Constructive Negotiation
Negotiation often has a negative connotation. Just the word: negotiating, 'getting the other 'under your hand'. There is then apparently a parent and a child. A winner and a loser. Constructive Negotiation requires a different mindset as far as we are concerned. It assumes that you want to look for each other's interests. That you are curious how you can strengthen each other and not that you are looking to eliminate the other as quickly as possible or get as much as possible at the expense of the other.
Competencies within Constructive Negotiation
In our opinion, even the prestigious World Economic Forum looks too narrowly at negotiating competences. As if it's all about 'dealmaking'. Have recently described the competencies for the next 10 years.
A constructive negotiator tries to deal constructively with the relationship, wants to come to good decisions and deals with others, and can therefore solve complex problems in a VUCA environment. This negotiator is agile, can use creativity and is 'emotionally intelligent'. As far as we are concerned, almost all of the above-mentioned competencies are together the set of competencies that the negotiator must and wants to master.
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Win-Win thinking plays a role in this. We find win-win-win solutions even better: solutions that are important for you, the other(s) and the environment (several stakeholders, the environment, 'the planet'). Principles from the worldwide known Harvard negotiating have been the basis for our view on constructive negotiation for more than 30 years and inspire our view on negotiation techniques. Constructive negotiation is an 'art and a science', an art and a skill. It requires additional competencies in which the management of the relationship, the content and the process are important.