Understand the Context of Negotiations to Achieve Better Results
Negotiation has always been at the heart of solving problems at work. Yet today, when people in organizations are asked to do more with less, be responsive 24/7, and manage in rapidly changing environments, negotiation is more essential than ever. What has been missed in much of the literature of the past thirty years is that negotiations in organizations always take place within a contextof organizational culture, of prior negotiations, of power relationshipsthat dictates which issues are negotiable and by whom. Many of the issues that hinder a leader’s ability to succeed today are not actually seen as obstacles to be negotiated, but simply as normal policies or practices within the organization. When we negotiate for new opportunities or increased flexibility, we never do it in a vacuum. We challenge the status quo, but when we do it successfully, we create small wins for the individual that can quickly grow into big gains, adding value to the organization by addressing ineffective practices and outdated assumptions and laying the path for a broader, more diversified pool of leadership to succeed at the highest levels.
Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managing your own workplace negotiations: how to get opportunities, promotions, flexibility, buy-in, support, and credit for your work. It does so within the context of organizational dynamics, recognizing that to negotiate with someone who has more power adds a level of complexity.
Negotiating at Work is rooted in real-life cases of professionals from a wide range of industries and organizations, both national and international, giving readers:
- Concrete advice on how to recognize opportunities to negotiate and bolster your confidence prior to the negotiation
- Strategies to get the other person to the table and engage in creative problem solving, even when they don’t see the issue at hand as negotiable
- Turn “asks” into a negotiation, and advance negotiations that get “stuck” to bring them to a successful conclusion
By using these strategies, you can negotiate successfully for your job and your career, while at the same time change organizational policies and assumptions that may impact many other talented leaders.
From the Back Cover
Negotiation has always been at the heart of solving problems at work. Yet today, when people in organizations are asked to do more with less, be responsive 24/7, and manage in rapidly changing environments, negotiation is more essential than ever. What has been missed in much of the literature of the past thirty years is that negotiations in organizations always take place within a context―of organizational culture, of prior negotiations, of power relationships―that dictates which issues are negotiable and by whom. Many of the issues that hinder a leader’s ability to succeed today are not actually seen as obstacles to be negotiated, but simply as normal policies or practices within the organization. When we negotiate for new opportunities or increased flexibility, we never do it in a vacuum. We challenge the status quo, but when we do it successfully, we create small wins for the individual that can quickly grow into big gains, adding value to the organization by addressing ineffective practices and outdated assumptions and laying the path for a broader, more diversified pool of leadership to succeed at the highest levels.
Negotiating at Work offers practical advice for managing your own workplace negotiations: how to get opportunities, promotions, flexibility, buy-in, support, and credit for your work. It does so within the context of organizational dynamics, recognizing that to negotiate with someone who has more power adds a level of complexity.
Negotiating at Work is rooted in real-life cases of professionals from a wide range of industries and organizations, both national and international, giving readers:
- Concrete advice on how to recognize opportunities to negotiate and bolster your confidence prior to the negotiation
- Strategies to get the other person to the table and engage in creative problem solving, even when they don’t see the issue at hand as negotiable
- Turn “asks” into a negotiation, and advance negotiations that get “stuck” to bring them to a successful conclusion
By using these strategies, you can negotiate successfully for your job and your career, while at the same time change organizational policies and assumptions that may impact many other talented leaders.
About the Author
DEBORAH M. KOLB, PhD, is a foremost expert in the fields of negotiation, leadership, and gender issues, sought-after speaker, and highly regarded author. Dr. Kolb is the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Professor for Women in Leadership (Emerita) and founder of the Center for Gender in Organizations at Simmons College. She was former executive director and is currently co-director of the negotiations in the Workplace Project at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and is strategic advisor and mentor to many of today’s most successful executive women.
For more visit DeborahMKolb.com
JESSICA L. PORTER has advised organizations worldwide, including many in the Fortune 500, on gender and leadership. As a researcher, Porter has led influential investigations into effective work habits and creating change.
For more visit JessicaLPorter.com
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