The purpose of this assignment is to write a business letter to an associate from overseas, explaining the philosophy and process of resolving conflicts in a business organization. I also need help finding a step by step process that is actually used for eresolving conflict. Thanks!
Dear Mr. Wong,
Congratulations and welcome to the Cedars Hospital community. I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected for this job position out of hundreds of other applicants. The Cedars Hospital community represents the finest in patient healthcare. We have been widely regarded as the best overall hospital for over fifteen consecutive years and look forward to have you join us better serve our clients.
Here at Cedars Hospital we know that conflict is inevitable and often unavoidable. We are constantly being confronted with conflict in both our personal and professional lives. The truth is that there is a certain amount of conflict between every person we come in contact with, due to the fact that we all possess different values, character traits and beliefs.
There is an assortment of different methods of conflict resolution that can be utilized to resolve our differences. In one method of negotiation, called positional bargaining, the negotiator takes a stance, or position and either takes or gives a sequence of positions. There are two styles of positional bargaining, soft and hard. The hard negotiating approach views the opposing side as an adversary. The goal is victory, and there is no middle-ground. They demand concessions as a condition of the relationship and are as judicious on the individuals as they are on the issue. They make threats and insist that the opposing side cave in to every demand. Roger Fisher and Willaim Ury, co-authors of the national bestseller "Getting to Yes", assert that positional bargaining "fails to meet the basic criteria of producing a wise agreement, efficiently and amicably (Fisher and Ury, 1991)." Although hard positional bargaining can produce results, it usually has an extensive negative effect on the relationship. This negative aspect of hard positional bargaining makes it a costly style of negotiation.
Another method of positional bargaining, referred to as the "soft" approach, emphasizes the principal of developing a strong relationship with the opposing side. Negotiators who utilize this approach view their participant as a friend. Their goal is any type of mutual agreement and they make concessions to promote the alliance. The most severe consequence of exercising a soft negotiating style is that a person with a hard negotiating style can often dominate the softer one, so although soft positional bargaining maintains the friendship, it's vulnerability to hard positional bargaining makes it a poor method of negotiation.
Though positional bargaining can sometimes be an effective way to achieve one's goal, an alternative called principled negotiation or negotiation on the merits is a far superior method of negotiation. In principled negotiation, issues are decided upon by their merits and the goal is a win-win situation for both sides. Developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project, principled negotiation emphasizes four basic points. The four basic points outline a negotiation strategy that can be used under almost any circumstance.
The first rule in principled negotiation is to separate the people from the problem. All negotiations involve people, and people are not perfect. They have their emotions, biases and interests. Many times a negotiation will feel like it's "you versus them." Principled negotiation argues that a person should view negotiation as a means to solving a problem and the people on the other side as partners in finding a solution. Fisher and Ury assert that "figuratively if not literally, the participants should come to see themselves as working side by side, attacking the problem, not each other (Fisher and Ury, 1991)." Ideally both parties will come out of a negotiation feeling like they reached a fair agreement where both sides will benefit.
The second rule in principled negotiation is to focus on interests, not positions. Sometimes, in negotiation, we overlook the underlying interests and focus on the people's positions. For example, take two people arguing over noise level in a certain area. One wants peace and quiet, so he can focus and study, while the other wants to listen to music. A solution that is based on principled negotiation will suggest that the person that wants to listen to music should put on a pair of headphones. This solution ignores the positions of the people and focuses instead on their underlying interest. This way both parties will fulfill their interests, without too much compromise.
Another key factor when practicing principled negotiation is inventing options for mutual gain. In a typical negotiation there are few options to choose from. Most of the solutions presented are one-sided and unfair. Principled negotiation stresses the need to invent options that bear mutual gain. Participants should try to think of a wide variety of options before coming to an agreement.
The fourth and final pillar of principled negotiation is to insist on using objective criteria. Many times a negotiation can end up as a stalemate when vital interests conflict. The negotiation usually becomes a battle of will, with each side trying to cause the opposing side to concede. Due to the costly repercussion of reconciling differences through a battle of wills, the solution is to negotiate on a basis of objective criteria. Objective criteria will transform the negotiation into a battle of principle, not pressure.
Here at Cedars we make the strongest effort to implement principled negotiation, rather than hard or soft positional bargaining. Principled negotiation protects the relationships in our company; a vital factor of success. If an employee should ever have a conflict, be it between a client, a fellow employee, or a superior, they should apply principled negotiation. If an employee has an issue with any terms or conditions of his occupation he should bring it forward to human resources because, here at Cedars, conflict is not viewed as a negative affair, rather as a means to grow and improve personally and professionally. Human resources will work collaboratively with the employee to recognize and resolve the issue. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter please feel free to contact us at 800-xxx-xxxx.We hope you will take this information into account when conducting business in our hospital or any other aspect of your life.
...as the best overall hospital for over fifteen consecutive years and look forward to have you join us and enable us to better serve our clients.
The most severe consequence of exercising a soft negotiating style is that a person with a hard negotiating style can often dominate the softer one, so although soft positional bargaining maintains the friendship, it's vulnerability to hard positional bargaining makes it a poor method of negotiation.
Wow, this is a heck of a sentence. It is a wise observation, too...
Soft style may not be bad when up against hard style, though. The Kung Fu of negotiation can switch from soft to hard and back again in an instant.
This is some high quality writing. I think you'll do well! I hope Ershad and I helped in time for you to see out feedback before submitting. Thanks for participating here.
