czwartek, 15 października 2015

Negotiation Ethics - 50 shades of gray

Negotiating represents everyday situations. We do lie, puff, bluff, hide the truth and are very often dishonest. People won't be different in negotiation. This is my opinion and approach. Actually I was this bad guy - 2137 number during the test. 

Misrepresenting information is bad, lying to somebody also. However, when I have a car to sell, I won't hesitate to hide that air conditioning system is leaking. First of all, it doesn't affect safety and secondly, I don't care about this buyer. From rational economics perspective, this is a good attitude. However, we are irrational usually, so honest behavior is actually not so seldom. It is not easy to tell whether it's already a lie or just hiding the information. We are surrounded by ambiguity. Those ethical questions are neither black, nor white. Usually, as mentioned in a title, they're in many shades of gray.

According to 2.12 reading I prefer The Poker School of negotiating. Everytime I sit upon the table, I perceive negotiation as challenge and a game. I like collaboration - I'm more than happy to agree, but I still think about my personal interest. Moreover, I think that Poker School is more interesting than Pragmatic School, not even mentioning the Idealist School. I like the feeling of winning, I'm addicted to success and this is my driver. After the negotiation ends, I usually forget about whole situation and go over it. During the negotiation I have some kind of flow, that makes me care only about the outcome. When we collaborate and have mutual agreement, I still feel that I won. But if we can't, I won't hesitate to be selfish. It's funny actually. I don't know from where those incentives come, but frankly I started to like this feeling.

I also like the limitations and rules of that game. Usually those are legal, but also social restrictions. You need to move very carefully, because you can step on a land mine easily. You have to make a judgment call sometimes, for instance: "should I lie or not?" I am curious about it and actually looking forward to it in the future. Especially, that negotiation classes are risk free environment, so I can experiment a little. Nevertheless, the more I negotiate, the more I like this kind of ethical strategy. Probably my Mother wouldn't be glad about it...

I find it as a clever tactic. Misleading an opponent, confusion, chaos - isn't the same thing Sun Tzu wrote about in his "Art of War" several thousand years ago?

The only thing I can't yet apply to Poker School tactic is definitely anger or emotion management. When I don't like something, I say it loud. When someone upsets me, I retaliate. True players don't do that.

I know, however, that I have some limitations. As I mentioned above, I would never lie, if the case would affect human's life or health. But saying some petty things, just to sell the product - I don't actually mind. Or paying for information, or undermining the negotiating position of other party, or promising things I can't deliver (as long as it doesn't affect my company) - it's not a problem for me. Am I bad?

I don't think so. I treat it as a game. Exciting, interesting, complicated, but only a game. I hope it will stay like that.

Brak komentarzy:

Prześlij komentarz