The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

396 / SETTING YOUR STYLE

Ways to ensure that

the pie is sliced fairly

Negotiating fairly

Ensuring fairness

There are several categories of fairness

that contribute to creating successful

negotiations. Distributive fairness

relates to the distribution of outcomes

(the splitting of the pie). Negotiators

use three different principles of

distributive fairness:

-^ Equality: this states that fairness is
achieved by splitting the pie equally.
-^ Equity: this states that the outcome
should relate to the contribution made
by each party.
-^ Needs: this states that, regardless of
their contribution, each party should
get what they need.

Fairness is an important characteristic in negotiations. Negotiators

need to believe that the negotiation process and its outcomes are fair,

otherwise they may choose to end the negotiations without coming

to an agreement, or fail to put the agreement into action.

SIMPLICITY

Ensure that all negotiating

parties can understand and

describe the pie-slicing

procedures you use to

guarantee smooth

implementation.

CONSENSUS

Confirm that all parties

in the negotiation are in

complete agreement

on the method of slicing

the pie.

CLARITY

Be certain that the

final decision is clear,

without any potential

misinterpretations.

CONSISTENCY

Make sure that you apply the

fairness principles (equality,

equity, or needs) in the same

manner throughout the

negotiation process.

SATISFACTION

Make sure that all

parties are happy with

the results—they are

then more likely to

follow through with

the agreement.

35 %

of people in a survey

assumed the pie was

fixed and did not

consider all the factors

that would increase it

US_396-397_Negotiating_fairly.indd 396 30/05/16 3:06 pm