Page 16 - Leadership Basics 9

Interest‐based negotiators begin by focusing on the needs which must be satisfied in order for a
solution to the problem to be reached. The basis of a school leader’s work is that negotiation is an
opportunity for joint problem solving rather than an opportunity for one side to “win”. By focusing on
the needs of each party to the negotiation it is possible that solutions to the problem can be found
which were not apparent to either party in the beginning. The role of the school leader is NOT to have
a ‘win’ over his or her staff, but to have reached a decision through collaborative effort.
The objectives of the interest‐based negotiator are:

 finding a solution that meets the needs of both parties to the problem.
 avoidance of compromise.
 exploring possible solutions as opposed to just theirs or the solutions of the other parties.

The Pros & Cons of Interest Based Negotiation:

Positives:
 Incremental steps along the integrative axis increases the chance of both parties getting a
satisfactory agreement.
 Allows the parties to focus on emotions rather than restricting them to being totally rational.

 Forces the parties to think about what would make the others happy.
 Forces the parties to think about the future relationship.

Negatives:
In some negotiations one party (or both) may actually want to inflict punishment on the other.
Interest Based Negotiation means getting ‘personal’ and may be ‘messy’ in that it deals with emotional
issues.
The following diagram illustrates the difference between Interest Based and Position Based
Negotiation.

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