Scenario Questions
Emma and GoConsult were in negotiation for a new consulting job. The compensation package between Emma and GoConsult was critical, just like any other employment contract. Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) is the most advantageous alternative that a negotiating party can settle if the negotiations fail (Sebenius, 90). Emma had asked for five weeks of paid vacation. However, Emma was willing to accept three weeks of paid vacation. Therefore, Emma’s Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement was three weeks of paid leave.
Distributive and integrative are two commonly used negotiating strategies. The negotiation between Emma and GoConsult was based on the distributive negotiation (Brett, 288). To make the negotiation between Emma and GoCosult integrative, the two parties would have seen one another as friends rather than competitors. By negotiating in a friendly manner, the negotiation between the two parties would be more collaborative, which is the outstanding feature of integrative negotiation.
Media richness is the ability of communication media to effectively enable users to understand each other and facilitate rapid feedback. A richer medium is the one that involves gestures and body language in the communication between the negotiating parties (Ishii, 124). Video conferencing communication allows transmission of body language and gestures, and Emma and GoConsult should employ video conferencing in their negotiation. The equity theory ensures that the benefits earned by employees are proportional to their input in the organization. GoConsult should adopt the equity theory while negotiating compensation with new hires, which will guarantee fairness and motivate the new hires.
Attaching more significant importance to ones’ ideas without considering ideas of the other party is a common perceptual bias. Emma has already decided that if she is not granted a paid vacation of at least three weeks, she will not consider the new offer. Emma has not considered the view of GoConsult on the vacation before setting her three week-week vacation, and this perceptual bias can affect the negotiation between the two negotiating parties.
Works Cited
Brett, Jeanne M., Brian C. Gunia, and Brosh M. Teucher. “Culture and negotiation strategy: A framework for future research.” Academy of Management Perspectives 31.4 (2017): 288- 308.
Ishii, Kumi, Mary Madison Lyons, and Sabrina A. Carr. “Revisiting media richness theory for today and future.” Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies 1.2 (2019): 124-131.
Sebenius, James K. “BATNA s in Negotiation: Common Errors and Three Kinds of “No”.” Negotiation Journal 33.2 (2017): 89-99.