In Negotiations with Ben Affleck, No Appealing BATNA
This post has been viewed 2,663 times.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. got into trouble by caving into the actor’s request
In negotiation, your best source of power is typically your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, or BATNA. Having a strong outside alternative enables you to walk away from a deal that doesn’t meet your needs or that would compromise your vision or ethics.
But when you are dealing with a negotiating partner who seems irreplaceable, your BATNA can seem hopelessly weak. In such cases, you may be tempted to make unreasonable and even unethical concessions for fear that you will have to exercise your BATNA if you stand firm.
* * *
Organizations need to promote best negotiation tactics by setting clear guidelines on acceptable behavior and putting safeguards in place to ensure those guidelines are followed, as PBS now says it is doing. In addition, we can protect our integrity by working to improve our BATNA and give ourselves good alternatives to acquiescing to inappropriate or unethical demands. Finally, we can test our moral judgments by consulting parties whom we respect—not for their business acumen, but for their reputation for exemplary moral behavior.
Read original articleTags:
