Encyclopedia of Leadership

3. INVENT NEW ALTERNATIVES TO FULFILL THOSE INTERESTS.
   4. INSIST ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION.

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“Ultimately ... conflict lies not in objective reality, but in people’s heads. Truth is simply one more

argument ... for dealing with differences. The difference itself exists because it exists in (people’s)

thinking. Fears, even if ill-founded, are real fears and need to be dealt with. Hopes, even if unreal-

istic, may cause a war. Facts, even if established, may do nothing to solve the problem.”

—Roger Fisher and William Ury, GETTING TO YES

A win–win approach to negotiations is important when a degree of interdependency will

remain between the parties after an agreement has been reached. When you buy a used car,

you have no further expectations of the other party. But agreements within and between orga-

nizations often involve ongoing relationships, in which long-term commitment and follow-

through are essential. Examples include agreements on responsibilities within workgroups,

agreements between departments that depend on each other for a product or service, and

agreements between companies within a strategic alliance. Think about an agreement that you

would like to conclude with another person or group. Use the workspace provided here to plan

actions you can take to reach an agreement that both parties will be committed to following

through with. List actions for all four principles.

278 SECTION 9 TOOLS FORLEADING ANDINFLUENCINGOTHERS

• The first alternatives or positions
  are almost certainly suboptimal
  for a win–win outcome.


• Once underlying interests are
  clear, with goodwill, new
  alternatives are opened up that
  almost certainly will fulfill more
  interests of both parties.

[☛6.7 Creativity and Innovation]

• This is creative work, often
  difficult during emotional
  negotiations.


• Many people assume a fixed pie:
  “You can only gain when I lose.”


• Many people assume a single
  answer.


• The negotiators in the room may
  represent others outside, who
  have fixed positions.

✔ Separate inventingoptions from

judgingoptions.

✔ Broaden the range of options on

the table.

✔ Search for mutual gain options.

✔ Invent ways to make people’s

decision easy; point out benefits

of new options.

[☛9.7 Selling Wheel

Assumptions Difficulties Some how-to’s

• In the emotional atmosphere of
  negotiations, objective criteria are
  needed to define win–win
  options.

[☛7.5 Decision Making]

• People’s emotions and fears often
  cloud rationality and objectivity.

✔ Frame each issue as a joint search

for objective criteria.

✔ Reason, and be open to reason, as

to which standards are most

appropriate and how they should

be applied.

✔ Never yield to pressure, only to

principle.

Assumptions Difficulties Some how-to’s