NEGOTIATING SITUATIONS
Crises concerning takeovers, industrial relations, legal disputes
and other problems where the crunch has come because two
sides have radically different views, will often involve negotia-
tions. The normal negotiating tactics described in Chapter 38 will
apply, although they may have to be speeded up.
In tense situations, special ploys may have to be used. For
example, you can use the ‘Trollope’ ploy, which is the acceptance
of an offer that has not been made in order to induce the adver-
sary to accept the acceptance. Robert Kennedy coined this term,
naming it after those Victorian heroines in the novels of Anthony
Trollope who interpret a squeeze of the hand on the hero’s part
as a proposal of marriage and succeed in making this interpre-
tation stick. It was used in the Cuban missile crisis where the
ambiguity arose in communications from Mr Krushchev. He sent
two letters, one implying a hard line about the American
blockade, the other a mild and even yielding one. To deepen the
confusion, it was not clear whether the ‘hawklike’ letter (which
was received second) had been written before or after the ‘dove-
like’ one. The American decision (the Trollope ploy) was to treat
the dovelike letter as the true communication, ignoring the other
hawklike one which was probably written second as the
Russian’s final position. As reported by Robert Kennedy, it was
this creative use of ambiguity which enabled the settlement to be
reached.
In negotiations it can indeed be said that a shadow of ambi-
guity over a situation may be as effective as real strength. It gives
you more room to manoeuvre and more scope to vary your
tactics.
WHEN TO FIGHT
In a crisis, the decision about when and how hard to fight is a
matter of judgement. You can go in for aggressive brinkmanship
or progressive appeasement, but either of these approaches will
be inadequate if taken to an extreme.
At this stage it might be a good idea to remember Krushchev’s
message to Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis: ‘If people
do not show wisdom, then in the final analysis they will come to
160 How to be an Even Better Manager