Question

This assignment asks you to consider a negotiation scenario with family members.

Consider this scenario: You and your brother work for your father’s successful family business, which employs 15 individuals. Your role has evolved from being the Chief Machinist to being the General Manager and main salesperson for the business. Your brother has creative talent and is good at designing and fabrication, but is not strong in interpersonal skills. Additionally, your brother does not take care of his personal appearance and uses language around customers that is not appropriate.

Your father wants you to give your brother additional responsibilities. He suggests that your brother should work in the sales/front-facing side of the business. Your father has asked you to develop a plan that successfully integrates your brother into the public side of the business. However, you do not feel that it is the right thing to do for the business!

Explain your negotiation strategy. Additionally, address the following topics:

Explain why this is a multi-issue negotiation, as well as the benefits of this type of negotiation.

Define your goal or desired outcome for this negotiation.

Explain what you know about your father’s goals or interests concerning the negotiation.

Additionally, list the questions you need to ask to improve your understanding of the other party’s goals and interests.

Discuss any potential issues you believe might arise in this negotiation as a result of your relationship with the other party.

Propose at least two strategies you will employ in the negotiation to help maintain your relationship with this person.

Your paper should be 6-8 pages in length

Answer 1

This negotiation is a multi-issue one as it involves both personal and professional aspects. If as a son I try to be a very tough negotiator with my father, then my relationship with him may be hampered greatly and he also may get hurt emotionally. Even my brother may get angry with me and I may become a person of dislike in the family. But then the family business may suffer and there may be disgruntled customers because of my brother’s behavior with them.

I will try to adopt a compromising negotiation strategy where my brother may be given task of back-office job related to sales like compiling various sales-related data, handling customer queries and complaints through e-mails (without having face-to-face communication) and the like. That way my brother will get sales-related work without having to come in direct personal contact with the customers. Also father will be happy with this decision.

My interest here is to safeguard family business from loss of customer goodwill. My father’s interest is to see better professional development of my brother.

I will use following 2 strategies for negotiation –

(1) Think Positive – I will try to keep calm and think that there will be good outcome from this negotiation, which will serve the interests of both the parties.

(2) Be expressive and generate value – I will try to negotiate for a solution that will add value to both the parties. I will focus more on the benefits of the outcome.