Interest-based Negotiation

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how collective bargaining between union and management has been approached using distributive negotiation and how interest-based negotiation (IBN) is a way of reducing the competition between both sides and helps create a cooperative problem solving approach to the negotiated issues. In particular, the paper looks at how collective bargaining processes are often described as 'adversarial' and examines whether an 'interest based' approach works within this context or whether distributive bargaining is more appropriate.

From the Paper:

"Although IBN sounds all good and well for collective bargaining, there are factors that can impede the use of IBN in collective bargaining. One important factor would be the past relationship between the union and management. The traditional negotiation style used in the past may have created a 'them vs. us' attitude between both sides. This would lead to one side to be suspicious of the other side's intention when changing the collective bargaining approach to use IBN (Leventhal 2006). Also the mistrust between both sides would prevent each side to openly share information, making cooperation difficult (Stone 2005). There is also the need to educate negotiators that are unfamiliar to the IBN approach. Some traditional negotiators have a fear that IBN would reduce their control over the negotiation process (Lewicki et al. 2007). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Australian Associated Press (AAP) 2009, Qantas flights snarled by baggage handler's strike, Business Date: theage.com.au, Fairfax Digital. Available from: <http://business.theage.com.au/business/qantas-flights-snarled-by-baggage-handlers-strike-20090330-9g9n.html> [21 April 2009].
• Barry, B, Fulmer, IS & Van Kleef, GA 2004, 'I laughed, I cried, I settled: The role of emotion in negotiation' in The Handbook of Negotiation and Culture, eds Gelfand, MJ & Bretts, JM, Stanford University Press, California, pp. 71-94.
• Black, S 2008, 'Bargaining: It's in Your Best Interest', American School Board Journal, vol. 195, no. 4, pp. 52-53. Available from: Professional Development Collection. [21 April 2009].
• Brainerd, R 1998, 'Interest-based bargaining: Labour management working together in Ramsey County, Minnesota', Public Personnel Management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 51-69. Available from: Business Source Premier. [21 April 2009].
• Cutcher-Gershenfeld, J & Kochan, T 2004, 'Taking Stock: Collective Bargaining at the Turn of the Century', Industrial & Labor Relations Review, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 3-26. Available from: EBSCOhost. [21 April 2009].

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