Leadership and Negotiation

Funny how, because of a recent situation, one is reminded of something read a long time ago.  This week I dug out a book I read almost twenty years ago.   I wanted to once again review parts of the book to help me set perspective on a few matters.  Fortunately for me, when I did retrieve the book, I found that I’d highlighted several sections which made it easy for me to find what I was looking for.  Yes, I made an assumption that nuggets of knowledge that helped me put things in perspective in the past would help me again today.  And guess what?  I was right!

This is not a classic book about leading change, but The Tao of Negotiation by Joel Edelman and Mary Beth Crain (1994) does offer an interesting perspective for leaders of change.  I like the Preface (p.xi):

In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.

In speech, be true.

In business, be competent.

In action, watch the timing.

No fight: No blame.

                                                                The Tao Te Ching

This reminds me somewhat of the SCARF model by Rock (2008) that we’ve talked about the past few weeks.  But what additional skills does a leader of change require and what can we learn from The Tao of Negotiation?  Well, there is considerable discussion in the book about conflict and how to approach situations involving conflict.  As we know, where there’s change, there is conflict.  I don’t want to be making too much of the potential for conflict in the workplace when change is about to take place, is occurring, or has already transpired, but let’s face it: change itself and the potential for change moves people at a personal level.  And it is because of this personal impact there is a breeding ground for conflict.  

Edelman and Crain (1994) set the stage by giving their views on the source of conflict as “…real – and what are perceived as legitimate – grievances on both sides” (p.1).  This is an important point for change leaders to remember – by this definition of conflict, there are opposing views on both sides.  It isn’t that the conflict arises from one person or the staff resisting change, it exists because of the polar positions of BOTH sides.  Knowing this, what is the leader’s responsibility to deal with the phenomena of conflict in the workplace and what are some practical best practice approaches we can consider in dealing with this dynamic? 

Well, from what I understand, at least ONE of the parties involved in the conflict has to be unwilling to move into attack mode.  Remember, the leader here is one of the parties, so let’s assume that the leader has to be the one to step up to the plate and to be of the mind that attack mode is not an option.  That’s a tall order in some circumstances, even with very experienced leaders.  It is admirable to watch a leader interacting in a conflicting situation step back, and not attack.  I’ve seen it many times, and I recognize it every time I see it.  I have to add, for some of you who might view this as caving or giving in to the conflicting view that it never looks like the leaders give up.  It looks like the leader wants to hear more of the opposition to understand the issues better, and it definitely looks like the leader wants to reflect on what s/he can do to make the situation more comfortable for those struggling with the change or issue.  When I witness this leadership approach in the workplace, I appreciate the mastery of negotiation.  And I admire it. 

The Tao of Negotiation might not appeal to all audiences because it requires readers to be introspective as to their own inner conflicts and to critically assess how they deal with conflict.  Some people are just not interested in this.  However, those of you who were interested in Rock’s material and the SCARF model (2008) might find it interesting to pick up the book still widely available, and give it a read.  I’ll be putting my copy back on the shelf later on this week, but only after I get a chance to leaf through it to be reminded of a few key principles. 

Take care till next week, and let me know if there are other topics you’d be interested in reading or discussing.