Negotiating at Work

Negotiating at Work

by Deborah M. Kolb, Jessica L. Porter
Released January 2015
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9781118352410

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Book description

Understand the context of negotiations to achieve better results

Negotiation has always been at the heart of solving problems at work. Yet today, when people in organizations are asked to do more with less, be responsive 24/7, and manage in rapidly changing environments, negotiation is more essential than ever. What has been missed in much of the literature of the past 30 years is that negotiations in organizations always take place within a context—of organizational culture, of prior negotiations, of power relationships—that dictates which issues are negotiable and by whom. When we negotiate for new opportunities or increased flexibility, we never do it in a vacuum. We challenge the status quo and we build out the path for others to negotiate those issues after us. In this way, negotiating for ourselves at work can create small wins that can grow into something bigger, for ourselves and our organizations. Seen in this way, negotiation becomes a tool for addressing ineffective practices and outdated assumptions, and for creating change.

Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managing your own workplace negotiations: how to get opportunities, promotions, flexibility, buy-in, support, and credit for your work. It does so within the context of organizational dynamics, recognizing that to negotiate with someone who has more power adds a level of complexity. The is true when we negotiate with our superiors, and also true for individuals currently under represented in senior leadership roles, whose managers may not recognize certain issues as barriers or obstacles. 

 Negotiating at Work is rooted in real-life cases of professionals from a wide range of industries and organizations, both national and international.

  • Strategies to get the other person to the table and engage in creative problem solving, even when they are reluctant to do so
  • Tips on how to recognize opportunities to negotiate, bolster your confidence prior to the negotiation, turn 'asks' into a negotiation, and advance negotiations that get "stuck"
  • A rich examination of research on negotiation, conflict management, and gender

By using these strategies, you can negotiate successfully for your job and your career; in a larger field, you can also alter organizational practices and policies that impact others.

Table of contents

  1. More Praise for Negotiating at Work
  2. Title page
  3. Copyright page
  4. Preface
  5. Introduction: Negotiating in the Shadow of Organizations
    1. Why This Book? And Why Now?
    2. Gender and the Negotiated Order
    3. Second-Generation Gender Issues
    4. Negotiating at Work: A Chapter Overview
    5. What's Good for Alicia Is Good for the Company
    6. Notes
  6. About the Authors
  7. PART ONE: PREPARING FOR n-NEGOTIATIONS
    1. 1: You Can't Get What You Want If You Don't Know What You Want
      1. Two Steps to Prep for Negotiating
      2. Challenges in Figuring Out What You Want
      3. Learn All You Can about the What and the Who
      4. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      5. Notes
    2. 2: Recognizing Opportunities and Positioning to Negotiate
      1. Opportunities to Negotiate
      2. Getting in Your Own Way
      3. Positioning to Negotiate
      4. Taking Stock of Your Value
      5. BATNA: Positioning Yourself in Light of Alternatives to Agreement
      6. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      7. Notes
    3. 3: Anchoring, Mindfulness, and Preparing for Problem Solving
      1. Mutual-Gains Problem Solving in n-Negotiations
      2. Domination, Compromise, Integration: It All Started with a Woman
      3. Creative Options and the Anchoring Effect
      4. Preparing to Negotiate: Focusing on Concerns
      5. Preparing to Negotiate: Being Mindful
      6. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      7. Notes
    4. 4: Getting Negotiations off the Ground
      1. Prenegotiation Techniques Depend on the Context
      2. Two Ways to Get Negotiations Started
      3. An Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove
      4. Enlisting Allies
      5. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      6. Notes
  8. PART TWO: PUTTING n-NEGOTIATIONS INTO PRACTICE
    1. 5: Building Rapport and Shifting Gears: The Power of a Good Opening
      1. Openings Work Differently in n-Negotiations
      2. Building Rapport
      3. Shifting Gears
      4. Discovering the Other Person's “Good Reasons”
      5. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      6. Notes
    2. 6: Power at Play in Negotiations: Moves and Turns
      1. Spotlight on Strategic Moves—and How to Turn Them
      2. Cultivate Your Repertoire of Turns
      3. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      4. Notes
    3. 7: Managing the Negotiation Process: Fostering Problem Solving
      1. Shaping Your Stance to the Circumstance
      2. Using Questions to Promote Problem Solving
      3. Navigating Past Bumps in the Road
      4. Second-Generation Issues and Small Wins
      5. Notes
  9. CODA: NOTES ON CHANGE
    1. 8: From Small Wins to Bigger Gains
      1. Small Wins: Categories and Mechanisms
      2. Small Wins: Three Categories
      3. Mechanisms to Disseminate Small Wins
      4. The Implications of Building Small Wins
      5. Notes
  10. References
  11. Index
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Negotiating at Work
  • Author(s): Deborah M. Kolb, Jessica L. Porter
  • Release date: January 2015
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9781118352410