Negotiation Skills - Lessons From Janlokpal Saga

8/4/2019 Negotiation Skills - Lessons From Janlokpal Saga

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NEGOTIATION SKILLS

Lessons from Lokpal SagaTeam AnnaTeam Anna vs vs GovtGovt of Indiaof India


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Lesson 1 : Lean on Leverage

Anna s Principles and his Fast were the reasonthat brought the Govt. to the bargaining table

The Govt. had the support of other MPs in theparliament without which the Govt. would haveto give in to all of Team Anna s Demands.

The govt. was successful in converting the

debate from Civil Society vs Govt to Team Annavs Parliament.

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Lesson 2 : Give and Get Respect

Members of both, Team Anna and Govt., lostrespect from the people when they startedname-calling and making derogatory remarks.

Manish Tiwari and Kiran Bedi, two of the mostarticulate people on TV should have chosenbetter words to express disappointment,

displeasure, frustrations and anger.Such actions only result in , if at all, hollowvictories.



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Lesson 3 : Point toPoint

CommunicationThe Govt. had differentpeople communicating withTeam Anna, the media, theparliament, the MPs etc.which led to most of thechaos and misunderstandingNegotiation is all outperceptions of positions and

clarification of thoseperceptions. Fewerspokespersons help inachieving greater clarity andavoid misunderstandings.



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Lesson 4 : Garner Support of 3 rd

PartiesThe people who are not a part of thenegotiation process but are effected by itsoutcomes have a major influence on the process

itself.People supported Anna for many reason, somebelieved in his principles, some saw him as asavior, some were against the Govts. attitudetowards him etc. Without support from themedia, BJP and the general public, team Annawouldn't have been successful.

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Lesson 5 : Calm Your Nerves

Emotions play an important role in any humaninteraction.

Use your emotions to show how serious you areabout achieving the outcomes.

Emotions of the leader get passed on thesupporters. It can be a blessing or a curse.

Team Anna was very carful at the kinds of emotions they were transferring to the public,which is why the movement was peaceful.



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Lesson 6 : People Negotiate PositionsNot Particulars.

Both ,Team Anna and the Govt. , didn t want to beperceived as giving into the others demand.In addition to the core demands, unlike Team Anna,

experienced negotiators will bring to the table a setof good will gesture demands which are given upduring the negotiation process. This helps satisfy theother party s ego and does not make them look likethe sole looser.No one wants to feel like a loser in a negotiation.Realizing this will help you communicate with theother party better.



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Lesson 7 : To Avoid Deadlock, UseMediators Right from the Start

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar played an instrumentalrole in bringing all negotiation parties back tothe table. More importantly, being the figureof peace and spirituality that he is, no onecould disregard his attempts of reconciliation.

Such mediators have to be brought in early (if required) in order to accelerate the processof negotiation.



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Lesson 8 : Remind everyone to Focuson Outcome and Avoid Pitfalls

Anna kept repeating to the public that thismovement is not for him or his team but thepublic. He reminded the people that anyform of violence can and will derail themovement.

Always focus on the outcome and remind allthe parties of the loss of not arriving to asuccessful close.



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Lesson 9 : Always have a MinimumBargaining Alternative

First the demand of Team Anna was that theJan Lokpal bill has to be passed. In the end,their demand was that the resolution hasto be passed.Having a planned minimum bargainingalternative is critical to the success of anynegotiations. It acts as a minimum criteriafor victory which is essential for a subjectsuch as India against Corruption



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Lesson 10 : Time is the Most ValuableFactor

It took 12 days to come to an resolution on 3critical points. No one is calculating theeconomic loss to the Govt or the private sector.Fortunately Anna s Ticking Time-Bomb Fasthelped the negotiation come to an early close.

Stalling is the worst negotiation tactic, even if it

works, it should only be used to test theopponents resolve . One shouldn t use it toavoid the situation or the opponent.



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Lesson 11 : In the end, Victorybelongs to All Parties OR None At

All!Team Anna, the Govt., the Parliament andthe public accepted the resolution and cameto an agreement. Think what would havehappened if the resolution was notpresented. What would have happened?

In the end, a win-win for both parties helpmaintain a positive relationship and keepsthe door open for future negotiations.



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Lesson 12 : Don t let History RepeatNapoleon said, one has the right to make mistakesbut not to be surprised. The next time Govt. and Civil

Society negotiate, they should remember that thewhole country is watching them. The constitution anddemocracy is at stake and the continuing success of both depends on the everyone leaving their egosaside and working together to achieve a positive

outcome.Lessons need to be learn from every negotiationbecause the more we negotiate, the more we getbetter at it.



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NEGOTIATION SKILLSTHANK YOU

Negotiation Skills - Lessons From Janlokpal Saga

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