Negotiation Skill Negotiations

The 'negotiation' process, entailing conflicting parties' deliberation over the problem and arrival at a conclusion that works to all parties' advantage, constitutes a highly effective means of preventing tension and disputes. Disagreeing persons sit together, engage in open-forum problem discussion, bargain or negotiate, and arrive at a result satisfactory to every party. Successful communication leads to successful negotiation. Negotiations should be free from yelling and brawling; parties ought to peacefully exchange beliefs, views and feelings. Nobody can know one's ideas and feelings if one doesn't express them effectively before others. People's manner of speaking and non-verbal cues (gestures, posture, facial expression, etc.) contributes significantly to successful negotiations (MSG, 2016).

The UPS (United Parcel Service) Strike of 1996 Win-Lose Negotiation

American courier/messenger service business established in the year 1907, the UPS, is now the world's biggest courier, specialized transport and logistics firm. Its key corporate strategy was: largely recruiting youngsters seeking part-time employment, offering them off-time shift work, and paying them union-negotiated compensation packages. But irrespective of how long they served the company, they had scant opportunities of career progress with UPS. By the year 1996, the company was employing 182,000 individuals part-time, working approximately 26 to 28 hours weekly for about 5 years at largely part-time pay rates. UPS workers' Teamster Union thoroughly examined the problem and initiated an enormous offensive worker strike against the company, relying on societal support (Ciel, 2011).

The Moscow Theater Hostage - Crisis Negotiation

Approximately fifty Chechen Islamic militants carrying weapons held 850 Russian residents captive in a theater in the year 2002, calling for Russian withdrawal from Chechnya, and the cessation of the 2nd Chechen War. While Russian soldiers attempted negotiations, the government strictly demanded the release of their civilian hostages, irrespective of their ethnicity. Negotiations were only partly effective, however, as the terrorists only let about 150- 200 kids, pregnant ladies, the sick, and individuals needing medical attention go. Meanwhile, Russian authorities provided the militants refuge in any underdeveloped nation of their choice.

Ongoing negotiations led to the release of a further thirty-nine innocents held, in addition to the release of every foreigner, whose ambassador entered the negotiation process. The trickling release of groups of hostages didn't help the scenario within the theater. Stressed hostages started independently attacking the terrorists. Ultimately, authorities implemented a siege, pumping aerosol anesthetics into...

These negotiations may be considered somewhat ineffective in that 129 innocents lost their lives. The example poses collateral damage aspects as, despite all endeavors, the outcome wasn't wholly positive and casualties were unavoidable.
Why the Successful Negotiation Was Effective and Why the Unsuccessful Negotiation Was Not Effective

The UPS Strike of 1996 Win-Lose Negotiation

UPS unionized employees and Teamster Union negotiators undertook a thorough study of part-time employees' statutory rights and Union-UPS contract clauses. They compared part-time employees' ratios/proportions with those of full-time personnel, including salary, full-time employment prospects, and retirement fund inequalities, and developed a campaign manifesto reflecting the economic imbalance between the company's full- and part-time workforces. Careful and complete preparation before entering into negotiations is imperative. The negotiations in this case were successful, owing to adequate preparation by one party.

The Moscow Theater Hostage - Crisis Negotiation

Negotiations in this case suffered from numerous huge mistakes and important opportunities lost by Russian authorities. The foremost, and probably greatest, misstep was their hesitancy or incompetence in establishing sound communication. Moreover, communication link reliability would have improved their chances of forming rapport as well as familiarity with militants. Active listening and expressing an understanding of and sympathy for Chechnya's situation was missing; had the Russians done so, the militants would have felt somebody understood their sentiments, was trustworthy, and could assist them. Negotiations in this case chiefly took place over a hostage's phone as well as directly. Besides these channels, the militants voiced numerous demands through indirect media like journalists, released captives, media interviews, the militants' webpage, and previously filmed videos.

Suggestions That Could Have Positively Affected the Outcome

The Moscow Theater Hostage - Crisis Negotiation

The Russian government could have acted cleverly by persuading militants that their plan was already a success, since the entire world was now aware of their cause, but the global public could rapidly turn against them should they harm any hostage. Although such a tactic would probably have been refuted, authorities could, as a subsequent step, challenge the militants to an 'honorable' fight against their real enemy and not innocent citizens. This alternative of letting the hostages go and facing open combat could have satisfied the militants. Although this is definitely not an attractive alternative, it was a better negotiation tactic to the one actually adopted, and could have successfully averted the…