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Getting to We

Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships

Authors: Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

Drawing on best practices and real examples from companies who are achieving record results, Getting to We flips conventional negotiation on its head, shifting the perspective from a tug of war between parties to a collaborative partnership where both sides effectively pull against a business problem.

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Table of Contents

Frontmatter

Introduction

Introduction

Abstract

In 2009 Kate Vitasek and Dr. Alex Miller, then associate dean of the University of Tennessee’s Center for Executive Education, got together over a beer. They wanted to unwind and discuss the findings of a recent research project conducted by the university, which had been funded by the United States Air Force. Vitasek was the lead researcher.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

What are You G-e-t-t-i-n-g to?

Chapter 1. What Are You G-e-t-t-i-n-g To?

Abstract

For more than thirty years, businesses have been indoctrinated with the idea that the prize in negotiation is to get the deal. The deal is the focus. Hundreds of books have been written to teach negotiation, from Getting to Yes, Geting Past No, Getting More to even the virtues of Start with No. The focus of these works is transactional in nature and has readers concentrating on the strategies and tactics for negotiating the deal. Negotiation is about “this deal,” “this time,” and under “this set of business and legal terms.” Negotiators think, “Get a signature, and you are done.” It is a done deal, and the deal is the deal.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Step 1: Establish a Foundation of Trust, Transparency, and Compatibility

Frontmatter

Chapter 2. Trust

Abstract

Trust is the essential starting point for all We partnerships. Intuitively, everyone understands the importance of trust in commercial relationships. The Nobel laureate economist Kenneth Arrow agrees: “Virtually every commercial transaction has within itself an element of trust, certainly any transaction conducted over a period of time.”¹ Without a fair degree of trust, companies simply will not continue on the journey to We. A lack of trust sets a hurdle that is too high to jump.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Chapter 3. Transparency and Compatibility

Abstract

While trust is a key quality needed for any highly collaborative relationship to succeed, it is not the only quality. The parties also need a foundation built upon transparency and compatibility.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

A Shared Vision and Common Guiding Principles

Frontmatter

Chapter 4. Step 2: Creating a Shared Vision

Abstract

Companies that treat each other as parties to their success achieve transformational results because organizations are working together to achieve a shared purpose or vision for the future. Each organization may have different motivations for wanting to achieve that vision, but the vision for the future remains the guiding point. Creating a shared vision may seem out of context for a book on negotiating. Many books that discuss negotiation strategies and tactics recommend that a negotiator’s first step is preparation. In the what’s-in-it-for-me (WIIFMe) context, this means that a negotiator is simply preparing to maximize his position vis-à-vis his counterpart. Even when approaching a negotiation as a problem-solving exercise, conventional techniques focus on looking through the lens of self-interest to find shared interests as the first step. These cumbersome approaches assume there is no shared vision for the future and this is therefore not part of the negotiation.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Chapter 5. Step 3: Establishing the Six Essential Relationship Principles

Abstract

Cindy Hill wondered, “Is that fair?” Hill, vice president of global sustainability at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and her colleagues at Procter & Gamble (P&G) were wrestling with how to define fairness in their relationship.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Step 4: Negotiating as We

Frontmatter

Chapter 6. Four Rules for Collaborative Negotiations

Abstract

Many negotiation experts refer to negotiations as a game. Chester L. Karrass is one of those experts. His book The Negotiating Game,¹ published in 1992, sets the stage for very traditional transaction-based negotiations. Karrass and other experts have taught the same rules of engagement for negotiating deals for decades. But what people fail to understand is that business has changed dramatically in the past twenty years, and the rules for negotiating deals also need to change.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Chapter 7. WIIFWe Styles, Strategies, and Tactics

Abstract

Previous chapters have noted there are hundreds of books on negotiations. Most negotiation books focus on teaching styles, strategies, and tactics. But focusing on strategies and tactics first will not work when negotiating a highly collaborative relationship.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Chapter 8. Negotiating Money for Mutual Benefit

Abstract

The rubber hits the road when negotiating money and allocating risks and rewards. The value potential from collaboration is the reason why companies establish commercial relationships. Without an expectation of long-term mutual gain, companies would be better off negotiating traditional transaction-based relationships centered on achieving only self-serving goals.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Living as We

Frontmatter

Chapter 9. Step 5: Relationship Management

Abstract

People unfamiliar with working in highly collaborative relationships often find it easy to fall into the familiar tug-of-war mentality. Without a framework and mechanisms for managing the relationship and living the guiding principles the parties have established, it is easy for old habits to reassert themselves. A sound relationship management structure provides a set of cohesive policies, processes, and decision-making rights that encourage parties to continuously collaborate. Think of these as mechanisms that when in operation will help keep the relationship running at peak performance long after the parties have gotten to “yes” and signed their deal.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Chapter 10. The Power of We

Abstract

With a WIIFWe mindset and the Getting to We process in place, the companies profiled in this chapter have developed highly collaborative and sustainable business relationships. By embracing the WIIFWe philosophy, they formed a framework for collaborative and trusting relationships.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Conclusion We Are All Winners

Abstract

We hope you believe in the power of the WIIFWe mindset. Corporations, governments, and nonprofits alike have achieved extraordinary results by forming partnerships that embody WIIFWe and follow the process of Getting to We. Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald’s restaurant chain, knew many years ago that to succeed in the game of business, sometimes businesses are not in business alone. Rather, an interconnected “System” of businesses, organizations, and employees all come together to achieve success for everyone involved.

Jeanette Nyden, Kate Vitasek, David Frydlinger

Backmatter

Title: Getting to We
Authors: Jeanette Nyden
Kate Vitasek
David Frydlinger
Copyright Year: 2013
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-34415-1
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-60283-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137344151