Negotiation

Principled Negotiation (Getting to Yes)

Negotiate on the merits, not by haggling over positions.

The Harvard model from Roger Fisher and William Ury. Instead of trading positions — which breeds deadlock and damaged relationships — you negotiate on four principles that produce agreements both sides can defend.

When to use it

Any contract or grievance negotiation where the relationship continues.
When talks are stuck trading positions back and forth.
When you want a durable deal, not a temporary win.

How to use it

1Separate the people from the problem — be hard on the issue, soft on the people.
2Focus on interests, not positions — ask the "why" behind each demand.
3Invent options for mutual gain before deciding anything.
4Insist on objective criteria — market data, SB 525, comparable contracts.

Watch out

Principled isn't soft — know your BATNA and verify a counterpart's good faith.

Example

A union demands "$3/hour" (a position); the interest is keeping pace with the cost of living. Anchoring to SB 525 and regional benchmarks (objective criteria) reframes a tug-of-war into a solvable problem.

Takeaway

Argue the merits against shared criteria and you replace a tug-of-war with a problem to solve.

Source: Fisher & Ury, "Getting to Yes" (Penguin)

Learn this in a course

Benefits, Benchmarks & Bargaining

Related frameworks

Interest-Based (Mutual Gains) Bargaining

BATNA & ZOPA

Distributive vs. Integrative Bargaining

All frameworks