OF NEGOTIATION

1) Process- The way individuals negotiate with each other is called the process
of negotiation. The process includes the various techniques and strategies
employed to negotiate and reach to a solution.

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 2) Behaviour- How two parties behave with each other during the process of
negotiation is referred to as behaviour. The way they interact with each other,
the way they communicate with each other to make their points clear all come
under behaviour.
3) Substance- There has to be an agenda (Topic) on which individuals negotiate.
A topic is important for negotiation.

MODELS OF NEGOTIATION
Negotiation is defined as a discussion among individuals to reach to a conclusion acceptable
to one and all. It is a process where people rather than fighting among themselves sit together,
evaluate the pros and cons and then come out with an alternative which would be a win win
situation for all.
Negotiation helps in reducing conflicts and disputes among each other.
Negotiation is essential in every walk of life for a peaceful and stress-free living.
Example: Ram wanted to purchase a book, he tried his level best to buy it at the lowest
discount rate and the book shopkeeper also ensured that he could earn his profits as well.
Thus, the negotiation benefited Ram who didn’t have to shell out loads of money and the
book shopkeeper was also satisfied because even he earned his profits.
Let us go through various models of negotiation:
1) Win Win Model– In Win Win Model, each and every individual involved in
negotiation wins. Nobody is at loss in this model and everyone is benefited out of the
negotiation.
This is the most accepted model of negotiation.
Example: Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) wanted to buy a “Cognition” book but it was
an expensive book. She went to the shop and negotiated with the publisher to discount
the price. Initially the publisher was unwilling but after several rounds of discussions
and arguments, he gave a discount best suited to him as well as Mrs. Deshpande
(Librarian). Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) was extremely satisfied as she could now
purchase the book without burning a hole in her budget.
2) Win Lose Model– In Win Lose Model one party wins and the other party loses. In
such a model, after several rounds of discussions and negotiations, one party benefits
while the party remains dissatisfied.
Example: Let us see the above example once again where Mrs. Deshpande
(Librarian) wanted to buy “Cognition” book. In this example, both Mrs. Deshpande

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 (Librarian) and the publisher were benefited out of the deal. Let us suppose Mrs.
Deshpande (Librarian) could not even afford the price quoted by the publisher and
requests him to give discount on the book. If the publisher further discounts on the
book, he would not be able to earn his profits but Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) would
be very happy. Thus, after the negotiation, Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) would be
satisfied, but the publisher wouldn’t.
 In a win lose model, both the two parties are not satisfied, only one of the two walks
away with the benefit. Lose.
3) Lose Lose Model– In Lose Lose Model, the outcome of negotiation is zero. No party
is benefited out of this model. In this model, generally the two parties are not willing
to accept each other’s views and are reluctant to compromise. No discussions help.
Example: Had Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) not purchased the book after several
rounds of negotiation, neither she nor the publisher would have got anything out of
the deal? Mrs. Deshpande (Librarian) would return empty handed and the publisher
would obviously not earn anything.

RADPAC Model- RADPAC Model of Negotiation is a widely used model of negotiation in

corporate. Every alphabet in this model signifies something:
R – Rapport
A – Analysis
D - Debate
P - Propose
A - Agreement
C – Close

R – Rapport: As the name suggests, it signifies the relation between parties involved
in negotiation. The parties involved in negotiation ideally should be comfortable with
each other and share a good rapport with each other.
A - Analysis: One party must understand the second party well. It is important that
the individual understand each other’s needs and interest. The shopkeeper must
understand the customer’s needs and pocket, in the same way the customer mustn’t
ignore the shopkeeper’s profits as well. People must listen to each other attentively.
D - Debate: Nothing can be achieved without discussions. This round includes
discussing issues among the parties involved in negotiation. The pros and cons of an

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 idea are evaluated in this round. People debate with each other and each one tries to
convince the other. One must not lose his temper in this round but remain calm and
composed.
P - Propose: Each individual proposes his best idea in this round. Each one tries his
level best to come up with the best possible idea and reach to a conclusion acceptable
by all.
A - Agreement: Individuals come to a conclusion at this stage and agree to the best
possible alternative.
C - Close: The negotiation is complete and individuals return back satisfied.

NEGOTIATION PROCESS

OFFER

CONCESSION COUNTER

AGREEMENT
COMPROMISE OFFER

 OFFER: First proposal made by one party to another in the negotiation stage.
 COUNTER OFFER: Offer made by second party to first party, or proposing their offer
against first party offer.
 CONCESSION: Increase or decrease made in the offer or change in the idea.
 COMPROMISE: Sacrifice made by both or one party.
 AGREEMENT: Point where both parties agree, which is beneficial to both

How Negotiations Work

 Negotiations involve two or more parties who come together to reach some end goal
that is agreeable to all those involved. One party will put its position forward, while
the other will either accept the conditions presented or counter with its own position.
The process continues until both parties agree to a resolution or negotiations break
off without one.

 Experienced negotiators will often try to learn as much as possible about the other
party's position before a negotiation begins, including what the strengths and

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 weaknesses of that position are, how to prepare to defend their positions, and any
counter-arguments the other party will likely make.

 The length of time it takes for negotiations to conclude depends on the

circumstances. Negotiation can take as little as a few minutes, or, in more complex
cases, much longer. For example, a buyer and seller may negotiate for minutes or
hours for the sale of a car. But the governments of two or more countries may take
months or years to negotiate the terms of a major trade deal.

 Some negotiations require the use of a skilled negotiator such as a professional

advocate, a real estate agent or broker, or an attorney.

Examples of Negotiations

 Negotiating can take place between individuals, businesses, governments, and in any
other situation where two parties have competing interests. Here are two everyday
examples:

 Say you plan to buy a new SUV but don't want to pay the full manufacturer's
suggested retail price (MSRP). In that case, you might offer what you consider a fair
price. The dealer can accept your offer or counter with another price figure. If you
have good negotiating skills, you may be able to drive the price down to a level
where you're happy and the dealer is still able to walk away with a profit, albeit a
slimmer one.

 Or, suppose you've been offered a new job but don't consider the salary sufficient.
An employer's first compensation offer is often not its best possible offer, so it may
have some room to negotiate. In fact, a 2016 survey by the CareerBuilder website
found that 73% of employers were open to negotiating a starting salary with job
seekers. And if higher pay isn't a possibility, the employer may be willing to offer
something additional, such as more vacation time or better benefits.

 In both of these examples—as in most successful negotiations—both parties have

Negotiation passes in three stages/phases:

1) preparation
(gathering all possible information related to the negotiating parties and the
causes of the problem)

2) procedure/action (the involvement of all parties in the discussion of the dispute

under negotiation).

3) closure (ending the negotiation process by agreement or disagreement).

Five principles must exist in conflict

negotiations: the negotiation parties’ worries, involved concerns, the parties’
relationship, communication through process of negotiation, and the result attained made
compromises, while also achieving their principal goals.

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1) Distributive Negotiation
Distributive Negotiation, also known as Positional or Competitive Negotiation, is a win-lose
approach. This is where the parties involved in the Negotiation perceive the situation as a
limited resource. They aim to claim the largest possible share for themselves. Each party tries
to maximise their gains while minimising their concessions.

Additionally, Distributive Negotiation often involves fixed or zero-sum issues. Here, one
party’s gain is directly correlated with the other party’s loss. Skilled negotiators focus
on Assertiveness, strategic positioning, and effective bargaining to secure favourable
outcomes.

2) Integrative Negotiation
Integrative Negotiation, also referred to as Interest-based or Collaborative Negotiation, is a
win-win approach. Parties seek mutually beneficial solutions by identifying shared interests
and exploring creative options.

Unlike Distributive Negotiation, this type expands the radar, aiming for outcomes that satisfy
the needs and interests of all parties involved. This approach emphasises collaboration,
problem-solving, and effective communication. Skilled negotiators in Integrative Negotiation
focus on active listening and empathy. They also aim to generate value to create sustainable
and positive outcomes.

3) Competitive Negotiation
This is one of the powerful Types of Negotiation, also known as Hard or Tough Negotiation.
It involves assertiveness and aggressive tactics. In this approach, negotiators prioritise their
own interests and goals, often at the expense of the other party.

Additionally, competitive negotiators may use tactics such as bluffing, threats, or excessive
demands to gain an advantage. The competitive style can be effective in certain situations,
but it can also strain relationships and damage long-term prospects. Skilled negotiators

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balance assertiveness with fairness and maintain professionalism throughout the Negotiation
process.

4) Compromising Negotiation
Compromising Negotiation involves finding a middle ground where both parties make
concessions to reach a satisfactory agreement. It is a give-and-take approach that focuses on
finding an acceptable solution rather than maximising individual gains.

Compromising Negotiation can be useful when time is limited or when both parties are
equally powerful. It is also useful when both parties have similar levels of importance
assigned to their outcomes. Skilled negotiators in Compromising Negotiation have the ability
to identify and prioritise issues, evaluate trade-offs, and find mutually agreeable solutions.

5) Power-based Negotiation
Power-based Negotiation relies on the use of power, influence, and advantage to shape the
Negotiation process and outcomes. Negotiators with more power may exploit their advantage
to assert their interests and gain favourable terms. Power can come from various sources,
such as position, expertise, or access to resources.

However, relying solely on Power-based Negotiation can strain relationships and lead to
suboptimal outcomes. Skilled negotiators understand the dynamics of power and use it
judiciously. They combine it with effective communication and relationship-building
strategies.

THE STAGES OF THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS

Negotiation usually involves several distinct steps.

1) Preparation
Before negotiations begin, there are a few questions it helps to ask yourself. Those include:

 What do you hope to gain, ideally?

 What are your realistic expectations?
 What compromises are you willing to make?
 What happens if you don't reach your end goal?

Preparation can also include finding out as much as you can about the other party and their
likely point of view. In the case of the SUV negotiation above, you could probably find out
how much room the dealer has to bargain by looking up actual sales prices for that vehicle
online.

Also, marshal any facts that will help you make a persuasive case. If you're negotiating for a
new job or a raise at work, for instance, come armed with concrete examples of your
accomplishments, including hard numbers if possible. Consider bringing testimonials from
satisfied clients and/or co-workers if that will buttress your case.

Many experienced negotiators consider preparation to be the single most important step in
the entire process.

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 2) Exchanging Information
Once prepped for the negotiation, ready to sit down with the other party. If they're smart,
they have probably prepared themselves, as well. This is the point at which both sides will
present their initial positions in terms of what they want and are willing to give in return.

Being able to clearly articulate wishes is critical to the negotiation process. Organizer may
not get everything on wish list, but the other party, if they want to reach a deal, will have a
better idea of what it might take to make that happen and have a better idea of their position,
and where they might be willing to bend.

3) Bargaining
Now that both parties have laid out their case, ready to start bargaining.
An important key to this step is to hear the other party out and refrain from being dismissive
or argumentative. Successful negotiating involves a little give and take on both sides, and an
adversarial relationship is likely to be less effective than a collegial one. Also bear in mind
that a negotiation can take time, so try not to rush the process or allow yourself to be rushed .

4) Closing the Deal

Once both parties are satisfied with the results, it's time to end the negotiations. The next
step may be in the form of a verbal agreement or written contract. The latter is usually a
better idea as it clearly outlines the position of each party and can be enforced if one party
doesn't live up to their end of the bargain.

What Makes a Good Negotiator?

Some of the key skills of a good negotiator are the ability to listen, to think under pressure,
to clearly articulate their point of view, and to be willing to compromise, within reason.

Negotiation Strategies for Nurses

expert nurse will have entered the room with negotiation in mind from the beginning and
approached the situation much differently.
In bedside roles, one difficult patient can annihilate your time management plan for hours,
leaving room for mistakes and dangerous situations to unfold. For this reason, it's crucial to
negotiate correctly, the first time.
We think of negotiation either as something innate, or something that must be refined through
years of wearing suits and yelling at people in boardrooms — but that isn't the case.
Negotiation is a key element to many of our daily conversations, not just when we're asking
for a raise, and we are fortunate to work in a field that offers nearly infinite opportunities to
practice our skills.
Although our expert nurse still might fail in her mission, the strategies in this exchange are
much more likely to produce a favourable result. Principled of negotiation, can use to
improve nursing outcome.

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 FUNDAMENTALS OF PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATION

 Separate the people from the problem

Focus on the issue and not the personalities, clarify interests and understand each person's
underlying interests, needs, and goals.
 Brainstorm options for mutual gain: Generate a wide range of potential solutions.

 Clarify standards: Establish objective criteria for evaluating potential solutions.

 Generate objective criteria: Follow objective criteria to evaluate potential solutions.

 Avoid making assumptions: Do not assume you know what the other person wants
or needs.

 Focus on interests, not positions: Identify the interests underlying each person's
positions.

 Clarify roles and responsibilities: Understand who is doing what in a potential

agreement.

 Be creative: Come up with new ideas to meet both parties' interests.

 Develop a good relationship: Build a relationship of trust and respect.

Other negotiation tips and tricks for healthcare

As nurses begin to incorporate principled negotiation into our practice, remember that the
general fundamentals of negotiation still apply. Before using advanced techniques, try to start
with these basic concepts:
Build rapport
Building rapport with the other party is essential during a negotiation. You can do this by
finding common ground, showing empathy, and expressing gratitude. Building rapport will
help you establish trust and create a positive environment for negotiation.

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Use active listening
Active listening is a crucial skill in negotiation. You should listen actively to the other party's
needs, interests, and concerns. This will enable to understand their perspective and negotiate
effectively.
Avoid emotions
Emotions can derail a negotiation, and it is essential to avoid them. You should remain calm,
composed, and focused during a negotiation. If you feel your emotions rising, take a break,
and regroup before continuing the negotiation. This gets easier with repetition, and our
patients provide lots of opportunities to practice.

Make case with facts and data

This strategy might apply more to negotiations with boss, but remember that some patients
are difficult because they don't understand the bigger picture — education is one of your
primary duties as a nurse for a reason.
Presenting facts and data to support your negotiation can be powerful. Consider preparing
data and statistics that support your position and use them to make your case.

Offer alternatives and compromises

Negotiation is a process of give-and-take, and you should be willing to offer alternatives and
compromises to reach an agreement. This will help you find a solution that meets the needs
of both parties.

CONCLUSION

Nursing is as much about negotiation as it is about patient care. We negotiate with patients,
with families, with physicians, with other nurses -- all day, every day.
Effective negotiation skills have been identified as an essential component of the nurse
manager role. Application of the negotiation process in today's dynamic and competitive
health care environment is frequently difficult and stressful for the novice nurse manager.
It is very important to nurse managers in different health care institutions to identify
different styles of negotiation; accordingly, they can deal correctly with different situations of
conflict that they faced in work setting.
Negotiations are done daily by managers and mostly are informal conversations with nurses
and others. Simon Horton, (2012) said if you need to become a good manager, become a
good negotiator. Baggs et al, (1999) as cited by Leever et al, (2010) when conflict are
managed properly, it leads to constructive team performance; the better the collaboration, the
better patient outcomes will be but when they are managed poorly, it leads to destructive
team performance.
Negotiation is essential everywhere. It is not only the organizations where negotiation
is important but also in our daily life. Nurse managers must try our level best to adopt
negotiation skills to avoid misunderstandings and lead a peaceful and a stress-free life.
e. In order to achieve a desirable outcome, it may be useful to follow a structured approach to
negotiation. For example, in a work situation a meeting may need to be arranged in which all
parties involved can come together Zhang, Y. (2013).
Nurse managers need to improve their management role by mastering their negotiation skills
through establishment of educational and training courses to honour skills of negotiation.
Nurse managers should provide constant interaction and deep understanding required for
assessment of negotiation skills as a very important solution for conflict today.
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The process of nurses' role negotiation in general practice: A grounded
theory study

Abstract
Aim: To explain the process by which nurses' roles are negotiated in general practice.
Background: Primary care nurses do important work within a social model of health to meet
the needs of the populations they serve. Latterly, in the face of increased demand and
workforce shortages, they are also taking on more medical responsibilities through task-
shifting. Despite the increased complexity of their professional role, little is known about the
processes by which it is negotiated.
Design: Constructivist grounded theory.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants from 17 New
Zealand general practices between December 2020 and January 2022. Due to COVID-19, 11
interviews were via Zoom™. Concurrent data generation and analysis, using the constant
comparative method and common grounded theory methods, identified the participants' main
concern and led to the construction of a substantive explanatory theory around a core
category.
Results: The substantive explanatory theory of creating place proposes that the negotiation of
nurse roles within New Zealand general practice is a three-stage process in-volving
occupying space, positioning to do differently and leveraging opportunity. Nurses and others
act and interact in these stages, in accordance with their conceptualizations of need-
responsive nursing practice, towards the outcome defining place. Defining place
conceptualizes an accommodation between the values beliefs and expectations of individuals
and pre-existing organizational norms, in which individual and group-normative concepts of
need-responsive nursing practice are themselves developed.
Conclusion: The theory of creating place provides new insights into the process of nurses'
role negotiation in general practice. Findings support strategies to enable nurses, employers
and health system managers to better negotiate professional roles to meet the needs of the
populations they serve, while making optimum use of nursing skills and competencies.
Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Findings can inform nurses to
better negotiate the complexities of the primary care environment, balancing systemic
exigencies with the health needs of populations.

REFERENCES
1) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/negotiation.asp

2) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
350411043_Negotiation_as_a_management_strategy_for_conflict_resolution_and_it
s_effect_on_enhancing_collaboration_between_nurses_and_physicians/references

3) https://www.scrubstosunset.com/post/negotiation-tips-for-nurses

4) https://www.nwhjournal.org/article/S1091-5923(15)30215-6/
abstract#:~:text=Negotiations%20routinely%20occur%20between%20nurses,woman
%20whose%20status%20abruptly%20changes .

5) https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15938

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6) https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Nurses%20perception%20of%20the
%20first%20line-1903.pdf

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