364 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
verbal skills, having strong knowledge of the content or information required in the
situation. To this he needed to balance his own sense of personal integrity to create a
positive trusting environment with his ability to perceive and use power in an effective
way. This is not “power over” but the courage and willingness to step forth and do what
is needed in the situation.
THREE CRUCIAL ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION
Power, time, and information are the three interrelated variables in any negotiation
process (Cohen, 2007; Thompson, 2007).Power is the capacity to get things done, to ex-
ercise control over people, events, or situations. Usually when knowledgeable people
complain about power, it is for one of two reasons: (a) they do not like the way power
is being used— it is often power over an individual and (b) they do not approve of the
goal of the person exerting control— power should never be a goal in and of itself, but
should be a means of transport to a desired outcome.
In any negotiation, the second variable of time needs consideration. Expect
the most significant concession behavior in any settlement action to occur close
to the deadline. It is crucial that both parties know the deadline. However, dead-
lines are more flexible than most people realize. DNP clinicians need to use this
misunderstanding of the time dimension to negotiate for outcomes that support
excellence in patient care, quality education, or crucial changes in organizational
effectiveness.
Information is the third crucial element in the negotiation process. During the
actual negotiating event, it is often a common strategy for one or both sides to conceal
their true interests, needs, and priorities. The rationale is that information is power, par-
ticularly in situations where one cannot trust the other side fully.
It is important to gain information by asking questions every time you are given
answers. A way to test the credibility of the other side is to ask questions, the answers
to which are already known. The more information one has about the other per-
son’s priorities, deadlines, and real needs, the better one can bargain. A key piece of
information that all negotiators want to know is: “what are the real limits of the other
party?,” or just “how much they will sacrifice in order to make a deal?” Very often
this can be ascertained by observing the pattern of concession behavior on the part
of the other side.
Turning back to the case of Dr. Land, one can see how he has used the aforemen-
tioned principles. He established his background and credentials early in a negotiation.
He demonstrated the kind of expertise that is required for most negotiations by asking
intelligent questions to know whether the responses are accurate. It is important for
Dr. Land to remember that he brings to the table clinical and managerial expertise in a
negotiation process.
For example, the search committee may state that they want their candidate to
have had previous experience as a chief nursing officer, whereas, there real need is that
the candidate knows how to work effectively in a complex academic medical center.
The more Dr. Land can acquaint himself with the committee’s needs, the better will be
his position to negotiate a possible resolution for their real need. An example of using
the power of identification is when Dr. Land mentions that a well- respected academic
medical center had just hired their internal candidate last year and he has been very
successful. If the organization has had a precedent of promoting from within, Dr. Land
can use the power of precedent.