A practice that contributes to this is mediation/negotiation, where managers act as a neutral party in the resolution of disputes – which requires knowledge of mediation/negotiation principles and skill in mediation/negotiation techniques.

Exerting influence in the process of negotiation is dependent upon different factors. The following six kinds of negotiation power appear to provide useful categories for generating prescriptive advice:

1. The power of skill and knowledge
2. The power of a good relationship
3. The power of a good alternative to negotiating
4. The power of an elegant solution
5. The power of legitimacy
6. The power of commitment.

Here are the ways you can leverage each.

1. The power of skill and knowledge

Strong evidence suggests that negotiating skills can be both learned and taught. To become a more skillful negotiator: have the ability to deal with people, the ability to listen, to become aware of emotions and psychological concerns of others, to empathize, to be sensitive to other’s feelings and one’s own, to speak different languages, to communicate clearly and effectively, to become integrated so that one’s words and nonverbal behavior are congruent and reinforce each other, and so forth.

Knowledge is also power. Knowledge relevant to a particular negotiation in which one is about to engage is even more powerful. The more information one can gather about the parties and issues in an upcoming negotiation, the strong one’s entering posture.

2. The power of a good relationship

The better a working relationship you establish in advance with those whom you will be negotiating, the more powerful you are. A good working relationship does not necessarily imply approval of each other’s conduct, though mutual respect and even mutual affection – when it exists – may help. The two most critical elements of a working relationship are, first, trust, and second, the ability to communicate easily and effectively.

3. The power of a good alternative to negotiation

Power in a negotiation is dependent upon how well you can for yourself when you walk away. One kind of preparation for negotiation that enhances one’s negotiating power is to consider the alternatives to reaching agreement with this particular negotiating partner, to select the most promising, and to improve it to the extent possible. This alternative sets a floor.

4. The power of an elegant solution

In any negotiation, there is a mélange of shared and conflicting interests. The parties face a problem. One way to influence the other side in a negotiation is to invent a good solution to that problem. The more complex the problem, the more influential an elegant answer.

5. The power of legitimacy

Each of us is subject to being persuaded by becoming convinced that a particular result ought to be accepted because it is fair; because the law requires it; because it is consistent with precedent, industry practice, or sound policy considerations; or because it is legitimate as measured by some other objective standard. You can enhance your negotiating power by searching for and developing various objective criteria and potential standards of legitimacy, and by shaping proposed solutions so that they are legitimate in the eyes of the other side.

6. The power of commitment

The five kinds of power previously mentioned can each be enhanced by work undertaken in advance of formal negotiations. The planning of commitments and making arrangements for them can also be undertaken in advance, but making commitments takes place only during what everyone thinks of as negotiation itself.

There are two different kinds of commitments – affirmative (a decision about what one is willing to do) and negative (a commitment that you are unwilling to make certain agreements). A wise negotiator will formulate an offer in ways that maximize the cumulative impact of the different categories of negotiating power. The terms of an affirmative commitment will benefit from all the skill and knowledge that has been developed; the commitment benefits from the relationship and is consistent with it; it takes into account the walk-away alternatives each side has; the offer will constitute a reasonably elegant solution to the problem of reconciling conflicting interests; and the offer will be legitimate – it will take into account considerations of legitimacy. 

Click to learn more on the Practices for Effective Local Government Leadership. 

Information in this blog post has been extracted from the ICMA publication, Successful Negotiating in Local Government. 

Related Resources:

You Can Negotiate Anything