A negotiation team represents an entity during a negotiation with a second party. It requires an internal structure, clear objectives, and a dynamic between team members. It can be challenging, but effective communication and teamwork are essential for success.
A negotiation team is a group of individuals who come together for the purpose of representing a specific entity during a negotiation with a second party. For example, the team may represent a business negotiating with a union about rates of pay and employee benefits. Teams of this type are often created during the ongoing merger of two companies, making the process of combing resources smoother and more orderly. Negotiation teams are sometimes brought together as part of the process of dividing assets during the divorce process.
With any negotiation team, some kind of internal structure needs to be established if the team is to function properly. One individual should act as a facilitator, thus ensuring that the team stays on target by considering all factors relevant to the negotiation. Someone on the team must fill the role of speaker or presenter, articulating the team’s current position on the opposing side. A proper negotiation team also needs someone to supervise all sorts of research and document preparation needed to discuss and ultimately bring the negotiation to fruition.
An effective negotiating team will create a set of objectives before approaching the negotiating table. Those goals should be specific enough to keep the team focused on the task at hand, but flexible enough to be adjusted if the opposition produces evidence that changes the assumptions upon which those goals are based. Having a clear vision of what the negotiation should accomplish helps keep the process from veering into side issues that are better resolved in a different context.
The dynamic between team members is also crucial. Ideally, each team member should support the stated goals and make specific contributions to the effort to achieve those goals. At the same time, each team member should be familiar with the other party’s position on the issue and have at least a partial understanding of what they want to accomplish with the negotiation.
Being part of a negotiation team is not an easy task. It’s not uncommon for team members to disagree on various points during the negotiation. This can create tension and prevent negotiations from proceeding at a productive pace. Also, teams that aren’t well organized are much more likely to be somewhat chaotic and less than competent at communicating with the opposition. For this reason, all individuals selected for the negotiation team must be able to work with people who are able to remain calm, try to understand different points of view and be willing to work with others in order to maintain active group.
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