Leadership Skills for the Academic
Specialist: Negotiation
Fourth Annual Meeting of SASCOG
May 2016
Washington, DC
R. Kevin Grigsby, MSW, DSW, ACSW
AAMC Senior Director, Member Organizational Development
Ground Rules
1. Stay within the allotted time
2. Interactivity is required of all participants
3. Information shared by participants will be kept
anonymous unless permission to share it with others is
granted –
 The Las Vegas Rule
Objectives
1. Understand the basic principles of negotiation
and how and when to use them.
2. Learn new tools for maximizing success as a
negotiator, peace maker, and problem solver.
Negotiation
- to discuss something formally in order to make
an agreement
• Distributive – Positional; hard-bargaining;
haggling; fixed amount
• Integrative – focuses on the underlying
interests of all parties; attempts to improve the
quality and likelihood of negotiated
agreement; an alternative to distributive
negotiation; win-win negotiation
Merriam-Webster, 2014.
Why Are Some Negotiations Difficult?
Important issue – Uncertain
outcome
Self-esteem may be at risk
One cares deeply about the
topic – It’s your salary!
One cares deeply about the
other party even if you don’t
want to - It’s your boss!!!
Successful Negotiation
Requires a commitment to problem-solving
Why? Because:
• It’s very easy to create conflict
• It’s very easy to perpetuate conflict
• Creating or perpetuating conflict may not be
conscious or deliberate
• Unless you take deliberate action to reduce,
manage, or eliminate conflict, it is likely to
persist
Strategies for Improving Your
Negotiation Skills
• Increase your self-knowledge
• Increase your knowledge of others
• Improve your listening skills
• Listen generously
• Be willing to make and accept behavioral changes
Intent vs. Impact
Separate intent from impact
• What you say may not be understood as you
intended it to be understood
• The impact – whether intended or not – will
influence the behavior of the other person
A woman without her man is
nothing.
A woman - without her,
man is nothing.
Developing Listening Skills
We have two ears, but only one mouth . . .
This is because we should be listening twice as
much as talking!
Generous Listening:
A Core Negotiation Tool
Good Listeners
Listen with more than their ears
• Make eye contact
• Pay attention to posture and
proximity
• Head nodding helps
• Concentrate on the message
• Avoid immediate assignment of
emotion
 Don’t judge too quickly
 Don’t let anyone hijack your
amygdala
Generous, Authentic Listening
•
In difficult conversations, we tend to stop listening
•
We are formulating a rebuttal and do not hear what the other
person is saying
•
Learn to “turn off” the inner dialog and truly listen generously
and authentically
Three Levels of Listening
Level 1:
Listening for me
Level 2:
Listening for content/information
Level 3:
Listening with your head and heart for the
speaker
Negotiation Types
Distributive
Integrative
Conflicting goals
Complimentary or conflicting
goals
Resources are fixed
Goal: Maximum values
Resources are flexible
Potential to create value for
all parties
Approach
•
Define the problem
•
Build a shared understanding of the issues at hand
•
Generate options
•
Build on shared interests
•
Bridge conflicting interests
•
Use different interests for exchange
Prepare!
Weigh alternatives in advance
If you can’t agree, what will satisfy your interests?
What is your BATNA?
What is their BATNA?
Types of Conflict
Cognitive
Affective
Issue-focused
disagreement
Personal antagonism
fueled by difference of
opinion
Improving performance
Declining performance
Own your feelings or they will own you
High-Power, Non-Verbal Displays:
•
Cause neuroendocrine changes
•
Cause behavioral changes for males & females
• High-power posers experienced
• elevations in testosterone
• decreases in cortisol
• increased feelings of power
• increased tolerance for risk.
Cuddy, Wilmuth, Carney, 2012.
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?languag
e=en
Asking Questions:
Creates clarity: “Can you explain more about this situation?”
Constructs better work relationships: Instead of “Did you submit
the grant application?” ask, “How is the grant application going?”
Helps people think analytically and critically: “What are the
consequences of going this route?”
Inspires people to reflect and view in new, unpredictable ways:
“Why did this work?”
Asking Questions:
Encourages breakthrough thinking: “Can this be done in any
other way?”
Challenges assumptions: “What do you think you will lose if
you start sharing responsibility for the implementation
process?”
Creates ownership of solutions: “Based on your experience,
what do you suggest?”
The Best Leaders Ask The Best Questions
Question Value Ladder
Closed
Yes or No
Open
Elicits Idea or
Explanation
Leading
Guides
towards an
Outcome
Guiding
Helps
Another see
what you can
see
Discovery
No one has
an answer yet
Challenge
Questions
prevailing
assumptions
EASY Conversations
25
Use EASY to Engage Others:
licit information – “Tell me more”, “Go on.”
sk questions – “What led you to that
conclusion?”, “How do you feel about that now?”
tate the obvious – “Let me see if I have this right.
You are saying . . .”
ou may be wrong in your interpretation – What seems
obvious to you may not be the intended message.
26
Ask Open Ended Questions
Cannot be answered with a
“yes,” “no.”
Encourage the person to
expand on what he/she is
saying.
19
Avoid Asking “Why?”
 May leave a person feeling blamed or even shamed.
 Elicit a response: “Help me understand why you chose that course
of action.”
28
Avoid the Knowing–Doing Gap
Use a solution-focused approach:
1. Keeps conversations away from
whining
2. Keeps the focus on problem solving
and away from making the error of
thinking that talking about something
is the same as doing something – it’s
not the same!
Remain Solution-Focused
Start by
gathering
others and
explain the
model to them.
Ask them to
agree to adopt
the “solution
focused” model
for work related
conversations.
Use a Solution-Focused Approach
to Close the Knowing-Doing Gap
1. Keeps conversations away from blaming
2. Keeps conversations away from whining
3. Keeps the focus on problem solving and away from making the
error of thinking that talking about something is the same as
doing something – it’s not the same!
The Solution-Focused Model
Criticism alone can be irresponsible, as it does not lead to solving
problems.
Agree that when criticizing, one must present a possible solution.
If you do not have a proposed solution, be brave and admit you have no
solution, but are willing to keep working with the group to find a solution.
Be willing to compromise.
Be prepared to accept individual responsibility.
Remain Solution-Focused
When engaged in a conversation and the other party offers criticism,
but no proposed solution, prompt them by stating “I understand your
comments and feel some of them are valid criticisms. But please tell
me, “What is your solution?”
Agree that if no solution is offered, the group will stick to a solution
that has been proposed OR will continue to work to find a better
solution
Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000.
References
Cuddy AJC, Wilmuth C, Carney DR. The benefit of power posing before a high-stakes social
evaluation. Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-027, Sept. 2012.
Grigsby, R.K. The fine art of apology: When, why, and how to say “I’m sorry”. Academic Physician
and Scientist, June 2007:4-6.
Grigsby RK. Enhancing the Behavioral Science Knowledge and Skills of 21st Century Leaders in
Academic Medicine and Science. J Org Behavior Management. 35(1-2):123-134, 2015.
Pearson CM & Porath CL. The cost of bad behavior. How incivility is damaging your business and
what to do about it. Portfolio, 2009.
Pfeffer J, Sutton RI. The Smart-Talk Trap. Harvard Business Review. 1999, 135-142. Reprint
99310.
Pfeffer J. Sutton RI. The Knowing-Doing Gap. Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2000.
Sutton RI. The No-Asshole Rule. Warner Business Books, 2007. Quill Award Winner - Book of the
Year (business category)
Tannen DF. Talking from Nine to Five. William Morrow, 1994.