NCJ Number
116435
Journal
Negotiation Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1989) Pages: 33-41
Date Published
1989
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article examines the way internal negotiations within an organization or a government are structured and presented in negotiations with outsiders.
Abstract
Those negotiating on behalf of governments often table positions that reflect bureaucratic compromises more than realistic alternatives. At the other extreme, negotiators can be given too much discretion by their governments. The author identifies four internal problems that can have a negative impact on external negotiations: (1) negotiators focus on a single element of commitment; (2) the perceived function of the external negotiator remains fixed throughout the negotiating period; (3) internal and external negotiations are seen as separate and distinct functions; and (4) negotiators see their roles as simply being partisans for their own causes. Solutions to these problems can occur if negotiators look at their roles as larger than simply arriving at commitment and instead focus on such elements as the interests, relationships and commitments of the parties. In addition, as the negotiation proceeds, the role of the negotiator should change. Internal and external negotiations should be viewed as a two-way interactive process, and negotiators should define their roles as both partisans and mediators. The article includes draft instructions that could be given to international negotiators.