Introduction. Lower-level staff members seldom practice work place negotiations. Negotiations can create the stigma of negative breeding grounds. However, when executed correctly, positive outcomes can ensue. The following example journeys into a personal experience with negotiation that resulted in a beneficial opportunity for all parties involved. Background & Settings. In my undergraduate years, I experienced working part-time in the retail industry, selling wine, spirits, and beer products. Like any run-of-the-mill part-time retail job, the organization I used to work for adhered close to minimum wage and limited work hours for its numerous employees. During the busiest time of the year (i.e. the holiday season), most retail sales organizations
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In retrospect, the interview process itself takes pages out of a negotiation strategy study. The negotiation process, as a whole, involved a sense of distributive bargaining. According to Shachar (2011), distributive bargaining entails two or more individuals taking up specific positions at opposite ends, and later negotiating to meet at a proposed middle or common ground. Each side stands behind his/her own solution and offers it at the "negotiating table". Typically, both solutions cannot exist simultaneously, resulting in an agreed upon solution that satisfies all parties almost equally. Before the actual negotiating occurs, both parties will prepare in advance, an offer (entering price or EP) and exit the process with a different, bargained offer (leaving price or LP). Aspects of the interview process I experienced at my retail job surrounded the concepts of EP and LP. In order to prepare for the interview, I extensively researched multiple facets of the industry including comparable salaries, shipping/receiving duties and responsibilities, management skills, and experience needed to perform specific functions. Additionally, by focusing more on the interests of both parties versus on the actual position, research suggests the outcome will prove more beneficial (Pasquier, Hollands, Rahwan, Dignum, & Sonenberg, 2010). At the negotiating table, I came prepared by first stating why I should be promoted to interim head clerk. Initially, I identified my veteran years of experience, as well as my lasting relationship with the current Shipping/Receiving clerk. Ultimately, I convinced the management team that their need of hiring someone with enough talent and responsibility would only be fulfilled with someone who knew the position the best. To make it easier for the management team, I chose not to propose any salary increase because I displayed a passion for the actual experience versus the monetary gain. The relations before, during, and after
In retrospect, the interview process itself takes pages out of a negotiation strategy study. The negotiation process, as a whole, involved a sense of distributive bargaining. According to Shachar (2011), distributive bargaining entails two or more individuals taking up specific positions at opposite ends, and later negotiating to meet at a proposed middle or common ground. Each side stands behind his/her own solution and offers it at the "negotiating table". Typically, both solutions cannot exist simultaneously, resulting in an agreed upon solution that satisfies all parties almost equally. Before the actual negotiating occurs, both parties will prepare in advance, an offer (entering price or EP) and exit the process with a different, bargained offer (leaving price or LP). Aspects of the interview process I experienced at my retail job surrounded the concepts of EP and LP. In order to prepare for the interview, I extensively researched multiple facets of the industry including comparable salaries, shipping/receiving duties and responsibilities, management skills, and experience needed to perform specific functions. Additionally, by focusing more on the interests of both parties versus on the actual position, research suggests the outcome will prove more beneficial (Pasquier, Hollands, Rahwan, Dignum, & Sonenberg, 2010). At the negotiating table, I came prepared by first stating why I should be promoted to interim head clerk. Initially, I identified my veteran years of experience, as well as my lasting relationship with the current Shipping/Receiving clerk. Ultimately, I convinced the management team that their need of hiring someone with enough talent and responsibility would only be fulfilled with someone who knew the position the best. To make it easier for the management team, I chose not to propose any salary increase because I displayed a passion for the actual experience versus the monetary gain. The relations before, during, and after