The Latest Updates from David B. Morse
Negotiators and conversationalists adapt to each other’s needs, reflecting mutual consideration (if they desire a successful outcome). Negotiation is a conversation, and the manner of engagement varies by person. Our involvement changes the context. It is easy to focus on the person in front of us and their age, nationality, or language. A person’s sex is the most basic of our classifications. But using that approach is deceptive.
A donkey and an elephant uniquely represent two different political parties in the U.S. Yet, the symbols leave much undefined. Does a particular member agree to this or that principle? Can members of one party believe in the principles of the other? A single word can convey different meanings, to different people, at different times, and in different places.
We negotiate to get somewhere and want to finish sooner rather than later. Job offers are no exception. Joining a social enterprise like a company may seem daunting; a David vs. Goliath journey. Yet, negotiations are between people, not things. Our visible and routine interpersonal skills pave the course.
Over the past 500 years, native peoples experienced the global expansion of European nations. British decedents used treaties with native peoples to settle the land in the U.S. and New Zealand. However, those two countries ultimately developed different relationships between their colonizing and indigenous peoples. Differences in negotiations before 1815 in the U.S. and 1872 in New Zealand influenced this outcome, particularly how each adapted to change.
