concessions

The things one side gives up in order to deescalate or resolve a conflict. They may simply be points in an argument, a reduction in demands, or a softening of one side’s position. (from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/glossary.htm

The following items are tagged concessions.

Negotiating the Fiscal Crisis

Posted by & filed under Negotiation Skills.

How can we avert a full-throttle drive over the fiscal cliff? Despite some promising signs of movement on both sides of the aisle, the current negotiation approach – positional bargaining – is bound to bring us dangerously close to the edge.

Managing Internal Conflict: Russia’s Bid to Join the WTO

Posted by & filed under Conflict Management.

In June 1993, a little over a year after the fall of communist rule in Russia, President Boris Yeltsin submitted an application for Russia to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the precursor to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Eighteen years later, in November 2011, Russia finally was voted into the WTO, which administers international trade rules among its members. This past August, the nation officially became a member of the organization.

Why First Impressions Matter

Posted by & filed under Negotiation Skills.

Even when not based in reality, the expectation that someone is “tough” or “cooperative” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy at the bargaining table. When you approach an allegedly tough competitor with suspicion and guardedness, he is likely to absord these expectations and become more competitive.

Corporate Stakeholder Engagement and Mineral Extraction in Colombia

Posted by & filed under Dispute Resolution, MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program.

I want to make four simple points regarding corporate social responsibility and mineral extraction in Colombia. I presented these ideas several weeks ago at a Harvard Law School seminar sponsored by the Colombian government. We had senior officials present along with a great many Colombian graduate students studying at Boston-area schools. I think these prescriptions apply globally, but they are especially relevant in Latin America.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provides a new point of entry for those concerned about the social and environmental impacts of mineral extraction.

Predicting Your Response to Conflict

Posted by & filed under Dispute Resolution.

Imagine an upcoming negotiation. How will you respond if your opponent seems bent on provoking an argument? If you’re like most people, you’ll have difficulty predicting your precise response. Professor Dan Gilbert of Harvard University found that when asked how a positive or negative event will affect your happiness, people accurately predict the direction of their mood but dramatically overestimate the degree of change.

Finally, A Win-Win Deal from Congress

Posted by & filed under Business Negotiations.

To the surprise of many, Congress reached a bipartisan agreement on the 17th of February to extend payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits. It was only the second time a House bill in the 112th Congress split roughly along party lines, according to the New York Times.

Largely regarded as a coup for Congressional Democrats, the bill maintains a two-percentage point payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans and provides additional unemployment benefits to millions. Republicans had wanted to fund the payroll tax with spending cuts but, facing Democratic opposition, agreed to allow the package to increase the budget deficit. Republicans also reluctantly agreed to extend the unemployment insurance program long past the date they originally sought. Republicans did, however, score concessions from the Democrats, including new limits on unemployment compensation and elimination of the preventative health spending provision of the 2010 healthcare overhaul.

Get Time on Your Side

Posted by & filed under Negotiation Skills.

When negotiators can’t manage to resolve a final sticking point, time can be one of the best tools at your disposal. How can you use time to move forward?

First, and perhaps most obviously, take a break from talks. That might mean adjourning until the next day, next week, or even longer. In negotiation, a pause gives everyone a chance to cool off and take stock of the situation. During the break, you might plot strategy with your team or talk to a trusted adviser. You might also take the time to list the goals you’ve achieved in the negotiation thus far, suggests John H. Wade in The Negotiator’s Fieldbook (American Bar Association, 2006). If the list is impressive, your remaining goal may seem less significant – and easier to tackle. If the list is disappointing, you might consider whether this is the right deal for you after all. Maybe your last-minute difficulties indicate a larger problem.

How much authority do they have?

Posted by & filed under Business Negotiations.

Adapted from “Contracts 101: What Every Negotiator Should Know about Contract and Agency Law” by Guhan Subramanian (professor, Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School), first published in the Negotiation newsletter, February 2006.

While hammering out an agreement, a mid-level manager offered a customer a significant price discount. When the discount failed to materialize, the customer