Multiple party negotiations
Ways in which the multiple party increases the complexity three or more parties simultaneously engage in negotiation.
1. More parties involved in the negotiation, which increases the number of speakers, increases the demand for discussion time, and increases the number of different roles the parties may play.
2. More parties bring more issues and positions to the table, and thus more perspectives must be presented and discussed.
3. Negotiations become socially more complex, social norms emerge that affect member participation, and there may be stronger pressures to conform and suppress disagreement.
4. negotiation become procedurally more complex, and the parties may have to negotiate a new process that allows them to coordinate their action more effectively
5. Because the parties must monitor the moves and actions of several other parties in determining what each will do next?
6. Possibility of coalitions increases the likelihood that decisions will not be made by the comprehensive negotiated consensus, but by some subgroup that can dominate the discussion and decision making process.
Multiple communication

As you can see, the process for multiple party communication is very messy, because there are so many different people involved. This process can be lighten up by using some strategy. Just like any negotiation, a plan should be in place before going into negotiation to insure quality negotiation and to speed up the process.
Stages to forming a group
1. Forming – at this stage, group member are trying to figure out what role they play in the group, learn about each other.
2. storming – conflict surface and team member have to figure out a way to solve the problem to move into the next stage
3. norming – at this stage, group are working together. There is still some minor problem in the group dynamics but the teams are working together at this point.
4. Performing – When a team reaches this stage, they are performing at their best. Team member are working together with lots of productivity. Keep in mind, some group will never make it to this stage.

This process is continuous, team is always adjusting and changing their dynamics, there’s no definite order for this process. Some group can skip the storming and go directly from forming into norming. Sometimes group stay in storming and can’t never move on to the next stage.
What is an effective group?
1. test assumptions and inference
2. share all relevant information
3. focus on interests, not positions
4. be specific
5. agree on what important word mean
6. explain the reasons behind one’s statement, questions, and answers
7. disagree openly with any member of the group
8. make statement, then invite questions and comments
9. jointly design ways to test disagreements and solutions
10. discuss undiscussable issues
11. keep the discussion focused
12. do not take cheap shots or otherwise distract the group
13. expect to have all members participate in all phases of the process
14. exchange relevant information with non-group member
15. make decisions by consensus
16. conduct a self – critique
Negotiation
There are two basic situation from negotiation.
1. Win – Lose: Traditional negotiating is sometimes called win-lose because of the assumption of a fixed "pie", that one person's gain results in another person's loss. This is only true, however, if only a single issue needs to be resolved, such as a price in a simple sales negotiation. If multiple issues are discussed, differences in the parties' preferences make win-win negotiation possible
2. Win – Win – when both group reach the out come they want. This can be ach
Managing Multiparty Negotiations
The three stage in multiple party negotiation
Pre-negotiation
Defining group member roles, these roles are (Coalition members, Veto players, Desirable coalition members, Leaders, Mediators, Record keepers)
Constructing an Agenda – Agenda is very important in multiple party negotiations because it helps to keep the negotiation on track and keeps everyone on track.
Actual formal negotiation
Chair man should be appointed. The chair man has many job to do, they are listed below
Introduce the agenda
Introduce necessary ground rules
Listen for interests and commonalities
Be an active gate keeper (making sure people have chance to speak and people have the same chance to speak their mind.)
Create and review decision standards and rules
Introduce external information
Summarize frequently
During the negotiation there are some strategies that may be used.
1. The Delphi technique – a moderator structures an initial questionnaire and sends it out to all parties, asking for input. Parties provide their input and send it back to the moderator. The moderator summarizes the input and sends it back to the parties. Parties then evaluate the report, make further input, and return it to the moderator. Over a number of rounds, through the questions and inquiries shaped by the moderator, the parties can exchange a great deal of information and share different perspectives
2. brain storming – in brainstorming, the parties are instructed to define a problem and then go generate as many solution as possible without criticizing any of them
3. Nominal group technique - the nominal group technique typically follows brainstorming. Once the brainstormed list of solution options is created, group members can rank, rate or evaluate the alternatives I terms of the degree to which each alternative solves the problem.
4. Free-wheeling is a plus. Wild and crazy ideas are welcome, and in fact they may help trigger other ideas from team members. Don’t worry about weather the idea you voice is good, bad, silly, or realistic; just say it.
5. Go for quantity. The more ideas you get from team members, the better this team effort will be.
6. Combine and improve ideas. It is certainly fine to build on someone else’s idea.
Tactics
Skilled negotiators use many tactics including:
· Analyzing the negotiation and conflict management style of their counterpart
· Setting pre-conditions before the meeting
· Declining to speak first
· Volunteering to keep the minutes of the meeting
· Presenting demands
· Time targets, i.e. Deadlines.
· Time manipulation: Delay
· Good guy/bad guy
· Limited authority/Mandated Authority
· Caucusing
· Walking out
· Concession patterns
· High-ball/low-ball
· Intimidation
· Getting it in your hands
· Fait accompli (what's done is done)
· Take it or leave it
· Rejecting an offer
· Planted Information
· Changing the location at the last moment
· Decoy
· Extreme Offers
· Plan discussions to avoid opponent becoming aware of alternatives to your offer
· Cherry picking
· Salami tactics
managing the agreement
This is the last stage in managing multiparty negotiations is the agreement stage. During the agreement stage, the group must select the alternatives that are out on the table. In this stage, party can encounter some last minute problem and issues. There are some steps to help solving this problem
1. select the best solution
2. develop an action plan
3. implement the action plan
4. evaluate the just – completed process
Finally when an agreement has been reached, the chair man should thank the teams for their hard work and time spends in the negotiation. Organize and facilitate the postmortem. Have group members discuss the process and the outcome, and evaluate what they might do better or differently the next time
Understand the costs and consequences of no agreement
Ways in which the multiple party increases the complexity three or more parties simultaneously engage in negotiation.
1. More parties involved in the negotiation, which increases the number of speakers, increases the demand for discussion time, and increases the number of different roles the parties may play.
2. More parties bring more issues and positions to the table, and thus more perspectives must be presented and discussed.
3. Negotiations become socially more complex, social norms emerge that affect member participation, and there may be stronger pressures to conform and suppress disagreement.
4. negotiation become procedurally more complex, and the parties may have to negotiate a new process that allows them to coordinate their action more effectively
5. Because the parties must monitor the moves and actions of several other parties in determining what each will do next?
6. Possibility of coalitions increases the likelihood that decisions will not be made by the comprehensive negotiated consensus, but by some subgroup that can dominate the discussion and decision making process.
Multiple communication
As you can see, the process for multiple party communication is very messy, because there are so many different people involved. This process can be lighten up by using some strategy. Just like any negotiation, a plan should be in place before going into negotiation to insure quality negotiation and to speed up the process.
Stages to forming a group
1. Forming – at this stage, group member are trying to figure out what role they play in the group, learn about each other.
2. storming – conflict surface and team member have to figure out a way to solve the problem to move into the next stage
3. norming – at this stage, group are working together. There is still some minor problem in the group dynamics but the teams are working together at this point.
4. Performing – When a team reaches this stage, they are performing at their best. Team member are working together with lots of productivity. Keep in mind, some group will never make it to this stage.
This process is continuous, team is always adjusting and changing their dynamics, there’s no definite order for this process. Some group can skip the storming and go directly from forming into norming. Sometimes group stay in storming and can’t never move on to the next stage.
What is an effective group?
1. test assumptions and inference
2. share all relevant information
3. focus on interests, not positions
4. be specific
5. agree on what important word mean
6. explain the reasons behind one’s statement, questions, and answers
7. disagree openly with any member of the group
8. make statement, then invite questions and comments
9. jointly design ways to test disagreements and solutions
10. discuss undiscussable issues
11. keep the discussion focused
12. do not take cheap shots or otherwise distract the group
13. expect to have all members participate in all phases of the process
14. exchange relevant information with non-group member
15. make decisions by consensus
16. conduct a self – critique
Negotiation
There are two basic situation from negotiation.
1. Win – Lose: Traditional negotiating is sometimes called win-lose because of the assumption of a fixed "pie", that one person's gain results in another person's loss. This is only true, however, if only a single issue needs to be resolved, such as a price in a simple sales negotiation. If multiple issues are discussed, differences in the parties' preferences make win-win negotiation possible
2. Win – Win – when both group reach the out come they want. This can be ach
Managing Multiparty Negotiations
The three stage in multiple party negotiation
Pre-negotiation
Defining group member roles, these roles are (Coalition members, Veto players, Desirable coalition members, Leaders, Mediators, Record keepers)
Constructing an Agenda – Agenda is very important in multiple party negotiations because it helps to keep the negotiation on track and keeps everyone on track.
Actual formal negotiation
Chair man should be appointed. The chair man has many job to do, they are listed below
Introduce the agenda
Introduce necessary ground rules
Listen for interests and commonalities
Be an active gate keeper (making sure people have chance to speak and people have the same chance to speak their mind.)
Create and review decision standards and rules
Introduce external information
Summarize frequently
During the negotiation there are some strategies that may be used.
1. The Delphi technique – a moderator structures an initial questionnaire and sends it out to all parties, asking for input. Parties provide their input and send it back to the moderator. The moderator summarizes the input and sends it back to the parties. Parties then evaluate the report, make further input, and return it to the moderator. Over a number of rounds, through the questions and inquiries shaped by the moderator, the parties can exchange a great deal of information and share different perspectives
2. brain storming – in brainstorming, the parties are instructed to define a problem and then go generate as many solution as possible without criticizing any of them
3. Nominal group technique - the nominal group technique typically follows brainstorming. Once the brainstormed list of solution options is created, group members can rank, rate or evaluate the alternatives I terms of the degree to which each alternative solves the problem.
4. Free-wheeling is a plus. Wild and crazy ideas are welcome, and in fact they may help trigger other ideas from team members. Don’t worry about weather the idea you voice is good, bad, silly, or realistic; just say it.
5. Go for quantity. The more ideas you get from team members, the better this team effort will be.
6. Combine and improve ideas. It is certainly fine to build on someone else’s idea.
Tactics
Skilled negotiators use many tactics including:
· Analyzing the negotiation and conflict management style of their counterpart
· Setting pre-conditions before the meeting
· Declining to speak first
· Volunteering to keep the minutes of the meeting
· Presenting demands
· Time targets, i.e. Deadlines.
· Time manipulation: Delay
· Good guy/bad guy
· Limited authority/Mandated Authority
· Caucusing
· Walking out
· Concession patterns
· High-ball/low-ball
· Intimidation
· Getting it in your hands
· Fait accompli (what's done is done)
· Take it or leave it
· Rejecting an offer
· Planted Information
· Changing the location at the last moment
· Decoy
· Extreme Offers
· Plan discussions to avoid opponent becoming aware of alternatives to your offer
· Cherry picking
· Salami tactics
managing the agreement
This is the last stage in managing multiparty negotiations is the agreement stage. During the agreement stage, the group must select the alternatives that are out on the table. In this stage, party can encounter some last minute problem and issues. There are some steps to help solving this problem
1. select the best solution
2. develop an action plan
3. implement the action plan
4. evaluate the just – completed process
Finally when an agreement has been reached, the chair man should thank the teams for their hard work and time spends in the negotiation. Organize and facilitate the postmortem. Have group members discuss the process and the outcome, and evaluate what they might do better or differently the next time
Understand the costs and consequences of no agreement