Negotiating at Work Research Paper
Purpose of the Assignment
- To become familiar with myriad of ways negotiations are used in the workplace.
- To provide different perspectives on the skills and use of negotiation in the workplace.
- To reflect on your workplace / your style and how you can use negotiation skills to get what you want and need
The Assignment
- First you are to scan the internet for the topic “Negotiations at Work” or a similar search topic relating to negotiating at work.
- Look at a minimum of 5 sites and review what is posted.
- Select 2 or 3 sites that “speak to you” about negotiations at work.
- You will then write a 2-3-page paper highlighting your learning from the selected sites.
- Your paper should include
o The focus of your research (e.g., How/when to ask for a raise, how to negotiate priorities, how to negotiate roles, etc.)
o Key points and reasons
o What was particularly meaningful to you and why it was meaningful
o Each paper should include all the links to all the sites you visited. Also note the specific sites that you are using to write the paper from.
- Criteria for the research
o Don’t only use the first 5 sites you find. You are encouraged to scroll through the sites before selecting so you find ones that are interesting and useful to you.
o Do not use sites that are consultant or content sites that are set up to sell their products. If in doubt, check with the instructor.
o Do look at blogs. Do look at book reviews.Do look at white papers. Do look at newsletters. Do look at expert’s sites.
Research Focus
In this research that explores negotiating at work, I focused on several issues, including the rules for negotiating a job offer, essential negotiation skills for workplace success, ways of improving negotiation skills in the workplace, a practical guide to negotiating in the workplace, and demanding situations in the workplace that require negotiation. In my research on the rules of negotiating a job offer, I learned that lacking practical negotiation skills can influence an individual’s ability to get the best out of an offer. However, when negotiating a job offer, a potential employee can strike a good deal with the employer if he understands and considers the significance of likability (Malhotra). According to this perspective, a prospective employee must show traits to make him likable. Being likable will motivate an employer to fight for a potential employee, making this skill an essential negotiation technique. When negotiating a job offer, a potential employee must be able to make a panel understand why he deserves the job position in context, make it clear that they are available, understand the person they are negotiating with, focus on their constraints, prepare well to respond to tough questions, focus on the intent and not the answer, and consider the whole deal (Malhotra). Negotiations for a job offer must also focus on the issues of concern and the timing of the job offer. In focusing on ways of negotiating at work, I learned that negotiations at work must have a win-win context, compromise, and only allow a win-lose situation if one party in the negotiation processes accepts to lose (Youth Central). Some workplace situations that require practical negotiation skills include when one wants a pay rise, when a worker wants to change shifts, and when one wants to quit a job as soon as possible. However, when preparing to negotiate, one must understand what he wants from the negotiation process, comprises that may affect the negotiation process and the other person’s situation in the negotiation process (Youth Central). These skills may not work regardless of the context of a negotiation process. When preparing for negotiations at work, one should plan and prepare adequately, open the negotiation processes with a positive tone, present a substantial argument, and close the process on a high using positive remarks (Doyle). Applying these concepts successfully can appeal to the other party in the negotiation process and compel them to give in to demands.
Key Points and Reasons
Through the research, I learned a few critical issues related to negotiations at work. For example, I noticed that there are very many situations in the workplace that require negotiation, and they include salary negotiations with a new employee, negotiating employee termination, solving team conflicts, sales negotiations with customers, discussions regarding changes in work schedules, contract negotiations, and legal settlement negotiations (Get Smarter). Through this observation, I established that negotiation skills are essential in the workplace since they apply in very many contexts. Due to the frequency of negotiation situations in the workplace, I believe one should have a deep understanding of negotiation skills to influence a win-win formula when handling critical issues. During a negotiation process, all parties should also come prepared, identify boundaries, be clear on them, play fair, play power cards well, identify a personal negotiation style, and practice as much as possible (Get Smarter). From this argument, I feel that all parties in a negotiation process must consider the other and try not to use their power to exploit others. A focus on this perspective underlines the significance of respecting each other’s position in a negotiation process and striving to respect the other party’s rights. From the research, I also learned that differences n personality types are among the most challenging workplace situations. Personality differences lead to differences in attitudes, feelings, behaviors, and perceptions (Program on Negotiation Staff). Due to the difficulty associated with personality types in the workplace, individuals should be prepared to use their negotiation skills effectively in handling difficult situations. From this article, I learned that employees can avoid or resolve conflicts efficiently if they possess practical negotiation skills.
Meaningful Points from the Research
Through the research, I felt that essential negotiation skills in the workplace serve as the most crucial negotiation process components. In the workplace, negotiation skills depend on one’s ability to plan and prepare, whereas a negotiation process’s opening formula determines the success or failure of the entire process (Doyle). Based on this argument, I gained motivation into the importance of planning and its impact on the whole negotiation process. Without proper planning, one is bound to fail even if they possess excellent negotiation skills due to the information gap between planning and using factual information to negotiate appropriately. I also felt that the presentation phase of a negotiation process changes the whole process. During the presentation phase, an individual should structure a negotiation to respond to objections and arguments during a negotiation process. In my view, parties in a negotiating process need to understand how and why to bargain. Bargaining ensures that all parties in a negotiation process benefit from and the decision reached serves the needs of all, whether equally or not.
Accessed Links
https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/negotiation-skills-list-2063760
https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/dispute-resolution/when-they-push-your-buttons/
https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/how-to-negotiate-in-the-workplace
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/negotiation-skills/
https://www.uwcped.org/effective-negotiations-in-the-workplace
https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/career-advice/how-to-improve-negotiation-skills-in-the-workplace/.
Works Cited
Doyle, Alison. “Important Negotiation Skills for Workplace Success.” The Balance Careers, 14th
January, 2020. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/negotiation-skills-list-2063760.
Get Smarter. “How to Improve Negotiation Skills in the Workplace.” 29th May, 2019.
https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/career-advice/how-to-improve-negotiation-skills-in-the-workplace/.
Malhotra, Deepak. “15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer.” Harvard Business Review, April
- https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer.
Program on Negotiation Staff. “Difficult Situations at Work – Negotiation Skills for Dealing
with Difficult People.” Program on Negotiation, 18th February, 2021. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/dispute-resolution/when-they-push-your-buttons/.
Youth Central. “How to Negotiate at Work.” Accessed 8th April, 2020.
https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/starting-or-finishing-a-job/how-to-negotiate-at-work#:~:text=Negotiating%20at%20work%20means%20communicating,different%20from%20the%20same%20situation.
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