The supreme good, the object of all negotiation is the pact, therefore, the fifth phase of our negotiation model is the agreement. Most negotiations, at least the honest –If we can classify them this way – they begin with the ultimate objective of reaching an agreement, regardless of whether this is sufficiently satisfactory for any of the parties.
We can understand the agreement as the exchange, more or less voluntary, of resources between the negotiating parties, which reduces or eliminates the perception of uncertainty or risk existing before the negotiation, consequence of some unsatisfied need, desire or interest.
The agreement is usually reached when its value is greater for both parties than maintaining the conflict or breakup. However, we must not allow ourselves to be blinded by the idealization of the reasoning capacity of the human being, since it is common for the assessment of the agreement to be determined by subjective rather than objective elements. We must never forget that all negotiations are carried out by human beings, at least for the moment; and that, as such, we are subject to our unconscious, even though we negotiate on behalf of some organization.
If we start from this human factor, existing in every agreement, we can draw up a map that can serve as a guide to try to predict what are the essential features that the other party may have established as its objective. Which in turn It will allow us to accelerate or slow down getting there, depending on what our interests are.. I have called this map the agreement quadrant.
The agreement quadrant
The agreement quadrant for each negotiator (in its simplest version) is determined by the combination between who owns the resource which must be delivered to the other party, and who is the beneficiary, direct or indirect, of the resource that the other party delivers. With these indicators in mind we can deduce that the content of the agreement will be determined by whether it is the negotiator himself who must deliver his own resources or these belong to another, and whether he is the one who personally receives and for his own benefit the resources of the other party. , or does so as a representative of another.
To understand the essence of how the agreement is created, once again, we are going to draw a quadrant in which we will represent the following:
- In it Edge of ordered (vertical) we will say at the top that the resources belong to the negotiator, while at the bottom we will see that the resources do not belong to the negotiator.
- In it abscissa axis (horizontal) we will place it on the left if the resources that the other party agrees to deliver are directly for the negotiator and on the right if these resources are for a third party, on behalf of which the negotiator reaches the agreement.
Types of agreements
Once the quadrant is created we can define four types of agreements that will allow us to understand where the other negotiator may want to go:
- Type 1 agreement. When the resources that are delivered belong to the negotiator and those that are received are for him: In this class, the agreement will be determined by the personal satisfaction of the negotiator, whether it is his own or that of others, as a consequence of some need, desire or self-interest. An example of this type of agreement is when we decide to buy something we want or need.
- Type 2 agreement. The resources to be delivered are not the negotiator's, but the benefits are received by him: The agreement will be delimited by the maximum exchange of resources between both parties, provided that the negotiator has the capacity to argue the agreement before the owner of the resources. resources it offers. A clear example of this type of agreement occurs when in an advertising campaign a person is allowed to take everything they want from a store, but for a limited time.
- Type 3 agreement. When the resources that are delivered belong to the negotiator, but those that are received are not for him: In this situation, the negotiator will accept that agreement that represents the minimum (perception of value) of investment of possible resources that allows him to justify the decision to the party it represents. A fairly illustrative example of this type of agreement occurs when we have to give a gift for some type of commitment.
- Type 4 agreement. The resources to be delivered do not belong to the negotiator, nor do he receive the benefits, at least directly. Typically, this type of agreement is for the maximum that allows the decision to be justified. An obvious illustration of this type of agreement is one that is made when a political official, using his or her public office, grants a benefit to all or part of the people who are under his or her field of administrative influence, whether they are potential voters or not. .
Compliance: the last essential phase of any negotiation
In the same way that the agreement is the objective of negotiation, compliance with what was agreed is the basis of the credibility, prestige and reputation of the negotiator. In all compliance there is a negotiation, more or less elaborate and express, which defines the expectations that each party must expect to satisfy when the agreement is implemented.
Fulfillment is the materialization in reality – the dense – of what has been designed (agreed upon) in the world of ideas – the subtle. In this materialization, commitment, obligation, and with them the determination of the force that will be used in the event that any of the parties do not carry out the delivery of committed resources in the agreed manner.
In this phase, the existing relationship between the negotiators, whether past, present or future, is a fundamental point to pay more or less attention to the steps and details to take into account. The attention that must be paid to this phase is usually inversely proportional. to the intensity of the relationship of trust existing between the parties.
With this article we conclude the series of six articles in which we have addressed the 6 essential phases of negotiation.
If you found it interesting, you can learn more about the author of this series, Jose Luis Velasco, on your LinkedIn profile.
