THE BUSINESS OF PRACTICE: TODAY’S PRACTICE


as well as concerns about future loss of this em- ployee after paying for the acquisition of these skills. The associate desires to add an additional profit center to the practice to increase her value as an employee and increase her potential earnings. She also desires to add a skill that she could pursue in the future in her own practice if she decides that emergency duty is a poor lifestyle once she becomes a parent. A collaborative approach to this situation where all concerns as well as aspirations are voiced has a high likelihood of producing an agreement that honors the needs of all parties. One creative solution would have the practice pay the associated expenses in return for an agreement that a certain number of subsequent years of service were required or repayment of prorated expenses would be stipu- lated if the associate departed prematurely. One can easily imagine the associate’s poor morale if the request was simply denied, or the practice owner’s anger and feelings of betrayal if an associate promptly departed after training financed by the practice without a repayment clause. Both parties must think of what their BATNA is in this situation. The associate’s BATNA might be to pay for the training herself and utilize vacation time in order to attend. The practice’s BATNA could be to give the associate unpaid leave to attend the course, with her assuming all expenses in excess of her continuing education budget. When assessing these BATNAs, it is clear that a negotiated settlement is likely to be more satisfactory for all parties. All successful negotiations require careful prepa-


ration, including determination of the BATNA, the target point, the resistance point, and the opening offer. Integrative bargaining requires the addi- tional steps of defining the problem, identifying both parties’ needs and interests, collaboratively gener- ating alternative solutions, and selecting a solution after careful evaluation of the value created by the choices generated.6


3. Negotiation Styles


Different individuals have varied innate preferred negotiating styles. These include avoidance, com- promise, accommodation, competitive, and collabor- ative. By understanding one’s own preferences and being aware of the potential for others to have dif- fering styles, a person can become more comfortable with experimenting with other negotiating styles. A cooperative approach is often more effective than a competitive one and an awareness of personal preferences can lead to better outcomes. Simple assessment exercises are available that reveal pre- ferred negotiating styles. Gender and culture also play a part in negotiating styles.7 Dr. G. Richard Snell, a professor at the Wharton


School of Business, created an assessment tool for negotiation style, printed as an Appendix in his book Bargaining for Advantage.8 The results of this as- sessment can reveal a preferred style of negotiation. Those with strongly accommodating styles have


strong skills in relationship building and enjoy help- ing solve others’ problems. They can excel in many customer service roles and integrative bargaining situations, but can be vulnerable to competitive counterparts. They may sometimes place more value on relationships than warranted by the situ- ation. Those with weak accommodation often focus on being “right” and have difficulty seeing other perspectives. Others may see them as stubborn and unreasonable, or uncaring about others’ feelings. Negotiators that are predisposed to compromising


are eager to find an agreement that will close the negotiation. Seen as friendly and reasonable, com- promisers often grasp the first fair solution that presents itself and are vulnerable to choices made without adequate fact-finding. Those low on com- promising often have strong principles and passion, but are subject to standing on principle when com- mon sense dictates otherwise; they can be seen as stubborn and irritating. People that favor avoiding dislike confrontation


and will dodge all situations that lead to disagree- ment. This can manifest as diplomacy and tact and can be very helpful in tense negotiations. Well- handled conflict avoidance can bring difficult groups to agreement. However, important information is often not brought into the open due to fear of diffi- cult conversations. Those who have low avoiding preferences have a high tolerance for assertive or even aggressive conversation. They are often seen as lacking tact or being overly confrontational. However, they can be valuable in some bargaining situations. Those predisposed to collaborating enjoy solving


tough problems through negotiation and work hard to find a best solution. When negotiations reach claiming value stages, these people may fail to gain their share of the resources due to their wish to build consensus and are vulnerable to competitive negoti- ators. Those low in collaborating prefer a more controlled detail oriented process and may lose clar- ity and focus in the seeming chaos of a group setting. Negotiators that prefer competing like to win and


they enjoy negotiating because it provides a contest. Although highly skilled in the processes of negotia- tion, their style is dominating and can damage rela- tionships. Because intangibles are difficult to assign a value to, they often focus on the tangible aspects of bargaining, leaving value on the table. Those low on competing value fairness and trust, but because they are seen as non-threatening, in some situations they will be at a disadvantage. Although people have preferred styles, becoming comfortable with recognizing, working with, and practicing other styles is important, since your coun- terparts in negotiation may have a different pre- ferred style. Depending on the bargaining situation in which you find yourself, your style may help you be more successful or be a source of weakness. Self-awareness can help you mitigate the negative effects and capitalize on the positive.


AAEP PROCEEDINGS  Vol. 60  2014 263


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